Bord Bia has announced that this month it will leverage the global phenomena and popularity of St. Patrick's Day to launch a programme of targeted trade engagements and a series of new promotional campaigns across 14 countries.
Throughout March, minister for agriculture, food and the marine Charlie McConalogue, minister of state Martin Heydon and Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy will lead a series of meetings with some of the food and drinks industries' key global customers across the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and North American markets.
The trade engagements will culminate in a virtual trade mission to China that will include high level customer meetings and a "Driving Growth in China" seminar for Irish exporters featuring experts on the Chinese market across the meat, dairy, seafood and alcohol sectors.
McConalogue Statement
McConalogue stated, "This programme of events is part of our strategic response to the challenges the agri-food and fisheries sector faces arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit impacts. Structured engagements with key business customers offer a real opportunity to communicate the premium quality of Ireland's food and drink offering, to the benefit of all those along the supply chain, particularly farmers and fishers as our primary producers."
Heydon Statement
Heydon stated, "St. Patrick's Day offers Ireland a unique global platform and I am delighted that Bord Bia is putting Irish food and drink at the heart of this year's virtual celebration. As minister with responsibility for new market development, I look forward to engaging with key international customers, across a range of food and drink sectors. The COVID pandemic has changed the way we live and the behaviour of consumers. Our Irish food and drink sector has shown remarkable resilience in the face of this changing environment. This programme of events will further help to support the sector and highlight the quality of our offering to a global audience."
McCarthy Statement
McCarthy stated, "Despite the current restrictions internationally, Bord Bia has re-imagined our traditional St. Patrick's Day programme of activity to ensure we are leveraging every available opportunity to support the Irish food, drink and horticulture sector at a time when they are facing unprecedented challenges amidst COVID-19 and trading in a post Brexit era. In line with our market diversification strategy, this year we are placing particular importance on priority European and international markets. This year's campaign will capitalise on the invaluable platform of St. Patrick's Day to deliver key business development meetings, events and promotional campaigns that allow us to tell the story of Origin Green, our industry and its producers, and to engage with new and existing customers around the globe."
Planned Activity
Bord Bia's planned promotional activity includes an Irish beef and lamb promotion with 1,000 retail outlets across Germany and an online beef promotion with one of Italy's largest retailers. Bord Bia is also partnering with Tourism Ireland on a range of activities including a "St Patrick’s Day At Home" digital festival in the Netherlands, featuring demonstrations from Chefs' Irish Beef Club members and the creation of video content for Spanish TV cookery channel Canal Cocina, featuring Michelin star chef Mario Sandoval, who will be promoting Irish grass-fed Hereford beef at his restaurant.
In the UAE, Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland will join forces for a series of promotional radio programmes.
In the UK, which accounts for 32% or €4.3 billion of Irish food and drink exports, one of Bord Bia's promotional activities will target over one million UK consumers through a collaboration with a number of high-profile chefs.
Meanwhile, Bord Bia's New York office will host a virtual press event with renowned chef Dan Barber, previously appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President's Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.
Additionally, in Japan, Bord Bia is exhibiting at FOODEX, the largest annual food and beverage trade show in the country, and will directly target directly Japanese consumers in a series of in-market activities commencing with an in-store promotion with the Aeon retail group, and in the Philippines, Bord Bia will lead a trade masterclass targeting food service and hotel industry food buyers and chefs.
Food And Drink Exports Value In 2020
According to Bord Bia, Irish food and drink exports reached over €13 billion in 2020, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 and Brexit.
© 2021 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
