'Buy Irish' is the lifeboat for a global crisis, Cork Chamber hears

Front, left to right: Guest speakers Peigín Crowley, founder of Ground; Dan Twomey, managing director of Cork Builders Providers; Bríd O'Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish; and Julie Dorel, head of communications at the Musgrave Group. Rear, from left: Conor Healy, Cork Chamber CEO; Rob Horgan, Cork Chamber president; Karen O'Donoghue, managing director of the 'Irish Examiner' and 'The Echo'; and Jamie Olden, of sponsors RDJ, attending the Cork Chamber Business Breakfast, sponsored by RDJ, and media sponsors the 'Irish Examiner' at Clayton Hotel, Cork City. Picture: Larry Cummins

The enduring value of local supply chains and a "buy Irish" ethos in the face of global trade uncertainty was underlined at the Cork Chamber Business Breakfast with Irish leaders from the wellness, construction, and retail sectors

Bríd O'Connell, the chief executive of Guaranteed Irish, chaired a panel discussion with members of the organisation: Peigín Crowley of Ground Wellbeing, Julie Dorell of the Musgrave Group, and Dan Twomey of Cork Builders Providers.

Guaranteed Irish is marking its 51st year in 2025 and remains a cornerstone for more than 2,500 member firms that employ 150,000 people, generating €14.2bnin in turnover. 

It was born in 1974 to combat rampant emigration and job scarcity, but the not-for-profit organisation has since evolved into a global trust symbol bridging recession, Brexit, and now Trump-era protectionism. 

Speaking to Cork Chamber members, Ms O'Connell likened it to a "lifeboat" during previous crises.

"Guaranteed Irish has been around for 51 years. It was there when there were no jobs in Ireland. That's what it was set up for to counteract that and to stem that emigration of my generation. 

"It was there during Brexit. It was there during the banking scandals and a number of recessions. I always compare it to a lifeboat. You kind of hope you never need it, but when you do need it, it's here."

Instant credibility

The panel's diversity highlighted Guaranteed Irish's cross-sector reach. Peigín Crowley, the  founder of Cork-based Ground Wellbeing, shared her brand's meteoric ascent from a covid-era kitchen table to global luxury partnerships. The firm specialises in wellness products for sleep, anxiety, and oncology support, now stocked in Brown Thomas and high-end spas like Hayfield Manor and Mount Juliet. It also signed a recent deal with Dubai's Jumeirah chain for its London outpost. 

Projecting over €2m in turnover — half from the Middle East and South-East Asia — Ms Crowley credited the Guaranteed Irish logo for instant credibility abroad. 

"It's a proud symbol that translates trust easily in luxury markets," she said.

Ms Crowley said the decision by her company to embrace trade in the East was fortunate, given the difficulties companies are facing in the US with tariffs and stockpiling.

"We had gone into the [US] maybe four years ago, and I'm just so glad we didn't put too much against it because it's kind of heartbreaking at the moment," she said.

We have thousands of euro worth of pallets of stock in Newark that we're having to pay UPS the storage, so it's troublesome on the west side

Ground Wellbeing produces its range of products on Cork's Forge Hill, with the company preparing for its busy season, with 50% of revenues secured in November and December.

Dan Twomey ,of Cork Builders Providers, underlined the quality of Irish products and highlighted the huge changes that have taken place in Ireland's supply chains, which have benefitted both consumers and the environment.

Processed locally and on-site

"In the past 20 years, there has been a sea change in how products are supplied within our construction industry," Mr Twomey said.

"Earlier this year, we brought 50 builders and carpenters down to a forest in Mogeely to see the forestry being harvested, and then brought to Glennon's mill in Fermoy. Within two weeks, the timber comes through our yard and out to the construction site.

"In the past, many people would remember the quays here in Cork; there would be bales upon bales of timber, often imported from Norway, Sweden, or Latvia. You don't see that anymore; it is now processed locally and on-site."

Julie Dorell, the head of communications with the Musgrave Group championed hyper-local sourcing in food.

The Musgrave Group is Ireland's second-largest employer, after the HSE, with 41,000 staff across its SuperValu, Centra, and Daybreak outlets and €5.2bn in retail sales. Musgrave feeds one in three Irish people, prioritising Irish farm-to-fork partnerships. 

"Trust in provenance is expected; consumers demand authenticity," Ms Dorell said, citing loyalty data showing premium pricing for assured origins. However, she warned of tariff ripple effects on food exports.

Ms O'Connell issued a clarion call to change one product to Guaranteed Irish this Christmas, saying it makes a huge difference in the economy.