Bord Bia is organising a series of workshops across Ireland to train people who wish to get involved in farmers’ markets.
The ‘Skills Training for Selling at Farmers’ Markets’ workshop series is aimed at food, seafood, drink and horticulture producers, and will offer tips on such things as stall management, marketing, building costumer loyalty and budgeting.
The workshops are open both to people who have already taken part in farmers’ markets, and those who are considering getting involved for the first time.
“Farmers’ markets play a vital role in the local economy, supporting food companies in the start-up phase and beyond while also fulfilling increasing consumer demand for locally produced food, drink and horticulture,” said Andrew Doyle, Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture, who spoke at the launch of this year’s series of workshops.
He added: “These Bord Bia training workshops are a great opportunity to ensure they are market-ready, and I’d encourage anyone who wants to sell at farmers’ markets to attend.”
According to Gillian Willis – Bord Bia’s small business manager – the workshops have “been specifically developed by Bord Bia to enable farmers and producers to get the most out of selling at farmers’ markets”.
“We welcome the participation of both established producers wishing to upskill and new entrants to the channel looking to bring additional revenue to their farm or home,” she added.
All workshops will kick off at 9:00am and will run until 3:00pm. A charge of €25 applies, and attendees must register beforehand; to do so, click here.
The venues and dates for workshops are as follows:
- Great Southern Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry – March 19;
- Salthill Hotel, Galway – March 20;
- Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny – March 26;
- Dunboyne Castle, Dunboyne, Co. Meath – March 27.