Today (2 June) Bord Bia celebrates ten years of connecting Ireland’s most prominent retail and foodservice buyers with Irish food, drink and horticulture producers at its annual trade breakfast at Bloom.
As Bord Bia Bloom opens for the second day of the five-day festival in the Phoenix Park this morning, more than 250 buyers from Ireland’s leading retail and foodservice companies are attending the trade breakfast to meet with the 100+ food and drink companies exhibiting at this year’s festival.
Jim O’Toole, CEO, Bord Bia, said, “Each year, before Bloom opens to the public, Bord Bia arranges a series of introductions between buyers and producers. Since it was first introduced in 2013, the trade breakfast has become one of the highlights of Bloom, and we are delighted and encouraged to have such a high calibre of buyers here, plus over 100 Irish companies in attendance this year – the highest number to date.
“We know that now, more than ever, the commitment to sourcing from Ireland is top of mind. These trade buyers have high-potential purchasing power, so, for Irish food, drink and horticulture companies, the trade breakfast provides an invaluable opportunity to do business.”
Attendees include senior figures from Ireland’s top retailers, such as Musgrave, Dunnes Stores, Aldi, Lidl Ireland, Tesco, M&S and Sainsbury’s, along with specialist retailers such as Donnybrook Fair and Fallon & Byrne.
Prominent buyers in the Irish foodservice sector include Dalata Hotel Group – the biggest hotel chain in Ireland; forecourt operators Circle K and Applegreen; workplace restaurant providers Aramark, Compass and Sodexo; and a number of leading foodservice distributors.
New Products And Trends
Bord Bia Bloom is an important live new-product testing ground for the Irish food and drink industry, where companies can launch products directly to consumers. More than half of all food and drink businesses participating in 2022 launched new products or brands at Bloom. The Food Village also provides an opportunity for buyers to identify some of the key trends and innovations in the food-and-drink sector.
This year’s standout trends include the drive towards functional and scientific health foods, including a new product by Phytaphix focusing on arthritis and joint health (JointPhix).
Additional new products launched at Bloom include Keogh’s Crips, which has collaborated with Teeling Whiskey to launch the Smoked Barbeque and Irish Whiskey limited-edition crisps. The Kinsale Mead Co. launches its new batch of Wildflower Mead – the first Irish mead drink made from Irish honey in 200 years – and Nibbed, an organic bean-to-bar cacao and chocolate producer based in Wicklow, is launching a new grated cacao product.
Bord Bia Bloom
Bord Bia Bloom, Ireland’s largest flower, food and family festival, takes place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, from 1 to 5 June 2023.
The celebrated outdoor event is now in its 17th year. For more, follow #BordBiaBloom2023 or @BordBiaBloom on social media.
© 2023 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more fresh news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
