Pictured above: Aidan Fisher of Moy Park (left), Ruth Graham Northern Bank (centre) and Sandra Scannell from NI Chamber of Commerce (right).

Over forty local businesses sought advice from some of Northern Ireland’s most successful agri-food companies at a ‘meet the expert’ event which took place in Belfast on 23 May.  The event, part of a series from the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce under its Export First brand, saw experts from Crossgar Food Services, Dale Farm, Genesis Crafty, Moy Park and Suki Tea offer advice to fledgling food companies seeking to take their products to new markets.

Also on hand were representatives from the Chamber’s Export First Partners Northern Bank, ASM Chartered Accountants and A&L Goodbody who provided expertise on the legal, tax and financial considerations of exporting.

“The agri-food sector has been the shining star of Northern Ireland’s export activity in recent years, as our home grown and innovative food products prove they are truly world class”, said Sandra Scannell, Programmes Director at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce.

“The experiences and advice shared by our export experts today will go a long way to continuing this trend.  Less experienced food companies are seeing the opportunities and recognising they could have a slice of the action by taking the example of those who have had success outside Northern Ireland”, she added.

Karen Brady of Choice Pizza Ltd a delegate at the event said: “we have been looking at ways to increase business and specifically have been looking at selling our products into new markets.  Speaking with some of the experts at the Export First event has given me a real insight into how other companies have successfully traded their products both in Northern Ireland and further afield.  Knowing what I can expect has encouraged me to look for new opportunities”.