Good food, good company, good insights

Published Date Written by Small Business Can Contributor

520 food buyers from 28 countries across four continents, attended Marketplace International 2012, a major one-day business development event organised by Bord Bia. Some 177 Irish food and drink companies, ranging in size and profile from small enterprises to multinationals, met with targeted buyers during 4,500 pre-scheduled ‘speed-dating’ style meetings. The buyers have a collective buying power in excess of €18 billion.

In addition to a strong representation of UK and European buyers, 14 representatives from leading Chinese retail and foodservice companies travelled to the event; while 17 buyers from the Middle East and 12 from Russia also attended. In 2011, Irish food and drink exports performed very strongly in International markets led by significant growth in dairy, meat and seafood. For the year, it is estimated that the value of exports outside of Europe grew by 20%, or €350 million, to reach almost €2.2 billion.

Food and drink exports
The value of Irish food and drink exports increased by 12%, or €1 billion, in 2011 to reach an all-time high of €8.85 billion. It is estimated that volume growth accounted for 25% of the rise in food and drink exports. The strongest performing categories were dairy (€2.6 billion), meat (€2.59 billion), prepared foods (€1.5 billion) and seafood (€420 million).

Here are some of the companies with their export tips: