Taste of North Cork at Mallow Home & Garden Festival a great success for North Cork Artisan Food & Drink producers
Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West hosted a showcase to celebrate the very best of North Cork artisan food and drink as part of the Mallow Home & Garden Festival over the weekend of the 27-29th of May. Under the banner of Taste of North Cork, 14 artisan food and drink producers presented their produce, locally sourced, in a dedicated Local Enterprise Office Taste of North Cork exhibition area. The event was a wonderful success. Acting Head of Enterprise for Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West, Kevin Curran commented: “The Taste North Cork exhibition presented an ideal opportunity for visitors to the Festival to meet our local producers, they found out more about the artisan food scene in the locality, and even discovered some new favourite brands”. Kevin added “It is our intention to continue to support all businesses the best way we can. In addition to the exhibition stalls, the LEO had a cookery demonstration by a top chef over the weekend.
In what was a bumper year for the Festival, with glorious weather throughout, our artisan food and drink producer's samples were in huge demand! Speaking at the event, Jerry Pat O’Leary from O’Leary Family Butchers, Millstreet said “the event totally exceeded my expectations”.
Maurice Gilbert from Ballyhoura Apple Farm, when asked about the appeal of the event, said: “New contacts... you never know who you meet, and the opportunity with so many people coming through the door, the opportunities are endless”.
Gerald Burns and Julian Twomey from Lullaby Milk said: “the event gave us Brand awareness and opportunities”.
Norma & Tom Dinneen of Bó Rua thanked the LEO for such a super opportunity to take part in the Taste of North Cork over the weekend. “Aside from it being a great networking opportunity, it was also wonderful to get such positive feedback from the public, and of course make sales in the process” , they added.
Sue Parsons from Lyreens Smokehouse commented, “I met some lovely people, was given some fantastic advice and leads to follow up and some new avenues to look at”.
Clotilde Fitzgibbon, Clotilde ‘s Compote, said, “It was a pleasure to exhibit this weekend. Hard work but well worth it! I appreciate the work Joan and the team did”.
Adrian from Hanley’s Puddings said “ it was great to get the opportunity to offer tastings as it gave the Hanley Pudding brand great exposure and everyone really enjoyed the taste”.
Eleanor Leahy of Nibbles Food Emporium, Millstreet, commented that the event “highlighted what great North Cork food producers we have in our local area, it truly was a wonderful event “.
“The Taste of North Cork was organised by the local Enterprise Office Cork North & West as a platform for Food Businesses in North Cork to create and maintain new contacts and widen their networking opportunities to benefit their business. The artisan food business has really taken off in North Cork and the great feedback we got from the Taste of North Cork can translate into practical support for local Food Businesses”, said Joan Kelleher of the LEO Cork North & West.
For further information, contact Joan Kelleher at 022-43235 or visit https://www.localenterprise.ie/CorkNorthandWest/
