Thirteen food and drink companies have been selected for the third FoodService Academy 2018 programme, which is run by Musgrave MarketPlace and Bord Bia.
Farmhouse cheeses, food-to-go snacks, craft drinks and activated nut butters are just some of the innovative products selected to join this year’s academy.
“Foodservice in Ireland offers major opportunities for suppliers providing innovative products and solutions to meet changing consumer needs," said Maureen Gahan, Bord Bia’s foodservice specialist.
"Now worth €7.8 billion and forecast to grow to over €9 billion by 2020, this route to market is delivering real growth and value for Irish food and drink companies.”
The programme aims to help participants grow sales within the foodservice or out-of-home market.
Food Academy Graduates
The initiative also offers the opportunity to achieve growth within Musgrave MarketPlace’s foodservice business, supplying over 6,000 customers each week, ranging from hotels and restaurants to pubs and nursing homes.
“A number of the participating companies are Food Academy graduates, so we are proud to be in a position to help grow their businesses by introducing their products to our foodservice customer base," Sheena Forde, trading director, Musgrave Wholesale Partners, added.
“The FoodService Academy programme offers a combination of commercial and marketing expertise and will provide invaluable customer insight for the companies involved."
Participants for the 2018 programme were confirmed following an independent product sampling session that took place earlier this year, at Musgrave MarketPlace’s upgraded 75,000-square- foot Ballymun Food Emporium.
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
