This morning, Bord Bia hosted the 12th annual Bloom Trade Breakfast in the Food Village at Bord Bia Bloom. The highly anticipated networking event allows more than 100 Irish food and drink producers the opportunity to connect and do business with some of Ireland’s largest retailers and foodservice buyers representing a combined market value of €20 billion. Exhibitors in the food village at Bord Bia Bloom use the platform to launch new products and introduce new formats and flavours to heavyweights in the Irish food and drink buying landscape.
This year, more than 10% of the food and drink companies are participating as first-time exhibitors at Bloom. These new participants include established businesses such as Teeling Whiskey, Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers, Lakeland Dairies, McCormack Family Farms, and OakPark Foods. All brands are involved in Bord Bia Bloom to connect with buyers at the Trade Breakfast and engage directly with over 100,000 consumers during the five-day event.
Jim O’Toole, CEO, Bord Bia, said, “The Trade Breakfast at Bord Bia Bloom brings together an exceptional calibre of buyers from across the retail and foodservice sectors, offering an invaluable and highly efficient platform for Irish producers to showcase their products. Our primary aim today is to facilitate meaningful business connections that can lead to significant commercial opportunities. This is an important trade event with a proven track record of delivering value to all stakeholders involved.”
Functional Food Trends
A notable trend in the newly launched products at Bloom this year is the rising demand for functional foods that offer additional advantages beyond basic nutrition. Among the new products launching are a new children’s stir-in product made with 10 plant-based ingredients to support gut health and dietary variety from Sligo-based health food company Good4U. The range includes a Breakfast Boost, Pasta Boost and Everyday Boost featuring dried kelp which provides a source of seaweed-based calcium and natural iodine and vitamin D from fortified Irish mushrooms.
Cork preserve company Folláin will also introduce their new Folláin Spoonfuls collection of naturally sweetened fruit and seed breakfast toppers, developed for consumers seeking healthier ways to add a nutritious boost to everyday favourites like porridge, pancakes, and natural yogurt. Added protein also continues to be a focus with Offaly food company BiaSol, launching a new high protein, high fibre, low sugar Granola. Donegal’s Nomadic Foods are launching their Nomadic Power Oats - an overnight oat with 100% recommended daily Vitamin D and 10g of protein.
Fresh Flavours
Bord Bia Bloom also provides food companies with an opportunity to experiment with new flavours and this year’s flavour sensations include a new cherry cola from Moran’s Mega Jam; Lir Chocolates Guinness Chocolate Range; Mienna’s Nougat almond, strawberry and passion fruit slab; and King of Kefir Mango & Passionfruit Water Kefir. The Bloom Inn will also host a number of Irish craft drink producers bringing new offerings for visitors to sample including O’Hara’s Strawberry & Lime Falling Apple Cider; Hope Beer’s Raspberry and Lime Sour Beer and Rebel City Distillery’s, Maharani Pomelo Vodka.
Food Works
Food Works, the accelerator programme for start-up food and drink companies run by Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc, returns for its second year. It will host a stand in the Food Village showcasing a range of new products which are currently in development including Smokin Bones pulled pork; Sligo Oysters hand-pickled jars of oysters; Fierce Mild, a 0.5% ABV Pale Ale and RYSE, the first of its kind caffeinated chocolate bar.
Among the 250+ retailer and foodservice buyers attending this morning’s event are Dunnes Stores, Tesco, Musgrave, Lidl, ALDI and M&S alongside specialist retailers such as Donnybrook Fair, Fallon and Byrne and Fresh the Good Food Market. Prominent buyers in the Irish foodservice sector include Dalata Hotel Group, the largest hotel group in Ireland; Gourmet Food Parlour restaurant chain, forecourt operators Circle K and Applegreen and business feeders Aramark, Compass and Sodexo. National foodservice distributors, Sysco, Musgrave Wholesale Partners and BWG Foodservice were also in attendance.
Bord Bia Bloom continues in the Phoenix Park, Dublin until Monday 2nd June. For more visit www.bordbiabloom.com.
