Bord Bia event attracts 520 buyers

CLOSE TO 180 Irish food companies gathered in the Convention Centre Dublin yesterday to meet prospective customers from 28 countries as part of Bord Bia’s Marketplace international event.

Some 520 buyers from the retail and wholesale sector across the world travelled to Dublin for the event where they attended a series of meetings with pre-selected suppliers.

It is understood that a number of Irish food companies are committed to contracts with the catering firm behind the London Olympics, while new contracts to supply pork and seafood to Russia and China were signed.

Companies such as Clonakilty Food, Donegal-based cheesemaker Green Pastures, Dublin spirit company Banshee Legend, and Connemara seafood producer Irish Seaspray were among the companies that confirmed new customers and contracts yesterday.

Describing the event as a “huge success”, Bord Bia said follow-up to the event was critical. It already has a robust programme in place commencing with an initial review meeting on February 22nd, a spokeswoman said.

More than 4,500 prescheduled face-to-face meetings took place yesterday with some of the world’s key retail and food service operators represented, including Sainsburys, Selfridges, Tesco, Asda, Carrefour, Delhaize (Belgium), Mercadona (Spain) and Alcampo (Spain).

In addition to a strong representation of UK and European buyers, 14 representatives from leading Chinese retail and food service companies travelled to the event, while 17 buyers from the Middle East and 12 from Russia also attended.

Opening yesterday’s event, chairman of Bord Bia Michael Carey said that the Irish food and drinks industry has shown its ability to “meet the needs of some of the most sophisticated consumers in the world on a daily basis”.

“It is an industry that has achieved double-digit growth in its exports over the last two years,” he added.

Delegates were briefed on Ireland’s sustainability credentials by Bord Bia chief executive Aidan Cotter, during a lunchtime address.

He outlined Bord Bia’s carbon footprint programme for beef farmers, in which the carbon footprint of 500 farms is audited every week. A similar model for the dairy industry is being developed by Bord Bia in conjunction with Teagasc. “Being green and natural is how we have always presented ourselves to the world, and it’s how the world has always seen us,” he said.

The value of Irish food and drink exports increased by 12 per cent, or €1 billion, last year to reach an all-time high of €8.85 billion.