The year-round taste movement
Judging and planning Blas na hÉireann is a year-long operation, with around 3,000 submissions in more than 170 categories to be assessed every year.
For the average punter, Blas na hÉireann might seem like something that crops up once a year in autumn and results in your favourite Irish products being celebrated.
In reality, however, since its inception in 2008, Blas na hÉireann has evolved to become much bigger. From receiving entries in March, to judging during the summer, there’s plenty happening behind the scenes to keep the biggest competition for quality Irish produce running year-round.
“There’s a lot that goes on with the awards and the logistics of that really takes the year,” explains Fallon Moore, administration and event co-ordinator for Blas na hÉireann.
“In the 18 years since we started, we’ve always aimed to support producers, so we’re constantly trying to understand what else can be delivered or what supports people might need.”
For the team behind Blas na hÉireann, that means spending the first two months of each year planning - from judging dates and locations, to the entry system and media plans, January and February are mostly about logistics. At this time, producers are also called upon to vote for who they would like to see represent them as their Producers’ Champion for the year.
“The producers vote for who they believe is doing the most for Irish food and drink, then we announce it in springtime as the Champions are so important throughout the year to our producers,” explains Moore.
In March, things kick into another gear as entries for Blas na hÉireann open on the 17th every year and Moore says that until they close in May, it’s all hands on deck to help producers get their entries all set and to understand the categories.
“At that time, we’re in almost constant contact with producers to make sure we can give any advice they might need on the entry process. Entries keep growing and last year we had over 3,000 submissions in more than 170 categories, and it’s even more this year,” says Moore. “By the time entries open, we have to have all of our judging dates and locations locked in. I’m not sure people realise how long, and how intensive, judging is - this year we started on May 29th and tastings ran until the end of July. Everything has to tie in together and this year we held judgings in Galway, Lisburn, Dingle, Cork and then we were in Dublin twice.”
After the in-depth tastings are completed, August sees the Blas na hÉireann team announce the year’s finalists across various categories, causing great excitement throughout the sector. At this time, Moore says, there’s a lot of focus on working with finalists to co-ordinate the messaging of the good news.
September, again, sees things accelerate as the announcement of the awards looms. The team also usually hosts online workshops, called Backyard at Blas, around this time, which are available to finalist producers. Focused on skills like PR toolkits, food trends, social media tips and more, each workshop is hosted by an expert in their field in order to make sure finalists have access to any and all skills they might need to succeed.
“Producers tell us about the benefit they get from these sessions, so they’re really important to us. We started the Backyard programme in 2017 after a small producer asked chairperson Artie Clifford for advice about an opportunity she had been presented with. We realised we had a massive responsibility to our producers to try to make sure that they have the community support they need to grow,” explains Moore.
“We also try to have an in-person Backyard at Blas event each year in different parts of the country to engage with producers. Then there’s an exclusive Backyard at Blas workshop held in Dingle every year that’s just for finalists.”
“Part of the support we offer is further mentoring to our producers, so any finalist can apply and there are about 60 spots available for the online sessions. They usually run between October and December, and our mentors will work with producers for three one hour sessions that focus on their area of expertise. The aim is always to support our producers, so with Backyard at Blas and our mentoring sessions, we’re trying to make sure that producers are ready for any and all opportunities that are available to them.”
October is the biggest month for the Blas na hÉireann team as it’s when the best of Irish food and drink is celebrated over a weekend at the Dingle Food Festival. With a producers’ showcase at the Blas Village that presents goods to potential buyers, media and other interested parties, there’s also the Eat Ireland in a Day market-style space that highlights finalists to the public, and several Backyard at Blas sessions. Of course, the most important element is the presentation of awards, where the best of the best are honoured in front of their peers.
“Our build for the Blas Village starts a week before the event, so it gets very busy very quickly. Then after the private walk-through for buyers at the showcase on Thursday, we have an evening for everyone to socialise together before the awards, which is such a lovely, special night. The following morning, on Friday, we open up the awards and producers arrive - there are almost 400 companies in the finals this year and the majority of them will come down to the event,” says Moore of the big day.
“We start announcing winners at 10.30am and it runs up until 6.30pm, so there are just thousands of people ready to celebrate. It’s a really busy day, but you get to see people connecting, having conversations and supporting each other, which is so important. That night, everyone lets their hair down, then the next two days are all about Backyard chats and connecting. Blas na hÉireann is all about community spirit, and that all culminates in Dingle.”
After the big event and all the work it requires, you might think that Fallon Moore and the rest of the Blas na hÉireann would be due a break - but you’d be wrong. The rest of the year, they’re dedicated to continuously supporting their finalists and winners, whether that’s with press requests, connecting them with buyers or facilitating their growth. Moore also hosts a podcast, called PodBLASt, which she releases throughout the year to highlight the organisation.
Then, as Christmas approaches, the team works to put together Blas Boxes for corporate gifting. Started during Covid, the boxes highlight a selection of winners and finalists from each year, showcasing some of the best Irish food and drink for very lucky recipients.
“There’s a lot that goes on and it’s really busy, but we love it. It’s our responsibility to help our entrants grow and succeed, then the whole country comes together to celebrate them. With Blas na hÉireann, we honour great producers, but we’ve also facilitated a community around them, and that lasts all year,” says Moore. “Then once each new year starts, we do it all again.”
