Committed to making business easy for foodservice and wholesale customers, the Musgrave MarketPlace Ballymun Food Emporium now boasts over 1,000 additional products, upgraded food and beverage zones, alongside an enhanced Food Theatre, led by Head Development Chef Clément Pavie, which enables product demonstrations, menu planning and training services for customers, as well as facilitating leading industry events.

Speaking at the launch of the new Food Emporium, Thomas Morrison, Head of Musgrave MarketPlace, said: “Today marks an exciting milestone for Musgrave MarketPlace as we launch our new Next Generation Food Emporium at our Ballymun location following a significant investment.

“We are passionate about food and are committed to creating world-class shopping experiences for our customers, staying at the cutting edge of food trends to deliver the tastes and flavours that our customers expect. We are focused on providing the most extensive food and beverage range at the best value possible with a market leading service proposition. Our Ballymun Food Emporium embodies all of these commitments,” he concluded.

Upgrades at the Ballymun site, which serves over 3,000 food outlets and retail customers every week, include a revamped and extended Butchery offering. The butchery counter and walk-in chill room expands on previous service levels, now ready to hand pick and custom-cut meat to specifications. Over 60 Irish Beef, Pork and Lamb cuts have been added to the range including an exclusive range of over 30 Butcher Prime Certified Irish Angus Beef cuts and Irish Hampshire Pork.

Customers can enjoy an enhanced beverage zone with 1,400 products on offer across premium spirits, wines, champagne, soft drinks and more, as well as the Foods of the World Zone which sources the best of Irish and authentic foods, but also including dedicated areas for authentic Italian food range, Italicatessen, and an extensive range of Asian lines.

Meanwhile, Click & Collect has been improved alongside a prioritisation on digital transformation and sustainability across the branch. As part of these upgrades, and in line with our “Growing Sustainably Every Day” strategy, Musgrave MarketPlace is reusing all existing equipment including the chill freeze structure. In addition, LED lighting has been incorporated throughout the branch, as well as introducing a recycle station and upgrading electric vehicle chargers on site.

Furthermore, the Ballymun site has also enrolled in the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, run by the National Biodiversity Centre, which will see the site facilitate changes to enhance biodiversity on site supporting the local environment and wildlife.

Musgrave MarketPlace, with nine outlets across the island of Ireland, offers a nationwide distribution and delivery solution and works with over 800 Irish suppliers, stocking over 3,500 quality Irish products across its 18,000 strong core and extended product range.

This latest investment comes following the acquisition of a number of specialist and premium foodservice brands to broaden and strengthen our food and beverage leadership credentials for the benefit of both wholesale and retail customers such as La Rousse Foods and Italicatessen.

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Musgrave MarketPlace has announced that since 2016 it has donated over 1.5 million meals to 200 local charities and community groups in Ireland through its partnership with FoodCloud. This donation equates to over 630 tonnes of food and a saving of €1.89 million to Irish charities.

FoodCloud is a social enterprise that connects businesses with surplus food to charities in their local communities, allowing them to donate food easily and directly to those that need it.

Through its food donations, which may have otherwise been wasted, Musgrave MarketPlace has prevented over 2000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions from entering the earth’s atmosphere and damaging the environment.

Desi Derby, Marketing Director at Musgrave MarketPlace said:

“At Musgrave MarketPlace, we are committed to doing everything possible to build a more sustainable future and our partnership with FoodCloud is a key focus for the business.  We are extremely proud that our donations have benefitted over 200 amazing charities all over Ireland and provide support to those most vulnerable in our communities.”

75,000 tonnes of food are wasted in Retail and Distribution in Ireland every year, which equates to 10% of Ireland’s total food waste. FoodCloud helps rescue food surplus and redistribute it among charities and community groups across Ireland.

Adrian Young, Head of Irish Partnerships, FoodCloud; Desi Derby, Marketing Director at Musgrave MarketPlace and Sami Seretan, Manager, Feed Dublin

Sami Seretan, Manager, Feed Dublin said:

“Feed Dublin helps bridge the gap for individuals and families that struggle between meeting pressing financial needs and providing nutritious food for themselves and their families. The support we receive from Musgrave MarketPlace and FoodCloud helps us to achieve this goal. We look forward to a continued partnership with Musgrave MarketPlace and FoodCloud for many years to come.”

Adrian Young, Head of Irish Partnerships, FoodCloud added:

“FoodCloud is extremely grateful for the ongoing support and dedication from all in Musgrave MarketPlace to reduce food waste and to ensure that perfectly good food makes its way to those who need it. Reaching the milestone of 1.5 million meals equivalent donated to community organisations across Ireland since 2016, Musgrave MarketPlace can be assured they are making a very real difference to the lives of many people at a time when they need it most. FoodCloud is delighted to work with Musgrave MarketPlace and we look forward to continuing and developing our relationship long into the future.”

Food is redistributed from across the seven Musgrave MarketPlace branches nationwide who donate food directly to charity partners in their local communities via FoodCloud’s Foodiverse app. In addition, the business’ Central Distribution Centre in Blanchardstown donates directly to FoodCloud’s Hub in Tallaght.

Adrian Young, Head of Irish Partnerships, FoodCloud; Desi Derby, Marketing Director at Musgrave MarketPlace and Sami Seretan, Manager, Feed Dublin

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Musgrave MarketPlace has announced five new partners following the first round of its Green Shoots programme.  In collaboration with Bord Bia, the Dragons Den style initiative invited pitches from local Irish businesses with the opportunity for their product to be promoted and sold across Musgrave MarketPlace branches and online platforms.

Companies presented to a panel of foodservice experts spanning the areas of culinary, purchasing, sales and marketing with five providers selected – Vanilla Bean Patisserie in Cavan, Uneek Functional Cheese Company based in Limerick, West Cork natives, The Cultured Food Company and Spice of Life as well as Builin Blasta from Galway.

The businesses will now be listed in three Musgrave Marketplace branches as well as online. There will be the opportunity to host monthly sampling events in branch and an extensive promotional campaign will now begin across Musgrave Marketplace social media and digital platforms as well as in foodservice brochures.

Congratulating the successful businesses, Mark Moriarty Trading Director of Musgrave Wholesale Partners said –

“At Musgrave Marketplace we are committed to providing our customers with the most extensive range of products and supporting local Irish suppliers is extremely important to us.  Green Shoots brings these two commitments together.

We are always scouting for new and innovative food and non-food products to supply to our large network of customers in Ireland.  This new initiative allows us to showcase local Irish suppliers and I look forward to seeing more businesses come on stream in the coming months.” 

Maureen Gahan, Foodservice Specialist with Bord Bia added –

“Bord Bia is delighted to collaborate with Musgrave Marketplace in the initial supplier selection process. A key element of Bord Bia’s role is to act as a bridge between Irish food and drink producers and industry buyers. A range of product categories with new growth potential were identified by restaurant customers. Bord Bia facilitated a series of 1-2-1 bespoke presentations with suppliers in these categories, from which Musgrave Marketplace selected the final group of participants.”

Musgrave MarketPlace is the only 100% Irish owned national foodservice wholesaler. They are committed to supporting Irish jobs, Irish businesses and the future of the foodservice industry across the island of Ireland.

ThE FAB FIVE

• Vanilla Bean Patisserie – specialize in creating handmade desserts using locally sourced ingredients to ensure the highest quality and freshness
• Uneek Functional Cheese Company – specialize in making and creating luxury cheese sauces in Ireland
• The Cultured Food Company – specialize in creating high-quality, naturally fermented foods that are both delicious and healthy.
• Spice of Life – produce a range of spice and seasoning blends as well as liquid sauces, marinades, and flavoured mayonnaises.
• Builin Blasta – an award-winning café and bakery with a range of unique retail sauces and condiments

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From 31^st May 2021, Musgrave MarketPlace has rolled out a nationwide campaign to encourage consumers to support their local hospitality businesses.  #SupportIrishHospitality includes press ads in seven national dailies and nationwide radio, digital and social media advertising campaigns calling on consumers to help the industry get back on its feet by dining out responsibly.

Musgrave MarketPlace will also be using its social channels to spotlight local hospitality businesses around the country throughout the campaign as well as giving consumers a chance to win vouchers for their favourite local eateries.

It is estimated that the foodservice industry was worth €6.3bn pre-COVID employing between 150,000 and 250,000 people making it vital to the recovery of the economy.

In addition to rallying consumer support, Musgrave MarketPlace has also created a series of new measures to help businesses get back up and running. These include:

Extended opening hours: Musgrave MarketPlace branches across the country will now be open for longer with some branches open 7 days a week (from June 6^th) to allow customers more access to products as and when they need them.

Time saving products: Based on feedback from the industry earlier this year, Musgrave MarketPlace has new labour-saving products such as pre-prepared vegetables, desserts, and sauces to save time in the kitchen and help ease the impact of reduced staff numbers.

Increased network support: To help manage the surge in demand over the coming days, Musgrave MarketPlace has increased its driver pool by 33% to accommodate more deliveries as well as increasing the number of customer service representatives available in branches nationwide to help facilitate customers’ needs during the recovery period.

Food service promotions: The cost of 200 products, including food and equipment, has been reduced to support customers as they restock their business.

Irish suppliers: 680 Irish suppliers have been re-engaged by Musgrave MarketPlace to rebuild stock levels and over 3,500 Irish products are available from Musgrave MarketPlace.

Dedicated online hub: Creation of a dedicated online Foodservice support hub featuring reopening advice, menu inspiration and great value offers to help customers reboot their business.

Musgrave MarketPlace Plus: An affinity scheme, in partnership with Wrkit, has been created to help customers cut costs with a range of offers and discounts on everything from insurance to fuel to recruitment and much more. There is also the opportunity for customers to promote their business to over 100,000 users on the Wrkit platform.Michael McCormack, Managing Director of Musgrave Wholesale Partners said “The reopening of hospitality marks an important milestone for our customers, suppliers and indeed Ireland’s economic recovery. As an Irish family-owned business with 145 years supporting hospitality here, local is in our DNA. Our #SupportIrishHospitality campaign is about giving our customers and indeed the hospitality sector as much support as we possibly can as they reopen, whether that be through our reboot resource designed in collaboration with our customers or an advertising campaign aimed at encouraging the consumer to support hospitality. Luck alone will not be enough – the sector needs all our support.”

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