A Galway food syndication has further strengthened economic and tourism links with France following their attendance at the Fête des vins de l’Anjou recently. The trip showcased the diverse and unique range of locally sourced produce in the West of Ireland whilst also highlighting key SME’s and start-ups in the food industry to the French market. Over the course of the festival, close to 30,000 tastings took place with each person sampling approximately five different samples of the products.
“The weekend was a great success for Irish produce and specially served as a market research practice for small artisan companies that are looking for an opportunity to expand to the European market. Gran Grans products stand out for its variety of flavours, innovative recipes and culinary flair and they are only one example of what Galway Gastronomy had to offer to tourists; a melting pot of cuisines and cultures with an Irish twist!”
As part of the organised scheduled the Galway producers that travelled engaged with French counterparts to learn about the importance of Food/Wine Tourism. Key learnings here found the important role of visitor facilities where tourists and locals can engage with producers at their place of work and learn more about the product as well as the producers’ stories. The development of tourism experience will be a key focus of the European Region of Gastronomy 2018 programme.
