For St Patrick’s week, Bord Bia will be hosting events from Sweden to Shanghai to engage with senior-level trade; online marketing campaigns; retail and restaurant promotions; in-store tastings; cookery demonstrations; and on-the-ground Irish food festivals, all with an aim of increasing the global footprint of Ireland’s sustainable food and drink industry.
Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole said:
“St Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity to put Ireland on the global stage and to celebrate our largest indigenous industry overseas. Through our network of offices around the world, Bord Bia has capitalised on the invaluable platform of St Patrick’s Day to deliver high level business development meetings, targeted trade events and a series of impactful promotional campaigns across 12 countries. Global reach is important for attracting future customers of Ireland and for the long-term development of the food and drink industry. Communicating the quality, safety and sustainability of our food offering through Origin Green is what opens doors for us in international markets.”
Highlights of events this year across priority European and international markets include:
- Irish produce being showcased to over 50,000 people in the UK at the Lord Mayor of London’s[1] official St. Patrick’s Day consumer event at Trafalgar Square.
- In Japan, there will be a gathering of 30 premium chefs in Tokyo adapting local dishes to include Irish beef and lamb.
- In Italy, 25 high-end chefs will be serving Irish beef in their restaurants Milan as part of A Taste of Ireland promotion week in Italy.
- In China, Irish whiskey will be promoted to over 750 trade guests at the China Drinks Awards in Shanghai which recognises the achievements made by nightlife and beverage industry across Asia.
- In Lagos, Nigeria, the Spirit of Ireland cocktail week will commence. In partnership with 10 premium restaurants and bars, unique cocktails using Irish drinks will be available for consumers to enjoy.
- And in France, Bord Bia is promoting Irish meat and seafood across a large range of retail stores. In total, close to 1,500 stores around France will receive a Bord Bia St Patrick's Day sales kit.
Leveraging the international goodwill around Patrick’s Day, Bord Bia’s global business activities aim to drive growth strategy in established markets while also creating awareness of Ireland’s food and drink offering in emerging markets.
In Germany, Bord Bia will welcome Minister for State at the Department of Food, Agriculture and the Marine, Martin Heydon T.D. to launch a St. Patrick's week activation for Irish meat, dairy and confectionary in 25 Galeria Markthalle retail stores across the country.
In the last week, Bord Bia hosted Irish food and drink companies in Germany at the Internorga trade fair for the hospitality and restaurant Industry in Hamberg from March 8th -12th, and at Prowein, one of the world’s leading wine and spirits trade show, in Düsseldorf from March 10th – 12th. Both trade shows attracted in excess of 100,000 visitors.
In the US, Bord Bia will host an information stand at the Annual Meat Conference (AMC) which takes place in Nashville, Tennessee from March 18th – 20th. AMC attracts more than 1,800 attendees from all facets of the meat industry.
In 2023, Irish food and drink exports reached over 187 countries across the globe and were valued at €16.3 billion.
