Oonagh Monahan, an experienced adviser to many small Irish food enterprises, has distilled some of her wisdom in a very practical short book that contains tips that someone who is new to the food business will need to get started and prosper. It ranges from food legislation and hygiene to product development to labelling and marketing and it contains a good range of case studies and links to useful resources.
Specialist food in Ireland accounts for about €500 million from a base of about 300 producers and small speciality and artisan food producer sales are growing by up to 17 per cent a year.
The key point, the author says, is that if your products are good quality, made in Ireland, if they are consistent and have good taste and ideally provide something different, then there is probably a market for them.
Consumer expectations have changed, with a willingness to discern and pay for high quality locally produced food, capitalising on Ireland’s reputation as an unspoilt green country with wholesome, natural food.
Monahan does warn about complacency. It is not enough to be Irish, she says.
