Bord Bia announced that it will bring premium food buyers from two companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Ireland this year following discussions with the companies in Dubai on the last leg of the trade mission to the Gulf States led by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD. The announcement was made during an official visit by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD and Bord Bia Chief Executive, Tara McCarthy, to the outlets in Dubai.
Bord Bia Chief Executive, Tara McCarthy, said that at the invitation of Bord Bia, food buyers from Spinneys, one of the leading high-end supermarket chains in United Arab Emirates, and Fresh Express, a major distributor, will arrive in the next two months to source additional product from Ireland.
"We will work in partnership with these companies to drive increased demand for Irish products and we are already identifying exporters that can meet the demands of Spinneys and Fresh Express in order to best fit their needs when they arrive.
During the trade mission, Minister Creed and I briefed the companies on Bord Bia`s Origin Green sustainability programme and the benefit to them of sourcing sustainable food. Bord Bia will also partner with Spinneys on an Origin Green Project to explore sustainable packaging practices which will begin in April and last for three months. We also hope to place a full time Origin Green Ambassador with Spinneys in 2018 to work with them on their sustainability plans and bring back suggestions on how we can maintain best practices".
Pictured at one of the stores were from l-r Tara McCarthy, Bord Bia's CEO, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, Colette Shannon, Head of Communications with Spinneys and Michael Hussey, Bord Bia's Middle East Regional Market Director looking at some of the Irish produce on sale.
Spinneys has over 55 retail outlets across the United Arab Emirates and is a substantial purchaser of Irish food. The top-end store is well known among Irish ex-pats for stocking Irish branded goods such as Clonakilty Pudding, Golden Irish Eggs, Glenisk yoghurts and Keoghs Crisps to mention but a few.
According to Bord Bia, the Spinneys buyers will meet with, and visit, a number of Irish exporters with the ability to supply meat, seafood and private label products for Spinneys Food. Bord Bia will also use the opportunity to brief the buyers on Origin Green and specifically the Irish food industry’s sustainability commitments.
In addition, Fresh Express, recognized as the leading food and beverage distributors in the premium food and hospitality business in the Gulf Region, will visit Ireland later this month. The distributor, which currently sells Irish seafood, will look to build on its Irish supply base in seafood, dairy and confectionery.
Irish food and drink exports to the Gulf States are estimated to worth some €250 million, an increase of 26% in the past five years. It is widely regarded as a ‘foodie region’ with an 80-90% import requirement, presents a significant and growing opportunity for Irish food exporters according to Ms McCarthy.
“There is a real, tangible demand for high quality, grass-based, sustainably produced food as it meets the needs of customers and consumers in the affluent markets of the Gulf region. The region is set to become an increasingly important market for Irish food and drink exporters. The current market dynamics, including a population expected to exceed 50 million by 2020, will continue to play a significant role in the surge in demand for food and food imports, in particular across the dairy and meat categories.”
Minister Creed commented on the success of the 50 Irish food and drink brands which can be found on supermarket shelves in the U.A.E.
“Quality, traceability and sustainability are a key part of the messaging for a sophisticated consumer population in this region. Origin Green is the only sustainability programme in the world that operates on a national scale. It brings farmers and food manufacturers together in a way never attempted anywhere else in the world before. It is evidence based and relies on sound science. It has independent certification and carbon foot-printing of our farmers and ambitious sustainability programmes for our companies and is making a real difference to the marketability of Irish produce in the Gulf States.”
Gulfood
This week, Bord Bia coordinated Ireland’s largest ever presence at Gulfood, the world’s biggest annual food and hospitality show taking place in Dubai. The Origin Green Ireland pavilions, which included some 21 exporters across dairy, meat and consumer food, experienced a significant increase in participation of over 60% on last year, with a waiting list in place. It attracted nearly 100,000 food buyers from around the world. The trade show spans more than 1 million square feet of exhibition space allocated to 5,000 international exhibitors.
Origin Green Buyer Dinner
The trade mission and Gulfood concluded with an Origin Green Gala Dinner, organised by Bord Bia. Some 350 guests attended including buyers, importers and distributors of food and ingredients from across the Gulf Region, with a combined purchasing power of over €2 billion in the room. The menu featured the best of Irish produce and Chef Rob Krawczyk prepared the meal highlighting Irish beef.
This week, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, TD, led a delegation of over 30 Irish agri-food and agri-tech companies on a week-long trade mission to the Gulf States, coordinated by Bord Bia. The mission included visits to Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, all major cities in the region, and over 30 separate engagements, including meetings with key political influencers, regulatory bodies, and potential customers for Irish produce.