Our Judge’s Tasty Thoughts on the Irish Food Scene – Lion’s Den 2023

We just wrapped up our Lion’s Den Start-up entrepreneurship event at the Dublin Food Chain Producer Showcase, teaming up with the four Dublin LEOs. This year, we had two categories: one for the newer brands in business for up to two years (Start-Up Award) and another for those in the game for two to five years (Excellence Award). Six finalists had the nerve-racking task of pitching their goods to our panel of three judges. And who stole the spotlight? Born Again Bites and Zingbeer snagged the top spots! 

After the dust settled, we had a chat with our judges. They dished out some tasty thoughts about Ireland’s food and drink scene. Chairing our panel of judges, Gary Osborne, an Insight and Brand Planning Specialist at Bord Bia. Joining him was Domini Kemp, an award-winning Euro-toques chef, food writer and entrepreneur, and Donal Flynn, a food and wine buyer and expert at Fallon & Byrne.

Hitting the Mark with your Pitch

Domini kicked off the discussion by praising the impressive standard of branding exhibited by all the finalists. Reflecting on the presentations, she stressed how important it is to nail your pitch, especially given all the pressure of the event being held at the Producer Showcase. Domini pointed out how everything in the food and beverage space happens at lightning speed nowadays. Trends zip around thanks to social media, making food stories and journeys even more incredible and impressive to be keeping up at pace!

Stress on Sustainable Practices

Gary focused on the importance of sustainability, emphasising how everyone from consumers, traders and investors are all hopping on the green train. Not only this, but given his work and expeirence, he shared the successes of Irish products in the UK market, sometimes outdoing the local UK food and drinks. Applauding the packaging of the finalists’ products, he’s sure of their potential to hit it big globally.

A Focus on Flavours

Donal joined the chorus on sustainability, but ultimately brought it back to the basics – taste. He emphasised that, above all, the product must taste good. In the ever-changing landscape of food trends, staying ahead of the curve is the name of the game, but taste often prevails. And he gave a nod to his real challenge – juggling an international portfolio while keeping things authentically Irish as a buyer. A true culinary balancing act!

Check out our other articles on our Start-Up and Excellence Award Finalists and our two winners Born Again Bites and Zingibeer. Find out more about Lion’s Den at lionsden.ie or through our Lion’s Den Instagram and follow our socials – Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. Also check out our youtube channel where we’re posting all of our interviews from Lion’s Den in full!