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Artisan Food

Supporting artisan and small food businesses

Teagasc provides expertise, training, facilities and practical support to people considering starting a food business, as well as established food companies looking to develop products, solve technical challenges or scale production.

Deirdre Kennedy, Artisan and Small Food Sector Specialist from the Teagasc Food Industry Development Team, talks about the opportunities for artisanal food production as a way for food producers to add value to their existing farm enterprises, with advice and support available from Teagasc.

How Teagasc can support you

Expertise & Facilities

Teagasc provides access to food scientists, product development expertise, test kitchens and pilot-scale processing facilities to support businesses in developing, testing and scaling food products.

Explore our pilot plant facilities:

Training & Skills

Teagasc delivers practical food industry training at its Food Research Centres in Moorepark, Fermoy and Ashtown, Dublin.

Courses cover areas such as product development, sensory analysis, food microbiology, food safety, quality management and specialist food production. In addition, bespoke in-company training and continuous professional development opportunities are available.

Our training helps food businesses develop technical skills, support innovation and respond to industry requirements.

View Food Industry Training Courses here.

Farm Business Options

The Teagasc Farm Business Options Programme helps farmers and farm families explore opportunities to diversify their businesses and generate additional income.

The free programme includes workshops, farm visits, mentoring and networking. Participants can explore options such as artisan food production, rural tourism, renewable energy, organic farming and direct selling.

In addition, the programme provides guidance on developing a business idea and identifying relevant grants and supports.

Explore the Farm Business Options Programme.


Food Factsheets

For more information contact Ciara McDonagh


Developing a concept for a product in to a high quality, safe food that appeals to consumers, can seem like a difficult task. However, Teagasc, with its extensive pilot scale and development facilities in Dublin and Cork, offers services to assist and support companies in their product development j