Showing posts with label Mayo Food and Drink. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mayo Food and Drink. Show all posts

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Mayo Food and Drink Showcase is a fitting finale

Mayo Food and Drink Showcase is a fitting finale

 

Beer vobiscum. Killian O'Morain the Mescan Monk!


The hugely successful final event of the Mayo Food and Drink Programme, a Showcase and Meet the Buyer event, exceeded all expectations of both producers and buyers. Both were there to do business and it was clear from the outset that this event was exactly what was needed to make the vital connections between artisan producers and both distributors and retailers as well as agencies offering essential support. Enthusiastic networking was interspersed with relevant and interesting panel discussions and a keynote speech from Blás na hÉireann founder Artie Clifford. The event took place at Breaffy House Hotel on Thursday 23 June 2022 and was attended by 75 producers and buyers.

Artie Clifford Blas na hEireann

 

Programme Manager Oonagh Monahan acted as MC and first introduced Artie Clifford who had travelled from Dingle for the event. His engaging presentation covered his own chequered history as a small food producer, not hiding the pitfalls nor glossing over the challenges of the business. He wryly recalled falling into the trap of retail buyers early in his business life, embarrassed to admit he didn’t understand the terminology and accidently agreeing to impossible discounts. Perhaps because of this, his main message for fledgling producers is to have belief in themselves and their products. He urged artisans not to be afraid to admit when they don’t know acronyms or how the system works but to be confident enough to speak out. The Blás awards grew from his surprise that there was no formal awards system recognising quality in food and drink. He founded it 14 years ago and it has increased exponentially in both scope and size every year since.

 

Padraig Gannon Croagh Patrick Seafoods (left), Dean Diplock Exec Chef Breaffy Resort

“This is a fitting finale to a busy year of training and networking”, said Oonagh Monahan, “The Mayo Food and Drink Programme is all about helping producers to do business and it was rewarding to see that in action today. The feedback has been overwhelmingly good”.

 

Four lively and informative discussion panels consisted of chefs, distributors/wholesalers, retailers and food tourism representatives. The common thread carrying through every discussion was the importance of communicating clearly and regularly. Suppliers must talk to chefs, distributors and retailers keeping them informed of what’s happening and potential issues which arise. In this arena silence is most definitely not golden.

 

The Mayo Food and Drink Programme is a LEADER funded response to the challenges and opportunities identified in the Mayo Food & Drink Strategy 2025. It puts into action the specific priorities identified by producers and is totally food and drink focused. This was the final networking event but training continues for another month with some online classes and one-to-one specialised training and mentoring all of which is free of charge and available exclusively to Mayo food and drink businesses. Booking for these free courses is through the website www.mayofood.ie or Eventbrite and links on social media (@mayofoodanddrink).

The Mayo Food and Drink Networking and Training Programme is supported by South West Mayo Development Company and Local Enterprise Office Mayo. 

Friday, June 10, 2022

Food producers gather for the Mayo Food and Drink Showcase

 Food producers gather for the Mayo

 Food and Drink Showcase

Keynote Speaker Artie Clifford, founder and chair of Blás na hÉireann

 

The grand finale of the Mayo Food and Drink Programme takes the form of a Showcase and Meet the Buyer event which takes place on Thursday 23 June in Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar. It marks the end of a highly successful series of training and networking events. The Showcase is a valuable opportunity for Mayo food and drink producers to meet and do business with key buyers from the hospitality, retail foodservice and food distribution sectors. Attendance is free of charge but pre-booking on www.mayofood.ie is essential.

 

The keynote speaker is Artie Clifford, founder and chair of Blás na hÉireann, the Irish Food Awards. He will be supported by a Chefs panel, a Distributors and Wholesalers panel, a Retail and Food Service panel and a Food Tourism panel. Food and drink businesses will have an opportunity to exhibit their products and give tastings as well as have personal meetings with buyers. It is also an important networking event for those working within the industry in Mayo. Participants include Aldi and SuperValu, Bord Bia, La Rousse Foods and Rua Deli. Chefs include Philippe Farineau from Ashford Castle and Seamus Commons from Knockranny House Hotel.

 

“Anyone involved in the food and drink industry in Mayo or food visitor experiences should make it their business to attend this Showcase and Meet the Buyer event”, explained Oonagh Monahan, Programme Manager, “As well as talks and workshops, it’s a rare chance for business owners to meet directly in a one-to-one situation with key buyers and decision makers who can make a positive impact on their business”.

 

This final event is the culmination of a 15 month programme providing relevant and focussed training to food and drink businesses within the network. The most recent event held last month was completely sold out indicating the enthusiasm for the network. It is expected that this one will be equally popular and advance booking is essential. It is a trade only event open only to businesses.

 

The Mayo Food and Drink Programme is a LEADER funded response to the challenges and opportunities identified in the Mayo Food & Drink Strategy 2025. It puts into action the specific priorities identified by producers and is totally food and drink focused. A training programme runs until July and consists of free training, mentoring, and networking events which are designed for and available exclusively to Mayo food and drink businesses. 


Booking for these free courses is through the website www.mayofood.ie or Eventbrite and links on social media (@mayofoodanddrink).

The Mayo Food and Drink Networking and Training Programme is supported by South West Mayo Development Company and Local Enterprise Office Mayo.


press release.