The Irish Dairy Board has won the Irish Exporters Association's overall Exporter of the Year Award 2010.
The board also won the food and drink exporter of the year award for its performance in export markets with its 'Kerrygold' brand. The Irish Dairy Board last year exported about €780m of its products to over 90 countries and is the largest exporter of Irish dairy products, accounting for 60% of these.
Carlow-based Hot Irishman Ltd won the emerging exporter award for its range of Irish spirit brands covering Irish coffee liqueurs, Irish whiskey and Irish cream liqueurs.
The winner of the multinational exporter of the year award was Boston Scientific, which employs almost 5,000 people at its facilities in Galway, Clonmel and Cork.
The life sciences Ireland exporter award was presented to Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Manufacturing for its range of equipment which is used in the diagnosis of medical conditions and is exported to 48 countries.
The services export award was won by PM Group, which provides architectural, engineering, project management and technical services to 30 countries.
Co Tipperary-based Trustwater won the manufacturing exporter award for 2010. The firm sells its cleaning and sanitising products in Europe, China and North and South America.
The software exporter award was won by Dublin-based Opennet, while the seafood exporter award of the year award was presented to Marine Harvest, in Co Donegal.
The winner of the innovation exporter award was Glanbia - Dairy Ingredients for its success in developing and marketing a range of spray dried milk protein concentrates.
The deep sea shipping company of the year was named as CMA-CGM Shipping Ireland, while the CLDN Colbefret Group won the short sea shipping exporters award. Dublin-based Kuehne & Nagle won the logistics company of the year award.
The President of the Irish Exporters Association, Mark Fitzgerald, says that Irish exporters are bucking the trend of retrenchment and contraction during the current economic downturn.
