Artisan / Speciality Food The Way Forward?

Artisan / Speciality Food Artisan Food - Unique -Traditional - Identity - Superior taste - Craft Eg; Wicklow Cheese, Woodcock Smokery, Glen Ilen Butter, Aine’s Chocolates

Artisan / Speciality Food Speciality Food-Premium product -Premium Price -Unique -Regional -Broader than Artisan Eg; Mileeven Honey, Wicklow Fine Foods, Butler’s Chocolates

Artisan / Speciality Food Over 320 Speciality Food Producers in Ireland Employing >3,000 Worth almost €0.5bn 70+ Artisan Food Producers Source Bord Bia

Artisan / Speciality Food Over 2000 Speciality Food Producers in NZ Employing >33,000 Worth almost $7bn Ireland < 60 Cheese Producers Holland >100 Source WTA

Artisan / Speciality Food Quality v’s Commodity Commodity – One Size Fits All Farmer, Field, Place have become redundant Clean and Green Image

Artisan / Speciality Food What are our farmers Saying? 58% want to Diversify They want to work for themselves They want an excellent mainstream enterprise Plus Another on-farm venture to supplement income

Artisan / Speciality Food Do you need to supplement your Income? Is Food an Option for you? Do you have a business which requires expansion? Can you give added value to materials being produced already? Artisan Food Training Program

Artisan / Speciality Food Agri-food sector exports >€7bn Food Imports >€4bn Import substitution is a growth area which can lead to development of Indigenous food companies

Artisan / Speciality Food Areas of Opportunity;- Beverages - Breads/Cakes - Chocolate - Confectionery - Dairy products - Jams/Preserves - Meats - Oils/Vinaigrettes - Pastas - Sauces - Prepared Foods - Seafood

Artisan / Speciality Food - Cheese Farmhouse cheese Milk Pump Cheese vat Moulds Cheese press Ripening Room Packaging/Refrigeration

Farmhouse Cheese - Margins Vat Size500L1000L2000L Yield50kgs100kgs200kgs 3day/wk150/wk300/wk600/wk Costs 40cent/l excluding labour €27k€54k€108k Gross€54k€108k€216k Labour1unit1.5units2.5units

Farmhouse Cheese – Equipment Costs Vat Size500L1000L2000L Cost of vat16k20k40k Press5k7k10k Pump2k2k2k Moulds1k2k5K Past.0k0k25k Misc1k2k5K Total25k33k87k

Equipment Costs Tractor €75k 4Wd€50k Car€35k

Market Information Let’s make cheese ! What type? 500 varieties and thousands of variations. I like cheddar, doesn’t everyone? Confusion????

Market Information We need market information Specific to each food product ‘Concept to Completion’ Idea generation-Business Plan-Product Development- Marketing-Distribution-Sales Fail to Plan – Plan to Fail

Retailing / Distribution Contribution of Retailers URRU Sheridan’s Specialist Quality Food Emporia Distributors Pallas / Horgan’s

Farmers Markets - Distribution

Artisan/Speciality Food – Localisation Buy Local - Spend Local UK Survey in Cornwall Every £10 spent on local food = £25 to local area Every £10 spent in supermarket = £14 in local area

The Way Forward Artisan food represents a significant opportunity for diversification. It has a competitive advantage in terms of superior price differentiation compared to commodity food products CAP reform, environmental challenges can be the catalyst needed to propel this sector forward. Small food companies represent a realistic alternative to low lost commodity production.

The Way Forward The rate of market growth is far outstripping Ireland’s ability to supply, we need to start playing catch up. Superior taste can be achieved by artisan food making skills Irish Artisan Food currently commands an international reputation at the premium end of the market The reputation needs to be developed and nurtured if we are to benefit from an ever increasing market

Conclusion ‘We believe that one of the greatest opportunities for farmers to add value and retain a bigger slice of the retail price is to build on the public’s enthusiasm for locally produced food or food with a clear regional provenance –we expect that local food will enter the mainstream in the next few years’ Future of Farming and Food’ 2002

Artisan/Speciality Food – The Way Forward Mr Edward O’Neill Artisan Food Specialist Teagasc Moorepark Fermoy Co. Cork Ph: Mob: