Thursday, November 28, 2024. 2:35pm
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Foodservice Focus for Musgrave MarketPlace
With the hospitality industry gearing up for the beginning of the festive season, we caught up with Declan Flood – Head of Foodservice at Musgrave MarketPlace, Ireland’s leading foodservice and wholesale business.
An integral cog in the Musgrave Group wheel, Musgrave MarketPlace is Ireland’s leading foodservice and wholesale business, serving 45,000 customers across the industry. Declan explains –
“Our customer base spans cafes, hotels, pubs, restaurants, corporate and event catering. We cater for both independent and chain customers and we are the partner of choice to more than three-quarters of Ireland’s hotels on the island of Ireland.
“We have the strongest fulfilment capability of any foodservice supplier in the market. With nine depots spread across Ireland – it means we can respond quickly when our customers need support. This is underpinned by our dedicated account management, customer support centre and our state-of-the-art online platform.”
The foodservice division at Musgrave directly employs over 1,100 people who are passionate about providing a high-quality and competitive offering to their customers.
“For us, it is very important to be able to offer our customers choice and diversity in products and ranges that allow them to thrive – that means providing more innovative and unique food experiences. Quality, local and specialist products enable us to meet the needs of our customers and the constantly evolving trends within the food industry.”
There is a clear culture of innovation at Musgrave MarketPlace with teams, including product specialists, constantly monitoring the market to keep up to date with consumer trends. Recent investment in the revamped Food Emporium at Musgrave MarketPlace Ballymun is a clear indication of that innovation and Declan is keen to stress the importance of customer involvement.
“Our Food Emporiums act as a hub and meeting place for the hospitality sector; a space for businesses to be inspired and learn from our teams of development chefs.
“We know how important it is to see, smell and taste new products, so our knowledgeable experts are on hand to support our customers with tastings, operation reviews, menu revision and staff training around food safety.
While expanding its range to cater for international cuisines is important and evident through the acquisitions of the likes of Italicatessen and Ritter Courivaud, supporting local will always be at the heart of the business.
“Across the Musgrave Group, we have a long and proud heritage in food across the island of Ireland. We are passionate about supporting local and Irish producers – working with over 800 Irish suppliers across our wholesale and foodservice division. And supporting the Irish hospitality and the wider food industry is equally fundamental to our ethos.
Musgrave MarketPlace recently announced an expansion of its scholarship programme with Technological University (TU) Dublin – now supporting more students financially through three-year scholarships alongside providing access to industry mentors and events. The enhanced scholarship programme follows an investment of over €350k in the creation of a state-of-the-art student training restaurant at the university’s Grangegorman campus.
“As a strategic partner of TU Dublin, we want to nurture the next generation of foodservice professionals and by 2025 we will have supported 48 student bursaries in partnership with TU Dublin, investing in up-and-coming chefs and future leaders of the food industry.”
It is evident that Musgrave MarketPlace is a committed industry supporter and are cognisant of current challenges for many businesses. As the sector prepares to navigate its busiest period, Declan is confident that his team will be there to deliver.
“At Musgrave MarketPlace, we are committed to building trusted relationships with our customers while delivering exceptional service, as part of ongoing “Business Made Easy” promise. We listen to our customers who tell us time and time again that our commitment to customer service is a key strength and that will always be the case.