Alcohol-free among emerging trends spotlighted at Bord Bia Bloom Trade Breakfast

Fibre-maxxing, clean labels and alcohol-free among emerging food trends spotlighted at Bord Bia Bloom Trade Breakfast

Irish food and drink producers connect with retail and foodservice buyers with combined €26 billion buying power at annual industry showcase 

Bord Bia hosted its 13th annual Bloom Trade Breakfast, bringing more than 100 leading Irish food and drink producers together with over 250 of the country’s top retail and foodservice buyers. Held in the Food Village at Bord Bia Bloom, which opened to the public on 28th May, this highly anticipated networking event serves as a major commercial springboard for the industry. It connects exhibitors directly with retail and foodservice heavyweights representing a combined market value of €26 billion*. Irish food and drink companies leverage the platform to launch new products, debut innovative packaging, and introduce emerging flavour trends to the Irish retail and hospitality landscape.

The annual event has a proven track-record in helping to secure new business listings for exhibitors. Following initial conversations made at Bloom last year, non-alcoholic beverage company Fierce Mild successfully launched a product range that is now delivered daily to over 200 stores nationwide. Similarly, low-sugar jam producer Mór Taste secured major listings post-event with its products now available in over 100 stores. Killowen Yoghurts has recently expanded its listings with Tesco UK, increasing the number of stores stocking its product range from 250 to 850.

 Jim O’Toole, CEO, Bord Bia, said, “The energy at this morning’s Trade Breakfast proves that as Bord Bia Bloom celebrates its landmark 20th year, this event remains a powerhouse for Irish business. Each year, the key decision-makers behind Ireland’s biggest listings engage directly with, both new and established Irish food and drink producers, who continue to innovate and excel within the industry. Our role enables the growth of strong partnerships between customers, producers and industry stakeholders that are built on trust, collaboration, and a shared ambition for growth”

Product, packaging and process innovations

This year’s showcase highlights product innovations driven by consumer demand for clean-label and ‘better for you’ offerings. “Fibre-maxxing” and circular production trends are represented by functional food company Biasol, which launched its 30g High Fibre Mini Oat Bites,  and snacking brand Blanco Niño, which introduced new single-serve bags of its popular tortilla chip range along with a new flavour in response to consumer preferences. Innovation is also present in traditional categories, with bacon producers Oakpark and Brady Family both launching new nitrate-free bacon products at Bloom.

Other companies launching new products include: Folláin with new flavour Apple, Pear, Flaxseed & Chia Seed of its Spoonfuls range; Cashel Farmhouse Cheese’s Toma no. 5 cheese; Dungarvan Brewing Company’s new Clonea Strand Kolsch Style Lager; Kinnegar Brewing with a non-alcoholic version of its Jackrabbit ginger beer; Loughnane’s  new premium pudding range; Traditional Cheese Company’s Gluten-free range; Nomadic Foods  Limited Edition white chocolate and strawberry yogurt and oat cluster;  Fierce Mild’s Non-Alcoholic Lager; Carlingford Oysters new smaller size oyster and Rye River Brewing Company’s Nitro stout.

Pauline Dunne, Marketing Manager, Killowen Farm, added: “We have found that direct conversations with buyers at this event have been hugely important for us and supported product innovations. We recently launched an Overnight Oats product with SuperValu; and have also recently introduced a protein-rich range of our yogurts and granola which have been well received by retailers nationwide”.

Among the prominent retail buyers in attendance this morning were Musgrave, Dunnes Stores, Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, and M&S, alongside specialist retailers such as Donnybrook Fair, Fallon & Byrne, and Fresh The Good Food Market. The Irish foodservice sector was also heavily represented by major players including Dalata Hotel Group, Gourmet Food Parlour, forecourt operators Circle K and Applegreen, and workplace caterers Aramark, Compass, and Sodexo, in addition to national distributors Sysco, Musgrave Wholesale Partners, and BWG Foodservice.

Horticulture in focus

Beyond showcasing food innovation, Bord Bia Bloom also serves as an important platform for horticulture industry engagement and collaboration. This year, Bord Bia is hosting a Horticulture Trade Breakfast to bring together key stakeholders from across the sector, creating valuable opportunities for networking, relationship-building and commercial growth. As Bord Bia Bloom celebrates its 20th year, the festival continues to highlight the significant economic and cultural contribution of Ireland’s horticulture and food industries to buyers, retailers, foodservice operators and wider stakeholders.

Ends

Photo Captions:

1. Niamh Dooley, Co-Founder, Biasol
2. Rebecca Gangus, Felix Oester, Founder of Mór Taste,  Kayla McGannon, Business Operations Assistant, Mór Taste
3. Louise Crichton, Head of Marketing, Emma Keating, Head of Sales, Rory Walsh
4. Eoin Loughnane, Director at Loughnane’s, Daire Loughnane, Managing Director at Loughnane’s, and Leigh Carr, Brand and Marketing Manager at Loughnane’s.