The TRADEIT hub in Ireland has been listening to its members and responding with a range of SME Missions tailored to their sector.

The Meat Sector

Ireland has been a top quality producer of a range of livestock, including cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry for generations. One of the benefits of our mild, wet maritime climate is that grass grows almost 10 months of the year, with no summer drought. Traditionally each family kept a couple of pigs for the house and at slaughter time the meat was preserved through dry salting, with the fresh cuts distributed amongst neighbours. Every town and village had its local butcher and the emphasis was on quality fresh meat. As a result, very little emphasis was given to methods of preserving meat, such as fermenting, curing and smoking. With the growing popularity of ‘continental’ style cured meats, there is a growing interest among Irish Butchers, Farmers and other Meat producing SMEs in this  area. On March 3rd & 4th Gubbeen Farm in West Cork will play host to the TRADEIT Meat Mission, which brings together all of the leading lights in Irish charcuterie and meat curing, along with a number of internationally recognised experts in the field. Participants will learn about the principles and science of charcuterie production, be introduced to a range of packaging and other new meat production technologies, have the opportunity to see the state of the art facilities in Gubbeen and get the opportunity to make charcuterie for themselves in a hands on workshop led by UK Charcuterie producer and TRADEIT member, Jackie Kennedy.



Food Safety Accreditation for Traditional Bakeries

The majority of bakeries in the region that have engaged with TRADEIT do not have accreditation beyond registration with the Local Environmental Health Office (EHO). While many supply supermarkets and have to meet with their standards and inspections, the lack of accreditation (ISO or BRC) restricts their ability to access wider or even export markets. At a dedicated ‘Food Safety for Bakeries’ Mission held in IT Tralee on December 1st, local bakeries gathered for a focused workshop and discussion led by TRADEIT project partner Catherine Halbert. A case study by TRADEIT member and BRC ‘A’ rated bakery Bia Ganbreise highlighted the reality of meeting the highest standards and participants also had a webinar from Safefood 360, a Food Safety software provider, founded in Ireland but now providing technology solutions to food companies globally. The Irish hub continues to work with traditional bakeries assisting them to access technologies and supports through the TRADEIT Marketplace.



Bakery Masterclass
Many of the bakeries involved in the Irish Hub are already involved in the production of gourmet, alternative and functional bakery products. However, in many instances they have struggled to adapt their production, train staff and source good quality ingredients to make the most of the new opportunities in bakery. In May TRADEIT, in collaboration with The Hotel, Catering and Tourism department in IT Tralee will be hosting US based Master Baker Mitch Stamm, who will conduct a full day bakery master-class with Traditional SME Bakeries. He will introduce the bakery owners to a range of bakery styles and trends, help them to hone their skills and develop a range of new bakery products.

Addressing the Social Media needs of SME Food Producers
A group of 20 food producers attended a mission titled ‘Managing Your Social Media Infrastructure - Demystifying Social Media for SME Food Producers’ which took place in the Institute of Technology Tralee on January 11th. This mission was organised following the ‘Smart Use of IT’ workshop where a need was highlighted around the use of social media as an important marketing tool for SME food producers, and the desire to focus on that specifically in a dedicated hands-on workshop.



This working session facilitated by branding & social media experts, ‘The Brand Geeks’ covered the full cycle of social media activities required for effective marketing of an SME business, including social media platform selection, set up and the often overlooked “bio” creation. Attendees also learned effective account management skills, such as how to utilize dashboards, how and who to follow, “list” development and uses, what and when to post online reviewing and updating existing accounts. Participating businesses were encouraged to bring their laptops and smartphones on the day to ensure they went home already well on their way to social media success. A key issue arising from the workshop was that while the majority of food producers do use IT and social media tools, many didn’t know how to make them ‘sing in chorus’, getting the job they wanted done more effectively, while saving time and money.