Business Notes TRADE

Ireland's newest intended export to the U.S. may not have the sparkle of Waterford crystal or the rich flavor of Guinness Stout, but it sure is earthy. The product is peat, the decayed moss that the Irish have traditionally harvested from the bottom of bogs and burned for heat and in cooking. The Irish Turf Board said last week that sometime this fall it aims to start selling briquettes of the material -- packed in shamrock-adorned cardboard boxes containing twelve lbs. each -- in U.S. supermarkets. Ireland's peat harvesters hope the carton of sod will be a popular souvenir item among the 44 million Americans of Irish descent. John Foley, the Turf Board's marketing manager, envisions Americans burning peat on Christmas and St. Patrick's Day. Says he: "There is a market in the U.S., but not as an everyday product." Since not everyone relishes the aroma of burning bog, the peat is unlikely to replace mesquite as the grill-fuel of choice in trendy restaurants.