Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit a site which was definitely less known to the group in comparison to big names like Google or Amazon. Bord Bia, which translates to Irish Food Board, started off their presentation by explaining the importance of Ireland’s Agri-Food Section since it is the largest indigenous sector. We learned that it accounts for 173,400 jobs which is about 8.6% of total employment as of 2016. There are approximately 140,000 family farms that make up 10.3% of total exports and these exports expand to 180 markets.
The speakers gave us a really neat inside look at the business and their strategic pillars. The pillars were as follows:
- Informed by consumer insight
- Enabled by valued people, talent and infrastructure
- Under pinned by Origin Green
- Realized by effective routes to market
- Supported by strong brand communications in the digital age
Just for some additional background, Origin Green is Ireland’s food and drink sustainability program, uniting government, the private sector and food producers. It enables Ireland’s food industry to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets which establishes a baseline for continuous improvement. The members of Origin Green include farmers, the food and beverage manufacturers, and the retailers and food service operators.
Ireland Inc is defined as “a forum for Irish and American companies, organizations, and individuals from all industries to impact public policy, expand their business networks, and gain essential access to peers.” This is vital to maintain a balanced economic relationship between the U.S. and Ireland and it particularly focuses on global partnerships. A key example of a global partnership being fostered is when Ireland Inc hosted the eighth annual Ireland Day at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday March 13th 2018 where they featured high profile speakers and a panel discussion. Events like this are crucial because is allows business leaders to discuss past events and future planning while also recognizing any individuals or corporations who may have made significant contributions to the cause.
During these past few days, I’ve observed a few instances of where Ireland Inc has been relevant. We’ve seen it when Google employees explained to us the necessity of maintaining a positive relationship with the United States location. They discussed how they often have to work different hours in order to accommodate for the time difference so that business can still take place with different locations. When visiting Bord Bia, the representatives explained that they often hold meetings which involve small and big named companies from both domestic and international locations. These conferences can help companies network with each other in order to find new business opportunities, work on product improvement or work towards product collaboration.