An exciting new International Trade Readiness Programme available for small businesses in Louth, Meath and Newry Mourne and Down. The programme this year will focus on small food and drink companies as they seek new ways of presenting, promoting, and selling their products. There are seven spaces available for both Meath and Louth businesses on this twelve-week programme.
Benefits of Joining the Programme
- Specialist mentor to prepare an export readiness assessment and post-event export action plan.
- Collaborate with an expert team to create a free professional promotional video for your business.
- Training sessions to prepare you to get the most out of trading internationally.
- Training sessions take place virtually, there are just three sessions pre-market visit and one after.
- Guided, funded visit to one of the largest food and drink trade shows in Europe.
- Not a huge time commitment, however commitment is necessary.
Cost
The cost of the training is covered by the Local Enterprise Office. Participants must pay their travel and accommodation costs up front and then claim back from the organising office after the trip. Set travel and subsistence rates will apply.
Criteria
Open to any food and drink business in either county who are interested in selling into the EU and have a capability to be next step export. Enterprise Ireland clients are not eligible to participate in the programme.
How to Apply
If you’re interested in applying, please contact Emma Gill, Boyne Valley Food Business Development Officer, on emmag@boynevalleyflavours.ie by 5.00 pm on Friday, 23 August 2024.
Further Details
The programme will consist of three phases. Participants must participate in each phase.
Phase 1 will consist of a 1:1 online mentoring session to evaluate each client company’s export-readiness, followed by three preparatory export-focussed online group workshops.
Phase 2 will consist of the market visit trip to Paris and the SIAL trade show. The market visit will take place on Monday, 21 October and Tuesday, 22 October 2024.
Phase 3 will consist of a post-trip group online workshop to identify learnings and a 1:1 online mentoring session to develop a client specific export action plan.
Study Trip Preparation Workshops
| Workshop 1 | Understanding the Dynamics of Export for Food and Drink |
| Date | Tuesday, 17 September 2024 |
| Time | 9.30 am to 1.00 pm (online) |
| Details | This workshop will provide an overview of the dynamics of export, the skills required to export and an overview of the EU market. It will include an Irish guest speaker who will talk about their export journey. |
Workshop 2
| Maximising Your Visit to SIAL |
| Date | Tuesday, 1 October 2024 |
| Time | 9.30 am to 1.00 pm (online) |
| Details | This workshop will focus on advance preparation for SIAL and will help producers to focus on their objectives for the show and identify areas of key interest to be visited. Guest speaker TBC. |
Workshop 3 | Study Trip Readiness |
| Date | Tuesday, 15 October 2024 |
| Time | 11.00 am to 12.30 pm (online) |
| Details | This short session will be used to remind participants of all the prep they need to have done in advance of the show and will sense check that they have identified objectives for their business at the show and a clear plan for day one, outside of the group organised events. |
| Workshop 4 | Post Study Trip Learnings |
| Date | Monday, 4 November 2024 |
| Time | 9.30 am to 1.00 pm (online) |
| Details | This workshop will take place after the study trip and the objective will be to pool the trip learnings and begin to create an export action plan. |
Mentoring
Participants will be provided with two mentor sessions each (both online). The sessions will cover the following:
- The first session will take place before the first workshop and will help to identify individual export readiness and areas to be worked on.
- The second session which will take place after the study trip will be used to create an export action plan for each of the participants based on the learnings they have gathered.
SIAL Market Visit Trip
Monday, 21 October and Tuesday, 22 October 2024.
| Day 1 | Day 1 will be spent at the SIAL trade show in Paris. Meet the group at the show at 11.00am. The day will include a visit to the innovation hub and the Bord Bia stand as well as free time to attend stands and talks of interest. |
| Day 2 | Day 2 will begin with an export markets overview at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, followed by retail and food service visits in Paris. Travel back to Ireland late that evening. |
