The Minister for Agriculture Food & Marine, Michael Creed T.D. this evening (Wednesday) formally launched Bord Bia’s, Consumer Research Centre, ‘The Thinking House’.  Achieving an objective identified in Food Wise 2025, the development of ‘The Thinking House’ provides a hub for the Irish food producers to hone their activities in the areas of research, innovation and new product development. 

Speaking at the launch Minister Creed said;

“I am extremely proud that my Department is associated with this state of the art facility, delivering on an action detailed in Food Wise 2025.  Developing new ideas and embracing the latest innovative techniques in terms of understanding consumer needs will be crucial tools in bolstering our food producers in an ever more dynamic and competitive marketplace, not only because of the challenges posed by Brexit, but also in terms of maximising opportunities in emerging markets.  ‘The Thinking House’ provides an open door to our food enterprises who wish to avail of a world class facility to enhance their offering”.

The Thinking House, located at Bord Bia’s Dublin headquarters, provides a wide range of services including a 70 person working space, focus group facilitation and access to marketing databases. 

Commenting on the range of services available Minister Creed continued;

“for many SME’s in the food sector, market research and New Product Development (NPD) are expensive and in many cases unattainable pursuits.  Recognising this, we have, through Bord Bia, moved to meet the needs of the sector in the area of consumer research.  Our agri-food sector is rightly regarded for its safe, sustainable and Green credentials.  Initiatives such as the ‘Thinking House” will ensure that innovation is one of our key strengths into the future”.

Referring to the strategic importance of  The Thinking House, Minister Creed concluded;

“our agri-food exports having doubled over the past six years now stand at €10.8 billion.  We are targeting exports of €19 billion in our ambitious Food Wise 2025 strategy.  This will only be achieved through opening new markets and in building on current markets through innovation, NPD, and the expansion of our product offering”.

‌Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed T.D., Aidan Cotter CEO Bord Bia and Helen King Bord Bia

Date Released: 29 September 2016