Flavours of Ireland 2015

“Flavours of Ireland”, the Irish Polish Chamber of Commerce’s annual celebration of Irish food and drink, took place in the Sheraton Hotel in Warsaw on Thursday, 1 October. This is a major showcase event for Irish food and drink exports to the Polish market.

150 guests, including representatives of Irish food exporters, Polish buyers, food journalists and the Irish business community attended. Guests enjoyed Irish beef and lamb, butter, cheese, Jameson whiskey, Butler’s chocolates and Merry’s cream liqueur, as well as sweets from the Jelly Bean Factory. The beef was provided by ABP, the lamb by Dawn Meats, the cheese by Dairygold and the butter by Ornua. These companies all export to Poland, where demand for Irish food is on the rise.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Gerard Keown said: ‘Ireland is the green island. The quality of Irish food and beverages is rightly known around the world and increasingly here in Poland. The Irish Government is supporting Irish food and drink exporters to grow their business here in Poland. Ireland is already the largest exporter of beef to Poland and the quality and commitment of our agri-food companies is increasingly recognised by Polish customers.’

Judith Clinton of Bord Bia told the guests about Origin Green, the only comprehensive and evidence-based sustainability programme in the world that operates on a national scale. It enables Irish farmers and food producers to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets that protect Ireland’s natural resources and reduce the environmental impact of food production. Origin Green makes Ireland a world leader in the production of high-quality, sustainable food and drink.

21 individual buyer meetings took place around the ‘Flavours of Ireland’ event between Irish food and drink exporters and Polish buyers, with the expectation of increased business as a direct result. Irish food and drink exports to Poland are worth over €125 million. Increases have been seen in beef, dairy and prepared foods, with Ireland now being the largest supplier of beef to the Polish market.

Trade between Ireland and Poland is growing by around 20% every year, and was worth €2.2 billion in 2014. There are 55 flights each way connecting Ireland and Poland every week and growing people-to-people ties between the two countries.

For enquiries regarding the Irish Polish Chamber of Commerce, please see: http://irishpolish.pl/