1. Sheraton Hotel, Athlone
I would like to welcome you all here today. I would also like to thank X for inviting me here to speak to you all, I am delighted to be here.

2. Irish food from the farm.
A celebration of local,
Irish food from the farm.
Each of our products
tells a story.
The story of each recipe starts with an Irish ingredient
Vision – remind yourself when things are tough.
- keeps you on track (white noise)
- like a target point on a map
(1) Locally Sourced Ingredients:
Eggs: O’Egg
Butter: Tipperary Co- Op
Milk & Cream: Thurles Creamery
(2)
Promote fun in the kitchen
(3)
When you take products home- You can pass them off as your own.

3. The story this far...... Holycross Stores Farmers Market
Tipperary Food Producers network
Supervalu
Marketing
Brian and I have extensive experience in the Hotel and Catering industry following 4 years of studies in UCD.
5 milestones:
(1) 1st milestone is buying Holycross Stores, our base in Holycross, Co. Tipperary.
Recession
Made use of resources: Bord Bia, LEO
Helicopter view of the business- different approach/ fresh perspective
(2) The Farmer’s Market:
Gaining confidence.
Moving outside the 4 walls.
(3) Tipperary Food Producers Network:
Learning via the network
(4) SuperValu:
Focus on selling nationwide.
Avoid selling to multiple small stores.
Opted for volume instead.
(5) Social media presence:
2 business students- Marketing Department.
Consistent message.
That message is one of ‘High Quality’.
Never compromised quality.
** We may have had to change our tactics in order to overcome our obstacles. However, we remained focused on our end goals and what we wanted to achieve.

4. Product Development
1-3. Began with CBC in loaf tin, cut in half and wrapped
Examples of initial products & packaging (proved messy & unsuccessful)
* Determined the pros and cons of various shapes, sizes and packaging

5. Final product: People could inspect the quality of log
Sharing log
Had to brainstorm how to sell a CBC nationwide with a consistent quality.
Weekly purchase, not occasions.
Consistent efforts to improve product.

6. Final product: People could inspect the quality of log
Sharing log
Had to brainstorm how to sell a CBC nationwide with a consistent quality.
Weekly purchase, not occasions.
Consistent efforts to improve product.

7. Advice Eyes on the Prize Cashflow Change is good
Prepare for hard work.. Lots of it!
Be clear on what your brand is about
Don’t be afraid of making changes
Don’t hesitate to do things differently
2. You’ll have to work hard to achieve your goals
It doesn’t all just happen
Nobody will do it for you
Requires hard work and a lot of time, So be prepared!
Be clear about what you want to achieve
Change tactics midstream if/ when necessary
** End Goal
Achieve your objectives
Make necessary changes

8. Planning for the future
Know the customer
People, Resources &
Structure
Identify new markets
Great story
Articulate purpose
Chefs:
-Trained in the consistency of our products.
-Products are always the same
-Hand- crafted
2 delivery vans:
-Regular routes
-Build relationships with stores
-Ensures a quality of service to our customers
Office Team:
-Accounts team
-Marketing team: Social media etc.
Tasting Crew:
-Regular tastings: Ensures a consistent meeting with our customer base
-Gain feedback

9. Any Questions?