Did you know… The inaugural Dublin Coffee and Tea Festival 2014 will take place this weekend from September 12-14 in the RDS Industries Hall? The event aims to give the public an insight into café culture as Ireland has been chosen to host the World Barista Championships in 2016. Created by the Irish Foodservice Suppliers Alliance (IFSA) and the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), the festival will celebrate every aspect of the coffee and tea world including where the beverages come from, how they are brewed, varieties on offer, and the latest equipment on the market. The event will include The Roasters Village- a hub of tea and coffee roasters and retailers, The People’s Stage - from farmers to roasters, The Fetival Roastery - a micro-roastery, and The Food Village as well as Fringe Events- live music and entertainment. The Home Barista Compeition will also be held, along with a host of other competitions.
Did you know… The Out Of Home advertising market was valued at €45 million in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year, an increased of 7%? According to data published by OMA/Nielsen, around 50% of OOH spend was spent on small formats, including 6 Sheets at Bus Shelters, shopping centres as well Digital OOH dPods. Entertainment & Media was the biggest spender on OOH advertising by category in the period, accounting for €8.7 million worth of spend, followed by Food, which accounted for €7 million worth of spend. The most recalled campaign unprompted from January to June 2014 was Unilever HB Ice Cream at 51%, according to Kinetic’s post campaign researcher service, Researcher.
Did you know… Dunnes Stores have recalled one batch of its ‘my family favourites’ Easy Cook Rice due to the presence of rice weevils found in some packs? The Food Safety authority of Ireland (FSAI) said that affected packs are labeled with the following information: ‘Batch Code: 14 122, Best Before: 02/05/2016, Country of Origin: Netherlands’. The advice for customers who have purchased affected rice packs is to return the product to a local Dunnes Store.
Did you know… Fingal Enterprise Week 2014, a five day programme of events taking place in Swords, has just been launched? This year the focus is on start-up businesses. An initiative of the Fingal Local Enterprise Office, over 1,500 local businesses and start-ups will benefit from sixteen major business events, workshops, networking opportunities and mentoring clinics, being held between October 6-10 across the region. Now in its fifth year, the annual event is organised in association with Vodafone Ireland, Regus and Bank of Ireland. Speaking ahead of today’s programme launch, Paul Reid, Chief Executive, Fingal County Council said: "As Ireland’s fastest growing county, Fingal is excellently placed to lead Ireland’s economic recovery. With transport networks, demographics, services and infrastructure in place to support new and existing business, Fingal Enterprise Week is another vital platform upon which we can nurture the growing confidence and energy in the small business sector." As well as events focused on networking, finance, communications, craft and design, the topical issue of 'Food-On-The-Go' will be in the spotlight at the Dublin Food Chain event, in association with the Dublin region Local Enterprise Offices, Bord Bia and Irish Exporters Association.
Did you know… Aldi has opened a new store in Macroom, creating 20 new jobs? To celebrate the occasion, a 'Taste Truck' served free breakfasts, prepared using Aldi products last week. Talking to the Irish Independent at the store opening, store manager Brian Dillon said, "Aldi has been the fastest growing supermarket in the country over the last number of years. Each week, more and more Irish families are visiting our stores, swapping their weekly shop to our award winning range of own-brand groceries and making huge savings on their weekly shopping bill."
Did you know… The craft beer industry is set for sales of over €15 million for the year – an increase of 180% since 2011? The industry now comprises around 1.5% of the overall beer market and there will be over 50 craft brewers in Ireland by the end of 2014. However, sales in Ireland still lag behind the UK or the US. In America, craft beer constitutes 14.3% of the total market by dollar sales. Talking to the Irish Times at the launch of the Irish Craft Beer Festival in the RDS, festival organiser Seamus O’Hara, Carlow Brewing Company said the recession had boosted sales. "The recession helped us because it disrupted the beer business and the bar business. People started thinking more local with local jobs and local produce," he said. "Now that it is up to 1.5% to 2% of the market, higher in Dublin, it now has a bit of a platform. As the economy picks up again, it will continue the momentum in the sector."
Did you know… One in four small business owners claim that the biggest waste of their time is browsing social media and shopping online during the working day? A poll by software firm Sage Ireland found that SME business owners spend too much time on Twitter or emailing friends. SME owners also see administrative duties as one of the biggest drains on their working day. The survey also found that over 40% of SME owners think they do not have enough time in their working day, while 60% do not feel they are investing enough time in growing their firm. Sage Ireland head of marketing, Avril McArdle told the Irish Examiner, "Our research shows just how important time is for SMEs, and the need to use it as effectively as possible to optimise success. Particularly in smaller businesses, owners or managers can find themselves consumed by administrative tasks which can limit the time to concentrate on growing the business and increasing customers." McArdle also revealed that 20% of respondents spend over 16 hours a week working out of the office. She predicts this number will increase in the future.
Did you know… Beef processors have said they are willing to consider ways of increasing industry flexibility as to the weight of cattle bought from livestock farmers, in recognition of their hardships this year? The representative of the processors, Meat Industry Ireland (MII) is looking to meet with farmers shortly, to discuss these issues. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Irish Farmers Association (IFA) President, Eddie Downey said, "IFA will engage to address the real issues, but it is essential that the [Agricultural] minister remains fully engaged to ensure a positive outcome and fair play for farmers,” he said. Livestock farmers have protested at Lidl, Castlerea, campaigning over the price of cattle and specification cuts, whilst IFA stress that any resolution of the beef crisis must deal with every key issue and all parties involved.
Did you know… The Spanish cheese plant, Luxtor, has recently been acquired by the Irish Dairy Board (IDB), along with a long-term contract for supplying cheese to the pizza company, Telepizza? This acquisition, made through the Irish Dairy Board Espana, SL, has strengthened IDB’s position as a global provider of cheese to the quick service restaurant (QSR) and food service sectors. The addition of Luxtor coincides with the company’s growth strategy to invest in milk deficit regions. Kevin Lane, CEO of the IDB, commented: “Its central location will provide a trading and sales hub to service our growing Southern Europe customer base. And importantly for Irish farmers, it will be an immediate route to market for Irish dairy products with further growth post 2015.”
Did you know… ECR Ireland's 2nd annual Supply Chain Summit takes place at the City West Hotel, Dublin, tomorrow, Wednesday 10th September? Checkout has been unveiled as media partner for the event, which features the theme 'Collaboration: The Key To A Truly Successful Supply Chain'. Speakers at the event include Claude Tonna-Barthet of ADM Londis, who will be presenting on the retailer's chilled distribution platform; Peter Donohue of BWG Group, who will discuss the development of the group's National Distribution Centre and Diarmuid Behan of Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland, on the retailer's work to drive more collaboration and efficiency into its supply chain. If you wish to register, please click here
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Nathan Evans and Emily Horne.
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