Bord Bia’s ambitious new project aims to spread Irish food around the globe.
The FoodWise2025 initiative aims to double Ireland’s food exports to €19 billion in the next ten years and to achieve this; the industry will need access not only to new markets but also unprecedented levels of research and insight. With this in mind, Bord Bia is launching a state of the art research centre called the Thinking House in Dublin.
State of the art
The centre comprises a Trends Zone to track the latest global food and drink developments, a packaging and branding gallery, as well as space for up to 70 people for workshops, presentations and meetings.
Also, the Thinking House will have what’s being called the ‘Living Room’; a space rigged with audio and video recording equipment for focus and discussion groups. Meanwhile, a comprehensive library of data and reports will be made available to industry SMEs which previously would not have had access to this kind of information. 
Global expansion
If FoodWise2025 is to meet its target, Irish exports to international markets will need to treble. In particular, as well as stepping up its efforts in Europe, the industry is hoping for a quadrupling of exports to Asia. Such is its commitment to this goal that Bord Bia recently opened an office in Singapore. 
Bord Bia already conducts extensive research into the emerging markets of Asia and Africa, with staff going to these continents and visiting people in their homes to get a better understanding of their food habits, even going as far to have a look inside their fridges.  
Did you know?

The potato was introduced to the British Isles in the 16th century but wasn’t embraced by the Irish until the late 17th century. Up until that point, the Irish seem to have consumed mostly corn and milk (and some meat

This post was originally published here - https://www.thinkbusiness.ie/articles/foodwise2025/ on