Thirteen businesses from Ireland this week had the opportunity to foster cross-border connections to grow their business across the island on a two-day Cross-Border Trade Mission to Northern Ireland. This forms part of InterTradeIreland’s new 'Trade Missions @Home' initiative, which aims to facilitate connections and accelerate sales growth for businesses in the cross-border market.
The Food and Drink sector is a vital industry for cross-border trade, with the value of trade in this sector increasing significantly over the years. Since 2021, InterTradeIreland has supported over 450 businesses in the Food and Drink sector, contributing to the growth of cross-border trade from €2.6 billion to €3.8 billion.
The importance of all-island trade to the Food and Drink sector has never been more apparent. Close to a quarter of goods going from Ireland to Northern Ireland are in the food and beverages category, while 27% of all goods exported from Northern Ireland are in the sector. The numbers speak for themselves.
We’re pleased to be supporting these businesses to develop partnerships and grow their exports and we wish them continued success on their export journey.
Anne-Marie McAteer, Trade Manager at InterTradeIreland
The thirteen businesses participating in this Trade Mission are Brady’s Coffee Company from Wicklow, Couverture Desserts from Kildare, Filligans Limited from Donegal, Goodness Grains Gluten Free Bakery from Longford, Grá chocolates and Solaris Tea from Galway, O’Flynns Gourmet Sausage Company from Cork, Rosie and Jim, Raw Juice Company and Thanks Plants Ltd from Dublin, The Chocolate Garden of Ireland from Carlow, Wexford Home Preserves and The White Hag Brewing Company from Sligo.
We are delighted that our little family business has now reached the entire island of Ireland. We know that there is a fabulous food tradition in Northern Ireland and we look forward to being part of that. Our heartfelt thanks goes to the shops that have put our products on their shelves – we really appreciate it.
Laura Sinnott, Co-owner and joint CEO of Wexford Home Preserves
The ‘Trade Missions @Home’ initiative gives these businesses the opportunity to connect with key industry representatives and develop new sales opportunities in the cross-border market.
This year marks InterTradeIreland’s 25th anniversary supporting businesses across the island to grow through trading cross-border, innovating, collaborating, attracting investment and making connections. Visit here to find out more about the cross-border opportunities available to businesses.
