Bord Bia is targeting €40 million worth of new business as a direct result of a trade development event, Marketplace International 2018.

Today (Monday, April 9) marked the first day of the global food buyers’ event, which was organised by Bord Bia to drive new business for Ireland’s agri-food industry.

Well over 550 food buyers – from 50 countries around the world – will participate in the week-long trade development event, thought to be the largest of its kind ever to take place in Ireland.

Buyers include representatives from Australia, Algeria, Bahrain, China, Indonesia, UAE, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Interest from UK buyers has remained strong, with close to 50 in attendance.

Those registered represent every sector of the industry, including: dairy; beef; lamb; pork; alcohol; seafood; prepared foods; grocery; bakery; specialty foods; as well as confectionery and snacks.

Itineraries

From today, 300 of the international visitors will embark on 28 different three-day group itineraries organised and hosted by Bord Bia.

The sector-focused itineraries will allow buyers to see Irish farms; factories; retail stores; and manufacturing facilities all around the country to “showcase the very best of the Irish food and drink industry”.

On Thursday, April 12, all international visitors will reconvene in the RDS Dublin for 5,000 pre-arranged one-to-one meetings with 185 Irish food companies.

Speaking in advance of the event, Bord Bia chief executive officer Tara McCarthy said: “Marketplace is an invaluable opportunity for Irish food and drink companies to meet with a large number of international buyers face to face.

“It is our prime platform for showing international buyers first-hand what makes our products world class.

Initiatives such as Marketplace International have enabled the sustained growth of Irish food and drink exports for the past eight years, culminating in a record value of €12.6 billion in 2017.

A team of Bord Bia specialists – including its network of 13 international offices – have been preparing for the trade development event for over six months.

Preparations included providing a “comprehensive training programme” to the 185 Irish food companies to ensure they were adequately prepared for this year’s showcase.

Through a series of training workshops, Irish companies availed of advice on choosing export markets, logistics, and sales pitch techniques, Bord Bia said.