AgNav: Supporting Farm Sustainability Series
Follow the series to hear from farmers across the country using the AgNav platform. Agriland...
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Agriland
9 hours ago
- Agriland
Video: Irish beef cattle producing key ingredient for new skincare range
While Irish beef cattle are known worldwide for their high quality and green image, their role in producing skincare products may be less well known. Agriland recently paid a visit to a new start-up company based in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford that uses a product derived from Irish beef cattle as the key ingredient in their new skincare range. Mihael Sanko is the founder of Ancestral Cosmetics, a new premium skincare range using beef tallow as the key ingredient. He explained to Agriland what the brand is and how it came about. Mihael said: "Ancestral Cosmetics is a natural brand making cosmetics from beef fat here in Ireland. "We use the pure Irish beef fat that we process here in-house to make products like face cream, body creams, deodorants, and other skincare products." Mihael said that the business venture started in 2023 in the kitchen of their house with the help of his wife and four kids. "We started just making products for our family and then we saw this as an opportunity," the Ancestral Cosmetics founder said. "I think the big step for us was when we discovered beef tallow - or beef fat - as an ingredient that you can actually use in face creams." "Tallow is very compatible with human skin, and it's been used in skincare for thousands of years. "We said 'Ireland has the best beef, Ireland has one of the highest-quality beef fats in the world, and beef and meat in general' so we asked ourselves, 'Why is no one doing the skincare from this high-quality beef tallow?' "So we decided to start with that and one thing led to another." He said that the business idea "started to turn from a kind of a side hustle, more into a business". With just two people working in the business at the start, the huge level of interest in the market has seen their workforce now grow to over 20 staff. "So we started making more and more, as much as we could in the house, but eventually we overgrew the kitchen, and we had to get a proper facility," Mihael added. In 2024, Ancestral Cosmetics started employing people and created a company, which is how the business has got to where it is today. Mihael said: "Tallow is very similar to human skin, which makes it very compatible as a skincare ingredient. "100 years ago, most of the soaps and creams would have been made from tallow, and in the last 50 years or so, it kind of went away to more plant-based ingredients and plant-based products. "But right now, tallow is becoming more and more popular because people are interested in what older generations of people used." All products produced by Ancestral Cosmetics are hand-made. The process begins with beef fat sourced from beef cattle produced on local farms. Mihael explained: "Essentially, what comes in is raw fat which we then process. We do it in a way that we remove all the impurities from the fat. We melt the fat here and we create tallow and then the tallow is our main ingredient. "We combine it with products like beeswax, Irish honey, olive oil, and other ingredients to create different types of products. We create everything here in house. "Everything is handmade and every step of the process is completed by hand. We still try to make it the same way I did in our kitchen back in 2023 - just at a bigger scale." Mihael believes that the beef tallow sourced from Irish cattle is unique because of the predominantly grass-fed diet of Irish cattle. He said: "The fat stores nutrients but it can store toxins as well, so the diet of the cow is very important. Grass-fed cows are much higher quality - as they are for meat and for consuming - the same thing goes for the fat. "That's why I think Irish beef fat is amongst the top in the world when it comes to quality, and that's why we are delighted to be in Ireland and to be able to make the product here."
Agriland
18 hours ago
- Agriland
Building a market for Irish food and drink exports in China
In this article, we meet with Suki Wu, who is the China Market Specialist in Bord Bia's Shanghai office to discover more about Irish food and drink exports to China. I'm the China Market Specialist in Bord Bia's Shanghai office. My main focus is on promoting and growing Irish dairy exports in the Chinese market. Along with London, the Shanghai office is Bord Bia's largest outside Dublin. Being based here on the ground is really important. China has a massive influence on global food and drink markets because of the sheer volume it imports. Having a strong team in-market means we can better understand trade dynamics in real-time, identify opportunities, and support Irish clients in navigating the nuances of Chinese business culture. Chinese buyers attending an Irish dairy seminar during a 2024 Government-led Trade Mission. Source: Bord Bia Ireland exports a wide range of food and drink to China, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Our key exports include dairy, meat (especially pigmeat), seafood, drinks, and prepared consumer products. Ireland is China's fifth largest supplier of infant formula. For pigmeat, China is Ireland second biggest pigmeat export market. From January to May this year, Irish food and drink exports to China reached €232 million - a 2% increase compared to the same period last year. Growth came mainly from pigmeat, seafood, and dairy ingredients like casein and whey. Pigmeat imports rose early in the year thanks to Chinese New Year celebrations, early stockpiling by processors, and new tariffs on US and Canadian products that opened more space for European suppliers. In dairy, demand for protein ingredients is strong across many consumer groups, including the elderly, who are looking for functional nutrition. Irish beef exports are currently suspended, but hopefully this will be resolved and lead to sustained growth in beef exports. Geopolitical tensions and shifts in trade relationships can lead to tariff changes or new import policies, making long-term planning more difficult and adding costs. China is also investing heavily in its domestic food production, aiming for more self-sufficiency, which can reduce demand for imports. On top of that, changing consumer preferences within China are influencing how and what products people buy. One of the biggest challenges in promoting Irish products in China is our geographical distance. This means there is an ongoing need to explain not just what Ireland offers, but where and who we are. The dairy sector has led the way here, investing heavily in campaigns that not only promote their own products, but also raise awareness of Ireland itself. Altogether, these factors create a more complex environment for growing Irish exports. Shanghai Yes, there are still strong opportunities. In the second half of 2025, we're expecting continued growth in demand for health supplements and functional food and drinks, especially products like whey protein concentrate. There's also rising demand from restaurant chains for frozen pork, particularly for use in pre-made meals and further processing. During major holidays like Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, and Spring Festival, processors will increase their pork purchases to produce items like sausages, preserved pork, and canned foods. That said, total pork imports in the second half of the year may slow slightly compared to earlier in the year. There have been many moments I'm proud of, especially the wide-ranging work we've done to promote Irish dairy here. But one standout would be how we responded to the challenges in the infant formula sector since 2018. At that time, the import market was shrinking due to declining birth rates and a consumer shift toward local Chinese brands. Rather than stepping back, we used the moment to reassess and identify new opportunities. That led us to specialised nutrition - dairy products formulated for specific nutritional needs such as elder or sports nutrition. This is an area where Irish dairy can really add value. I'm proud to have been involved, working closely with industry to refocus our strategy, align with emerging trends, and create a new space for Ireland in the market.
Agriland
20 hours ago
- Agriland
AgNav: Supporting Farm Sustainability Series
Agriland launches AgNav series with Teagasc, Bord Bia and ICBF Follow the series to hear from farmers across the country using the AgNav platform. Agriland...
