All the latest news from Bord Bia

APPLE SEMINAR

The annual Bord Bia top fruit seminar took place on the 10th of December at the Citywest Hotel, Saggart Co Dublin. The seminar featured a number of speakers followed by an orchard tour in the afternoon. The seminar programme included presentations on the retail market for apples and developments in the cider sector. There was an update from the Irish Apple Growers Association and Teagasc detailed its current work and research for the sector.

For further information contact michal.slawski@bordbia.ie ✽

BORD BIA GRANT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME 2016

Applications are now open for Bord Bia’s Marketing Assistance Programme 2016 (MAP) and Step Change Programme 2016 (SCP).

What is the Marketing Assistance Programme?

Through the Marketing Assistance Programme (MAP), Bord Bia provides financial support to food, drink and horticulture companies, to help them improve their marketing techniques and capabilities while maintaining the highest standards of quality and hygiene.

Want to know more about the Step Change Programme?

Under the Step Change Programme (SCP), Bord Bia assists companies in funding a major new project which will involve a substantial step change or departure for the company.

For example: Product launch on a new export market / establishing a new route to the market/launch of a new brand or a new product range, etc.

The MAP is open to food, drink and horticulture (edible and amenity) producers with a turnover greater than €100,000 and less than €3.5 million in the year of application, while the Step Change Programme (SCP) is open to companies with a turnover between €100,000 and €5m.

Eligible Activities

MAP: Companies can apply for funding across a wide range of marketing activities
SCP: Companies apply for funding for a particular project, demonstrating significant new activities or a departure from the norm.

The principal areas for which support is available, under both programmes, are those costs relating to:

1. Trade Fairs and Exhibitions
2. Marketing, Design and New Product Development
3. Quality Measures

Trade Fairs and Exhibitions:

● Space rental, stand construction, installation of services, telephone connection
● Samples, transport of exhibits to and from the exhibition
● Design & display costs, the origination of Point of Sale material (but not printing)
● Photography, interpreter, stand valeting, catalogue-entry, insurance expenses
● Economy airfare, public transport, taxi, car hire
● Subsistence – set rate of €200 expenditure, per person per night

Marketing, Design and New Product Development:

● Market Research Visits: Economy airfare, public transport, car hire and subsistence (set rate of €200 expenditure, per person per night)
● Marketing Consultancy, focus groups and published reports
● Marketing Training, courses and seminars
● Design and origination of packaging/ labels/ POS/ brochure (but not printing)
● Design of website – design and consultancy costs only
● In-store promotions & tastings, product samples – used in product development

Quality Measures:

● Quality research and quality training – including airfare and subsistence
● Market Research Visits: Economy airfare, public transport, car hire and subsistence (set rate of €200 expenditure, per person per night)
● Quality consultancy – costs linked to the feasibility, introduction and application of recognised quality schemes (HACCP, ISO, BRC etc), audit costs
● Nutritional analysis
● Origin Green Programme: Formal application fee and annual participation fee

If you would like to discuss the Grants programmes please contact: Carol Marks – Amenity Horticulture or Lorcan Bourke/Michael Slawski – Horticulture Food Crops. The closing date for receipt of applications for both MAP and SCP is Friday 22 January 2016. Full details are available here: www.bordbiavantage.ie/business-development/map-step-change-fund. ✽

FOODSERVICE MARKET GROWING

Bord Bia recently published a report on the Irish foodservice sector. The foodservice market has grown from €6.13bn in 2014 to €6.37bn in 2015, and is forecasted to grow to almost €6.9bn by 2018. Foodservice or “out of home food market” is the term used to describe all food consumed out of home, from restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and bars to workplace catering, hospitals, education and vending. This market has benefited from the wider growth in the economy, rising confidence amongst Irish consumers, a strong international and domestic tourism market, a falling unemployment rate and the continuation of 9% VAT for hospitality.

Quick Service Restaurants or Fast Food remains the largest Irish foodservice channel. Bord Bia’s Quick Service and Food-to-Go Insights Report reveals that this segment (which relates to food that can be prepared and served very quickly incorporating traditional fast food, fast casual and food-to-go), along with coffee shops and cafes now accounts for close to 50% of the total foodservice market and is valued at just under €3bn.

The Fast Casual channel in Ireland is forecast to grow at three times the rate of overall market growth, driven by more robust consumer spending, a high degree of interest in the menu variety offered by operators and the ability for consumers to customise menu items. “Fast Casual” is the term used to describe outlets that provide quick service and counter service, but with higher price points, more innovative offerings and an enhanced overall eating experience compared to traditional fast food.

Bord Bia has also recently published its 2015 Irish Foodservice Market Directory which includes detailed profiles of over 100 operators and wholesale distributors. It is aimed at providing companies with key background information on potential customers and advice on how to drive their foodservice business. For further information contact: maureen.gahan@bordbia.ie ✽

INVESTMENT AID SCHEME FOR THE COMMERCIAL HORTICULTURE SECTOR

The Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine recently announced that the 2016 Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector is now open for applications. Support of €4.3m is being made available for the Scheme in 2016. The Scheme is open to all horticultural sectors – protected crops, nursery crops, field vegetables, soft fruit, apples, beekeeping and mushrooms and will provide grant aid, at a rate of 40% (50% in the case of qualifying young farmers), for approved capital investments undertaken by 30th September 2016. In certain limited cases, however, funding may be approved for investments that will be completed and claimed prior to 29th September 2017.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 18th December 2015.

Details of the Scheme and application forms can be obtained from Crop Policy, Production and Safety Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Administration Building, Backweston Campus, Young’s Cross, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, (01) 5058886 or at www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmingsectors/horticulture/horticultureschemes ✽

Retail Fresh Produce Market in Value Growth

Recent data from Kantar Worldpanel to the year ending September 2015 has shown that the value of the grocery retail market has grown in value to €9.1bn year on year. This is a 1.3% growth in value over the period. This has been driven by the fact that most of the key grocery categories have recorded value growth over the period.

Fresh produce which comprises fruit, vegetables and potatoes currently makes up 14.7% of the value of the grocery market and which makes them the most important categories in the grocery basket in value terms. In the year ending September 2015, the fresh produce category was valued at €1.248bn which was growth in value of 2.9% over the period. This breaks down to Fruit €585m; Vegetables €512m and potatoes €151m. The value of all these categories has recorded an increase in value over the last twelve months with fruit value performing the strongest with a growth of 5.5% year on year. The key factors driving the growth is an increase in shoppers to the category and an increase in the purchase frequency. In addition, the potato and vegetable category have also seen the volume purchased per trip increase.

The prepared fruit and vegetable category has also performed robustly over this period and is now valued at €95m which is a 13% growth in the year ending September 2015 versus the previous twelve months. Volume purchased was up by 17% which was driven by increased buyers in the category and the volume purchased per buyer was also up. ✽

Potato Promotion Campaign

The EU and Industry-funded potato promotional campaign commenced in early October. The campaign valued at €1m will run for three years from 2015 to 2018 and will include a mix of promotional activities including print advertising, digital advertising and a significant social media activity. The campaign will include ongoing PR activity and a dedicated website potato.ie. The campaign will have two key bursts of promotional activity on each of the 3 years in October/November and May/June periods. There will be ongoing PR and digital activity across the year to support this activity.

In October and November ads and advertorials appeared in the following publications: Image, U Magazine, RTE Guide, Irish Times Magazine, Fabulous, OK, Heat and Closer. A revised website for the campaign potato.ie was launched in early October and to date has received 17,000 visitors. In addition, a digital advertising campaign has been running on various channels eg desktop, mobile, YouTube video and search words. High levels of impressions and click-through rates are being achieved. The YouTube video for the campaign has achieved 150,000 views. The social media element of the campaign includes the establishment of campaign Facebook and Twitter pages. To date, Facebook followers have reached 12,000. In addition, a number of food bloggers have been engaged to talk about and post about potatoes and the various campaign recipes. The PR element of the campaign has delivered 24 pieces of coverage to date across a range of publications. ✽