Irish group’s food for thought

EXECUTIVES from some of Ireland’s top food companies will get a chance to study the business of world leaders in the industry during a visit to the United States that began yesterday.

The eight-day visit was organised by Bord Bia in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association and Inter Trade Ireland.

Branding in the USA: the David versus Goliath approach is the title of the market visit, which is a cross-border initiative involving 12 companies from the Republic and six from the North. The tour includes a visit to the Hershey Technical Centre in Philadelphia, and a presentation from Campbell’s Soup on how they successfully launched their Soup at Hand product.

A talk from a basketball coach has also been included in the programme as part of a session on Competing in the land of Giants.

Tara McCarthy, Senior Manager, Consumer Foods Division at Bord Bia, said the idea was to educate Irish food and drink companies as to best practice in branding and marketing in the US.

The group will spend time in Philadelphia and New York.