Bord Bia & Compass Group Ireland Unite
8th April 2015
Eighteen Irish food and drink companies joined a new Bord Bia and Compass Group Ireland programme that seeks to help small and medium-sized Irish companies get their product ranges listed in the foodservice market.
The inaugural Bord Bia/Compass Group Ireland ‘Food Heroes’ Programme is aimed at providing participants with tailored support and guidance to assist them secure, grow and maintain business with Compass Group Ireland at home and overseas. Companies benefitting from the programme range from sugar free chocolate and ice-cream, to protein enriched yogurts, plus gluten free mini-cakes, seed mixes, GM free corn tortillas and award winning sushi.
This is the first time that Bord Bia has partnered with a foodservice industry operator in order to deliver a comprehensive and practical programme including workshops and mentoring. Compass Group Ireland, Ireland’s leading food and support services company, works with many well-known sites including the Aviva Stadium and Google’s Head Quarters in Dublin serving 100,000 meals a day.
The total out-of-home or foodservice market in Ireland was valued at €6.13 billion in 2014. Of this, workplace catering accounts for an annual consumer spend of almost €300 million (Bord Bia’s Irish Foodservice Channel Insights Report, 2014).
Programme Overview
The eight-month long workshop based programme, coordinated by Bord Bia, will incorporate Local, National and Export levels to support companies at varying stages in their development. The participants at each stage include:
- Export – Fusco Foods; Malone Foods; M&D Bakery; Paganini; Rosie&Jim; The Penny Loaf Company
- National – Blanco Nino; Honest Gluten Free Bakery; Newgrange Gold, Bakery; Tipperary Cheese; Valeo Foods
- Local – Clonakilty Chocolate; Good4U; Le Patissier; nobó; Nusli; Sushi King
In addition, participants will receive bespoke mentoring and access to relevant Compass Group Ireland personnel and route to market partners in order to gain an understanding of the organisation’s processes and procedures. Clear objectives and targets are set for each company to help them achieve key opportunities identified for their business with Compass Group Ireland.
(Pictured at the launch in the Aviva were Robert Bullock, Le Patissier, handmade traditional desserts, Fiacra Nagle, Managing Director, Compass Group Ireland, Aidan Cotter, CEO, Bord Bia and Rosie McLoughlin, Rosie & Jim, supplying breaded chicken products.)
