The midland county of Laois has stolen a march on the rest of the State by going for its own unique brand to market its products and services.
The idea has come from the Laois Leader Rural Development Company which has invited businesses involved in agriculture, tourism, services and manufacturing to take part.
A single umbrella brand will be formed under the banner "Laois in the Heart of Ireland", with a heart-shaped logo and quality controls for those who want to use the Laois Quality Brand.
According to the brand development manager of Laois Leader, Mr Walter Bunt, the move will spearhead a commercial drive towards regional, national and international recognition of the county's products and services. It will be managed by an independent committee and will be limited to approved products and services, to ensure that internationally recognised quality standards and codes of practice are maintained. For instance, in the area of food production, quality assurance controls will have to be put in place. Food producers will have to comply with the Department of Health and complete HACCP training.
The HACCP standard was developed in the US for food produced for astronauts. It identifies the danger areas for food contamination and recommends preventative procedures. Participating restaurants and hotels will also have to complete this system of training.
In the manufacturing and technology areas, participating companies will have to have ISO qualifications and will be entitled to EU funding for exposure at shows and consumer events.
In the tourism and service industries, the company will be using Bord Failte approval as a basis for taking part. The Laois Quality Brand will provide marketing support for the participating companies and will offer subsidised training for companies wishing to be part of the scheme.
According to Mr Bunt, the brand will allow businesses to enjoy solidarity and support for their products and services.
He predicted that the brand support programme would improve the quality of goods and services produced in the county, which in turn should attract new investment in the area.
Laois Leader can be contacted at 0502 61900.