Sales are blooming for the 400 horticultural and food companies participating in Bloom, the annual garden, food and flower show organised and run by Bord Bia. Stock is flying off the shelves for the 100 exhibitors in Bord Bia’s Food Village, with many reporting overnight trips and late night baking to restock and keep up with demand. Many producers are estimating a 30% increase in sales over the previous year’s event.
Gary Graham, Bloom Show Manager, Bord Bia said, “Bloom provides a platform for new and emerging businesses to launch their products to the Irish food and horticulture market. We continue to see familiar faces as year on year businesses return to Bloom to utilise the fantastic opportunities it provides. It demonstrates the increasing love for and loyalty of the public for Irish producers, and contributes hugely to the success of the Irish horticultural and food industries”.
Bloom 2013, taking place across a 70-acre site in the heart of the Phoenix Park has so far seen over 70,000 visitors pass through the gates. In addition to the 28 spectacular show gardens, visitors are treated to the finest in Irish Artisan and horticultural produce, live cookery demonstrations from some of Ireland’s well-known chefs, award-winning floral art displays in the Floral Marquee and fabulous entertainment from the main stage.
VIP visitors to Bloom have included the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins who, accompanied by his wife Mrs Sabina Higgins, officially opened Bloom on Thursday morning before touring the show gardens and delivering a presidential address. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny also toured the show gardens and the Bloom site on Thursday afternoon as did the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Simon Coveney, TD and Fianna Fáil Party Leader Micheál Martin, TD.
Bord Bia’s Quality Kitchen Stage in the heart of the Food Village has hosted live cookery demonstrations by famed chefs Neven Maguire, Catherine Fulvio and Dónal Skehan who have also been joined by Quality Kitchen Ambassadors Hector Ó hEochagain and Yvonne Keating.
Bloom continues until Monday, 3rd June and some of the tomorrow’s highlights (Monday) include:
10:30 – 11:15: Quality Kitchen Ambassador David Wallace will join in a live cookery demonstration at the Quality Kitchen Stage in the Food Village
12.00 – 12.45: Neven Maguire takes to the Quality Kitchen Stage
14.00 – 14.45: Gerry Daly, Irish Garden Magazine hosts ‘Gardening Made Better and Easier’ at the Woodie’s Garden Expert Stage
14.00 – 15.00: The Garda Brass band will perform at the Main Stage
15.00 – 15.45: Quality Kitchen Ambassador Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin will join Brian McDermott, The Community Chef at the Quality Kitchen Stage in the Food Village
Sponsors
New and returning sponsors for this year’s event include Fáilte Ireland, Love Irish Food, OPW, Woodies, Bord na Móna, Dublin City Council, Calor Gas, Keelings and the Irish Independent.
For further information visit www.bloominthepark.com. Information is also regularly posted on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bloominthepark; or you can join the conversation on Twitter by following @Bloominthepark or using the hashtag #Bloom.
Source: HortiTrends News Room
