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The mother of all food fairs by Katherine O`Leary
Katherine O`Leary of the Farmer`s Journal artfully describes Peter`s promotional work on the Bord Bia stand at Salone del Gusto and Terre Madre in Turin. Salone del Gusto is the world Slow Food fair in Turin. It is one of the most important world events for artisan and sustainable foods and Ireland had a fantastic national stand in the main hall.
The mother of all food fairs
It is clear to me that, in the minds of many, there are two very distinct worlds in the food-producing industry. There is the world of commercial food production and there is artisan food production. Organic production is a different philosophy again and may or may not be attributed to either genre.
The economy of scale in commercial production results in good, wholesome, quality-assured food at affordable prices. The commercial farmer is governed by strict laws of food production and regulation, resulting in a standardised product.
If your artisan idea is food enough and popular enough, it too can become a commercial business venture. I`m thinking of businesses like Ballymaloe Relish, Cooleeney Cheese and Cashel Blue Cheese.
The small-scale artisan producer generally preserves a tradition and produces a product with scrumptious flavour; but in order to guarantee a return, the price will be considerably higher than that of the commercially-produced alternative. Basically, you pay for what you get.
Tim and I like nothing better than to go to the English Market in Cork City or the farmers` market in Mahon Point to obtain some homemade pate, farmhouse cheese or smoked mackerel. Equally, we relish a cool drink of raw milk, straight from our own bulk tank.
Bridging the Gap
Nethertheless, there is an intrinsic reality that artisan and commercial producers are worlds apart. It is incumbent on all of us to endeavor to bridge and understand the gaps that exist between both groups.
Nowhere was this bridging more evident than at the Slow Food event, Salone del Guston, the world-class showcase for artisan and specialist food producers in Turin, Italy last week.
Bord Bia, along with Failte Ireland, exhibited there with Un Gusto d`Irlanda. The Irish presence at the fair was evidence of Bord Bia`s commitment to reinforce Ireland`s green image, positioning Ireland as a supplier of natural, wholesome, flavoursome, quality food products.
The taster plates on offer for €5 included a meat taster plate, with beef from the large outfit Dawn Meats, lamb from Irish Country Meats and black and white pudding from Kelly`s of Newport; a fish taster plate with Kinvara Smoked Organic Salmon; and a cheese taster plate with four Irish raw-milk farmhouse cheeses. Each plate was accompainied by brown bread made from Declan Ryan`s wholemeal mix, a selection of chutney and relish and washed down with O`Hara`s micro brew beer.
Slow Food
According to the Slow Food brochure: "Slow Food was founded by food activist Carlo Petrini in the town of Bra, northern Italy in 1986. Its initial aim was to support and defend good food, gastronomic pleasure and a slow pace of life."
It then expanded to include quality of life and the preservation of Mother Earth. The underlying theme is "good, clean and fair". For the first time, Salone del Gusto came together with Terra Madre, Mother Earth. It is Slow Food`s project to build an international network of food producers, taking all elements of food production into account, from working conditions to age-old customs.
Terra Madre supports a small-scale, sustainable, local-community model. Bord Bia`s presence at a show like this defines their commitment to the small and artisan producer. The staff worked continually to get meals out to the large number of visitors who wanted to dine at the Bord Bia stand.
Many people committed to Slow Food and artisan food producers were on hand with Bord Bia. These people have a conviction and a passion that we`d all do well to emulate. Darina Allen enthused: "Feel it! There really is something happening; there`s a movement beginning. People want to return to the old traditions of food production."
Darina, Clodagh McKenna and Sebastiano Sardo guided Minister Trevor Sargent on a walk-about, taking in Slow Food and Terra Madre. Minister Sargent was fulsome in his praise. The show was extremely impressive, but best of all was the level of buzz on the Bord Bia stand.
Watching a Pro
I was intrigued watching Peter Ward of Country Choice in Nenagh working the crowd. I sat and observed his tactics. He was standing behind a small table just inside the perimeter of the stand. He was selling the glossy brochure on Ireland for €2, and for that he gave his customers a taste of Ireland.
He placed two serviettes folded into triangles on the table, proclaiming "Ireland the Food Island". Taking two pieces of brown bread and placing them on the serviettes, he`d declare: "Irish brown bread. Traditional Irish food."
If eyes didn`t immediately follow, he`d try it in Italian: "Pane integrale irlandese, cibo tradizionale dell` Irlanda!"#
By the time he was at the spreading of the Glenilen butter, four or five people would have moved to buy the brochure.
Then the smoked salmon would be added in a wild sweep. By now, his spectators would be rummaging in their pockets. Black and white pudding from Kelly`s of Newport would be placed on the other slice.
Then Peter would ceremoniously squeeze lemon over the lot. The €2 coins were handed over. Peter added a little Irish flag, and one more person would go away with a taste of Ireland. I thought: "Well, that`s how it`s done, person by person, always building on our message: Ireland the food island." It takes time, dedication and consistency.
As farmers, we are all involved in food production, as are artisans or small producers. We have a common goal, and that is to market Irish food. The milk that is produced on the O`Leary farm and sent for processing to Dairygold and on to commodity markets is every bit as important as Irish smoked salmon.
We all want to lessen our impact on Mother Earth, but we must never forget that farmers are custodians of rural Ireland and have protected Terra Madre for centuries. We will continue to do so.
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