Council Chair hosts Business Breakfast for food and beverage sector

A number of local businesses from the food and beverage sector attended the third in a series of Business Breakfasts hosted by the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Thomas O’Reilly, on Monday 19 February 2024.

Speaking at the event, Mark Edwards, owner of Enniskillen Taste Experience, provided an insight into his career in the hospitality sector and the inspiration behind starting his own business to showcase the culinary excellence which local business have to offer.

Michele Shirlow, Food NI, highlighted how the organisation supports its members and provides a single voice for the food and drink industry in Northern Ireland to enhance the reputation of local produce through the positive message of ‘Our Food, Power of Good’.

Encouraging local businesses to look beyond the local and regional markets, Katie Brown from the Department for Business and Trade highlighted the opportunities available to export local produce.  She also outlined how the Department seeks to identify, promote and support opportunities for inward investment to support businesses in Northern Ireland.

To support local food businesses and help to transform the local food landscape, the Council is seeking to establish a Sustainable Food Partnership. Eilish Morgan, the Council’s Sustainable Food Officer, highlighted how the Partnership aims to bring together representatives from a range of sectors to achieve this and encouraged the businesses to attend the first meeting of the Partnership on Wednesday 28 February 2024 at 9am in Dromore Sports Complex.

Speaking at the event, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Thomas O’Reilly, said:

“At the beginning of my term as Chair, I committed to hosting Business Breakfasts across a variety of sectors to support our local businesses which are the lifeblood of our towns and villages.

Fermanagh and Omagh is fortunate to have a variety of high-quality local food producers and a vibrant retail and hospitality sector showcasing their produce.  It is important that we capitalise on the opportunities highlighted today to promote the superior quality of our local produce in Fermanagh and Omagh and to build on this to create local food experiences for visitors and locals alike.”

Through its Go Succeed programme and as a partner in the Visitor Experience Development Plan for the Fermanagh Lakelands and Omagh and the Sperrins, the Council is committed to working with partners to create opportunities for new and existing agri-food producers and agri-food experiences to ensure that our economy is thriving, expanding and outward looking.

For more information on opportunities for business support and tourism development, contact the Tourism and Economic Development team on 0300 303 1777.