LocalMarkets.ie Celebrates National Launch

Online Food Producer Marketplace Goes National!

  

An innovative online retail business, that offers customers the convenience of having premium quality food delivered to their own home, is celebrating the launch of itsnew nationwide service.

LocalMarkets.ie, a Cork-based business that was
established last year, aims to help consumers throughout Ireland connect with the thriving local producer food scene – even if the pressure of their daily lives means they don’t have time to regularly visit their much-loved local farmers’ market or favourite local producer!

The company’s delivery service, which initially extended across Cork city and county, has now been expanded to include the entire 32 counties. Founder of LocalMarkets.ie, Rory McCann, says it’s a decision that’s been driven by repeat requests from prospective customers:

“The decision to go national had always been part of our long-term business plan, but with the number of queries coming in we decided that we couldn’t delay the launch of our nationwide service any longer. Commuters, rural-dwellers, busy parents and those following gluten-free or other special diets, have been especially keen to see the website go national. There’s certainly a substantial number of people out there who are eager to shop for authentic local Irish food, but because of their location or hectic lifestyles, some food enthusiasts just don’t get an opportunity to visit their local market, producer or specialty delicatessen. For these people, a site like LocalMarkets.ie is the ideal way to support Irish producers and the most convenient way to enjoy superior quality food”.

Much of the food available on LocalMarkets.ie is offered by producers who operate stalls and retail outlets in Cork’s renowned English Market as well as from Mahon Point Farmers’ Market (voted Best Farmers’ Market in Ireland 2010 by Good Food Ireland and The Bridgestone Guide). As the website grows in popularity, it’s expected that more producers from all parts of Ireland will begin to utilise the website in order to sell their fresh fish, smoked fish, premium meat cuts, charcuterie, cheese, condiments, baked goods and much more, to a wider, national customer base.

According to McCann, LocalMarkets.ie is not a traditional retail website, but is styled along the lines of a food ‘movement’.

“Before a new product becomes available on LocalMarkets.ie, we like to know that its producers share our philosophy – that truly great food is only created by taking the time to use the very best ingredients and the very highest standard of food production techniques. We’re passionate about local food and we believe that sustainable food production and offering producers sustainable profit margins are important aspects of encouraging growth in Ireland’s valuable food sector. It’s also why we represent producers at outdoor events and food markets, particularly when the logistics of reaching a faraway venue or staffing an additional food stall pose difficulty for a small food business that may have limited resources. It’s a broad and novel approach to business, but so far we’ve been bowled over by the positive response – from both producers and consumers”, he explains.

“We’re not just a retail website. We have an ethos that’s not too far from a traditional co-op approach. We’re passionate about local food and we believe that sustainable food production and offering producers sustainable profit margins are important aspects of encouraging growth in Ireland’s valuable food sector. It’s also why we represent producers at outdoor events and food markets, particularly when the logistics of reaching a far away venue or staffing an additional food stall pose difficulty for a small food business that may have limited resources. It’s a broad and novel approach to business, but so far we’ve been bowled over by the positive response – from both producers and consumers”, he explains.

Irish foodies who are interested in finding out more about the food movement, or availing of the new nationwide delivery service, can log on to www.LocalMarkets.ie, where they can create a user account.

Once registered with the website, customers can browse product sections by category (e.g. by food product, by producer/food label etc.), collect reward points and use the website’s convenient re-ordering service for their favourite products.

Producers who would like to sell their produce via the LocalMarkets.ie website, are invited to register their interest by emailing info@localmarkets.ie