Margaret Jeffares - Founder of Good Food Ireland
I COME FROM a farming background and I live on a blackcurrant farm in Wexford, the one in the Ribena TV ad. That’s my husband Des and my two dogs in the ad. The shed that Des walks out of at the start of the ad, that’s my office.
When I first set up Good Food Ireland, a marketing organisation for food tourism businesses, it was hard to find staff to work in a shed on a farm in Wexford.
Today, we have a team of six and you wouldn’t believe how many applications I get for internships.
Equally, when I started out wanting to link our two biggest industries – agriculture and tourism – people thought I was mad.
Now everybody gets food tourism, and we have just under 400 members, everything from BBs to cookery schools and restaurants, all sorts of places of interest to food lovers.
I’m up at 7am and my first job of the day is to feed our show horses. After that I’m in the office by 8.30am, checking e-mails. These are anything from consumer queries to applications for membership to correspondence from corporate partners.
Some of the morning will be spent organising forthcoming events. We recently had one at the British Ambassador’s residence, with 53 of our members showcasing their products to 1,300 guests.
At the moment, I’m mainly working on our conference and awards night, which takes place in November.
I’m also working with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing on a promotional partnership aimed at the Breeders’ Cup in Kentucky.
For lunch, I’ll head in to the kitchen or just stay at my desk. For two days a week, I’ll be in Dublin for meetings, so if it’s one of those days I’ll eat out. Meetings are either on member’s premises or in a member hotel and I love that aspect of the job because I’m a people person.
I’m also a big foodie, but I’m wary of saying that to people who have the kind of expertise and passion that our members have. I’m the marketing expert, they’re the food heroes.
If I’m in Wexford than at some stage during the day we will all sit down as a team to catch up with who is doing what, and to brainstorm for new marketing ideas.
By the time I’ve all the administration done, it’s usually 7pm.
I regularly have evening meetings or events and conferences to attend, but if I don’t I’ll head out to look after the horses. In summer time, the horses are my job. In the winter, when it’s dark outside, Des normally does it.
I love working with the horses because they are the perfect antidote to the office. It means my days at the moment are fairly full-on though.
Between all that activity and being an early bird, if at all possible I’ll be in bed by half ten.
In conversation with
SANDRA O'CONNELL