Over 140 food entrepreneurs gathered for Bord Bia’s Small Business Seminar in Enfield, Co. Meath
on Tuesday 25th January 2011. Keynote speakers included those who have overcome personal and business obstacles including Grania Willis, the first Irish woman to summit the Himalayan peak Cho Oyu (the sixth highest mountain in the world), and Willie Wixted of ABC Nutrition, a fast-growing sports nutrition manufacturer set up in 2007, currently exporting to thirteen countries including France, Sweden, Spain and India. Other keynote speakers included Jonathan Ryan of Kantar on how changing consumer behaviour will impact on businesses in 2011. Branding expert John Fanning, Economist Jim Power and entrepreneur Domini Kemp gave varied perspectives on how to best use branding, marketing and finance to bring sales to life in the current climate.
Speaking at the conference, Eileen Bentley, Manager of Small Business, Bord Bia said “Today’s seminar aims to remind small food producers of the wide range of services and programmes readily available to develop existing and new business. Increasingly we’ve designed our services in Bord Bia to make profitability and growth more accessible to small food businesses. We provide access to buyers in Ireland and export markets; explore efficiencies on behalf of client companies such as shared distribution; help them build better brands through workshops, coaching and one to one mentoring and invest in their marketing development via the annual Marketing Assistance Programme. In 2010, 157 companies were approved a total of almost €900,000 in marketing grant aid”. Today’s delegates also heard about ways to gain a foothold in export markets via Bord Bia’s Marketing Fellowship Programme. In 2009 and 2010, Bord Bia Fellows carried out thirty seven projects across eight overseas markets on behalf of twenty small food producers.
Food Producers in the News:
25/01/11 07:00 RTE Radio 1 Morning Ireland
Bord Bia seminar aiming to get small food producers to think big - Emma McNamara speaks with Valerie Kingston (Glenilen Farm in West Cork), Birgitta Hedin-Curtin (Burren Smokehouse in Clare) and Willie Wixted (ABC Nutrition) about small businesses becoming exporters of food. [8:43am] Click here to listen (6th story)
25/01/11 18:01 RTE One Six One News
The latest figures from Bord Bia show that despite the economic downturn, the artisan food sector has grown by 7% since 2007. Philip Bromwell reports. Interview with John Hempenstall (Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese), Janet Drew (Janet's Country Fayre) and Eileen Bentley (Bord Bia). Click here to view
Newspaper: Irish Examiner
Headline: Survey shows Irish food firms are tasting success at home and abroad
Journalist Joe Dermody
Page: 19
Newspaper: Metro-Herald
Headline: Food, glorious food
Page: 4