Sun shines on ambitious industry
Anyone who spent time in the Food NI Food Pavilion at the recent Balmoral Show will surely have been impressed by the scale of innovation and the enthusiasm of our food and drink companies of all sizes and in every sector of what is now our biggest manufacturing industry. I’ve had an opportunity over the past few days to reflect on some of my experiences from the show.
I spent three days there with exhibitors and was struck by their ideas about innovative products and the markets they are keen to access especially in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
Unfortunately there are some observers who still see food and drink as a something of a “sunset’ industry. It’s anything but. In fact I believe that it’s one of the most vibrant ‘sunrise’ industries here. While it may not appear to some to be ‘techy’ enough, there are companies, both large and small, heavily involved in new market focused technology.
Most companies now see adding value to the wonderful ingredients available here as the way ahead and are investing in technology to manage production and improve overall performance.
It’s an industry with a very bright future that’s increasingly being driven by people with smart ideas who are close to their markets and to both existing and potential customers. It’s an industry growing in confidence and self-esteem, characteristics being encouraged and justifiably celebrated by the Year of Food and Drink initiative. Furthermore it is deeply rooted here.
Most of the companies are also locally-owned and connected to the community especially the farming sector which provides essential and premium quality ingredients with heritage and provenance. It’s already a £5 billion industry that sells more that 60 per cent of its products beyond these shores and employs upwards of 100,000 people throughout an extensive and increasingly integrated supply chain focused on market requirements.
What the industry also faces is a tremendous market opportunity. How do I support this claim? It’s quite simple. As affluence rises, people everywhere will always seek out good quality food and drink.
The world’s population, for instance, is projected to grow by 1 billion in the next 15 years, at a time when cultivatable land will shrink. To meet this growth a 50 per cent rise in food production will be required. Interestingly, the growth is expected to be driven by a sharp rise in those likely to be described as middle class. Just under two billion people today are middle-class.
By 2020, there will be 3.2 billion, most of whom will live in urban areas. More than half of the world’s population currently lives in cities with better transport, storage and retail facilities. They are increasingly demanding high quality, nutritious and, above all, safe food and drink, a market requirement that Northern Ireland is well-positioned to meet.
I’ve also been impressed by the trend, apparent at Balmoral, towards greater collaboration between smaller companies and also with suppliers in the development of new products. A good example of this is the relationship that’s developed between Glastry Farm Ice Cream in Kircubbin and SD Bells in Belfast to create new ice cream. Brambleberry Jams in Lisburn has also been enlisted by Glastry to supply salted caramel for another ice cream flavour. Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt in Bangor has also worked with Around Noon Sandwiches in Newry to create a new snack pot product for customers in Britain and the Irish Republic. And Krazibaker Mark Douglas teamed up with Abernethy Butter to produce shortbread that earned him a UK Great Taste Award. Three craft breweries, Hillstown Farm, Pokertree and Farmageddon have also pooled their resources, knowledge and expertise to create a new beer for Britain.
Another of our great strengths is our support infrastructure that includes Invest NI and expert centres for scientific research and innovation at Loughry Campus in Cookstown and the Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute (AFBI).
It’s clear to me that the market opportunity for our food and drink industry is huge and we must do everything we can to help our companies to grasp it.
