Bord Bia bids to grow Spanish market with help from President

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese has launched a Bord Bia initiative in Spain, designed to boost the image and reputation of Irish food in the Spanish market.

The project involves reaching out to student chefs at top catering schools across Spain to build stronger relationships with the future generation of chefs and to establish an awareness of, and loyalty to, Irish produce.

Mrs McAleese attended the first of a series of Irish food masterclasses conducted by the internationally renowned Michelin star chef, Mario Sandoval.

These classes will provide trainee chefs with an insight and understanding of Ireland’s unique food and drink product offerings and highlight Ireland’s commitment to quality and sustainability.

In preparation for the event, Mario Sandoval travelled to Ireland last month to experience first hand Ireland’s world-class food production, farming and fishing industries.

Mrs McAleese said the event is bringing two food cultures together and she hopes, forging “enduring relationships that will bear fruit far into the future”.

“Our investment in research, animal traceability and marketing makes us uniquely placed to provide quality food products,” said Mrs McAleese.

“Food and drink is, in fact, Ireland’s most important indigenous industry, one of our greatest sustainable resources and one of our fastest growing export areas,” she said, adding that the masterclass is an “important stepping stone in building strong relationships between Spanish kitchens and Irish farms”.

Chief executive of Bord Bia Aidan Cotter said: “Building the premium image and reputation of Irish food in key export markets is a top priority for Bord Bia and is consistent with the objectives to build a brand image as set out in our Pathways for Growth document, prepared for Bord Bia by Professor David Bell and Mary Shelman of Harvard Business School.”

In 2010, Irish food and drinks exports to Spain were valued at €210 million, an annual increase of 13%.

“Spain is Ireland’s second largest export market for seafood and our third most important for beef and livestock,” said Mr Cotter.