Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board’s Post

Transcript

Join us as we explore Riyadh for Board Vias market study visit to Saudi Arabia. We started the day at the Embassy of Ireland where we were greeted by the Deputy Head of Mission, Harriet Sexton Morale, who welcomed our market study visit group. Next, Lorna Allen, Board B's Middle East Market Specialist, provided an overview of the itinerary, Ireland's relationship with Saudi through export figures and the upcoming Giga projects. Mattison Mulcair, Procurement Manager for MGS, spoke about his first hand experience doing business in the market. Afterwards we stopped for lunch at the King Abdullah Financial District for a chance to explore Riyadh, bustling financial capital, a hub for international. Good effects The food service industry continues to evolve with over 29,500 doors open across Saudi Arabia. A quick turn around before it was time to head over to the horrific trade fair. Visiting a trade fair provides a real opportunity for suppliers to gain first hand insight and meet with distributors face to face. We saw some familiar Irish brands who are present in the market already, proudly displaying their goods with their local distributors and customers. To close the day we headed to Mr. Chows, a renowned international franchise with a location here in Riyadh. Traditionally entertainment hasn't been a key aspect of. Running out. However, we can see that this has very much changed in recent years. Over dinner we had the opportunity to enjoy some Irish duck, which has been a prominent dish on the menu since its opening. The next morning we were up bright and early for a visit to the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. This meeting was an integral component to understand what documents and procedures suppliers must prepare to achieve SDF approvals. In the afternoon we kicked off a series of retail visits starting with Tamimi Markets, one of the fastest growing supermarkets in the Kingdom with over 100 store locations. Tamimi is continuing to grow thanks to recent Public Investment Fund acquisition of a 30% stake in the company. Bruce Bostwick, Business Development Director of Tamimi Markets, LED us on a tour of the store, highlighting the several Irish brands available on shelves as well as their premium fresh imported product offering. Next we visited Spinneys, a popular retailer in the Middle East, which has now opened its first and only store in Saudi Arabia. With more stories to follow, Spinney has quickly gained attention, especially for it's ready to go food options which are still rare in the Kingdom. Store Manager Mr. Eric Mul Islam provided an in-depth tour highlighting the impressive live fish counters, butchery stands and the several Irish products already available. Finally, we visited Lulu. Web Market one of the largest retail chains in the MENA region, with our tour led by Mr. Ramstad Islam, Head of Imports. Lulu stores are a larger format with a wide variety of imported goods garnering loyalty from a customer base who seeks variety. Our final event of the evening was a networking reception at the Embassy of Ireland where Irish suppliers had the opportunity to connect with key local distributors, retailers, chefs and hospitality experts. Deputy Head of Mission, Harriet Sex Morale and Lorna Allen closed the event, emphasizing the importance of growing Irish food exports in the region. It was an excellent night full of meaningful connections marking the successful conclusion of our markets.