Find Out How We Can Help!
Bord Bia offers a comprehensive range of services to the small business community from information to business development. The information below is designed to help you navigate our services. If you need further information on any of the below, please send an email to vantage@bordbia.ie.
- Information
- Bord Bia Market Information Department: Bord Bia maintains a library of research and leading-edge marketing literature which is available to all food businesses. The library team are on hand to provide assistance wherever possible, however big or small the query. Access to the library is free of charge and clients are guaranteed a speedy response. Thousands of enquiries are handled each year by the Bord Bia Enquiry Team and requests typically include:
- Market/country profiles
- Category/sector specific information
- Retailer profiles
- New product development and new product launches
- Trends
- Sourcing ingredients
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- Weekly Food Alert: Each week we produce a food alert which features a broad range of articles from markets information, to product innovation, to retail and foodservice developments. You will find the Bord Bia food alert on www.bordbia.ie/foodalert each Friday. Note that you can also subscribe to this - go to the food alert page for further information.
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- Newsletters: In addition to the research and market information above, Bord Bia also produces newsletters by sector and market. Subscription is through your Sector Manager with publications including the UK retail and foodservice newsletters (monthly), Ireland market retail and foodservice newsletters (monthly - also on the Bord Bia website).
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- Consumer Lifestyle Trends Programme: This programme is a foundation of
knowledge that allows the Irish Food and Drinks Industry to better predict and prepare for consumers’ future needs and wants. Trends help companies be more outward-looking, future-focused and consumer driven. Using Trends helps companies to anticipate change in consumers’ lives and not just be responsive. Trends help organisations make sense of, and plan for, change and also act as a catalyst for new thoughts and ideas. Find out more about our Consumer Lifestyle Trends on the Bord Bia website.
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- Category Research: The Small Business Team has built a bank of category specific research examining consumer behaviours and attitudes to various food categories. Some of the categories we've worked on are listed below. Should you wish to get a copy of any of the reports, please email your Sector Manager or vantage@bordbia.ie.
- Farmhouse Cheese
- Preserves
- Ready Meals
- Gluten Free
- Premium Chocolate
- Workshops & Training
- Distribution
- The distribution programme is primarily built around providing information
to industry. Firstly, we have designed an online distributor database which can be accessed through the Vantage website. You can customise your search by selecting the sector, service offered, product type and geographic coverage. The result is a comprehensive listing of suitable distributors complete with a short profile.
- Innovation
- Foresight4Food Small Business Programme: Small food companies can access the Foresight4Food Small Business Programme. This programme provides companies with the opportunity to complete professionally managed
research amongst their target consumers via a syndicated series of focus group discussions. We recognise that small businesses have limited budgets and that the innovation and new product development process is fraught with risk. Lower investment in marketing and marketing support makes it harder for small businesses to succeed. The aim for this programme is to put consumers at the heart of small business innovation. In this programme we will assist companies with the research question, design the process, complete the fieldwork, and present the results. Clear recommendations will be provided and a report that details the business issue, key information, consumer insights, implications, and recommendations for implementation.
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- Finance Mentoring
- Good control of finance should always be a key element of your overall business management and in these particularly difficult times it is more important than ever. Through one-to-one mentoring, we can help you understand cash management, pricing, and control systems. Find out how you can avail of this mentoring by contacting your Sector Manager.
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- MAP - Marketing Finance Programme: this programme is designed to provide direct
assistance for marketing initiatives to small business companies. The programme funds up to 50% of marketing activities for example trade fair attendance, market research, design and origination. The closing date for the current programme is February 28th 2013. Read more about the MAP.
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- Ireland Market Retail & Foodservice Programmes: the Bord Bia Ireland Market department has developed a tiered approach to working with companies who are looking to grow sales on the Irish retail and foodservice markets. The entry point to the programmes is the ‘intelligence’ level where information is provided on market size and main players, trends, conference reports, etc. Following on from the Intelligence level, there are both ‘entry programmes’ and ‘development programmes’. While the intelligence level is free of charge, ‘entry’ and ‘development’ are delivered through workshops and mentoring and require a fee. Read more on the Ireland market programmes.
- Branding & The Brand Forum: Bord Bia's Brand Forum recognises that Irish companies of all sizes have a great deal to gain by coming together, pooling their individual expertise and sharing their common concerns. The kernel of Bord Bia's Brand Forum is to connect like-minded professionals, to share their experiences and to identify the pathways to future success. The Forum meets on a quarterly basis in Dublin
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- In addition to the quarterly Fora, members of the Brand Forum can also access workshops and mentoring. Workshop topics are centred on Branding and include Social Media, Selling your Brand Online, Promoting your Brand on a Shoestring, and Food Styling and Photography. Brand Forum membership is at a reduced rate of €250 + VAT for small food companies. www.bordbia.ie/brandforum
- Export:
- Marketing Fellowship - growing the industry’s global footprint. The Bord Bia Marketing Fellowship programme provides companies with an opportunity to reach out to the international marketplace and work with some of Ireland's brightest business talent. Some 25 Fellows will complete up to 100 commercial assignments requested by Irish companies with a view to identifying opportunities and building relationships in overseas markets. The 2012/13 programme is currently underway and the next intake of applications and fellows will commence in March 2013. Read more on the Marketing Fellowship.
- Bord Bia Overseas Offices:
- Bord Bia has its headquarters in Dublin and has a presence in 10 other markets. Our network of offices provides valuable on the ground supports for Irish companies. They can provide companies with an overview of that market and can assist with market research and entry by providing local market information.
- UK Market: The UK is generally the first port of call for small food
businesses. Bord Bia’s London office has a range of programmes open to all small food companies and are structured in the same way as the Irish market programmes in that they have a tiered approach i.e. intelligence, entry, and development. Programmes are delivered through mentoring and workshops over a 12 month basis. Additional services include an invaluable distributor search and PR programme.
- Supports from Bord Bia’s other Overseas Offices include:
i. Information & eAlerts
ii. Market Overviews
iii. Retailer Audits
iv. Trade Contacts
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- Trade Fairs:
- Read more on exporting.
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- Direct to Consumer Sales
- Farmers' Markets
- Recognising the importance of Farmers’ Markets as a route to market for small food and drink producers, Bord Bia commissioned research into Farmers’ Markets in Ireland in late 2010. The research included in-depth interviews with market organisers and stall-holders from markets all over Ireland whilst focus groups were also held with consumers to get their views on shopping at markets. View the research online.
- Bloom
- Each year at Bloom in the Park, Artisan Food is a key feature in the Food Village. Recruitment of companies for the food market takes place over March/April each year. Please direct queries on the Food Market at Bloom to vantage@bordbia.ie. To find out more about Bloom, visit www.bloominthepark.com
If you have any queries on any of our programmes or services, please email vantage@bordbia.ie or contact your Sector Manager.