Food and Drink Forum stages Meet the Buyer event

Specialist food and drink producers from across the East Midlands are being invited to take part in an event to showcase their products to buyers in the independent pub trade, catering, hospitality and retail sectors.

Trade association The Food and Drink Forum has teamed up with Everards Brewery to stage the Meet the Buyer event on June 5th at The Griffin Inn, Swithland, in Leicestershire.

It offers the opportunity for producers to promote their food and drink to potential new customers, and at the same time the chance for buyers to discover the latest trends in catering, source new ingredients and gain ideas for revamping their recipes and menus.

The event runs from 10am to 4pm and includes exhibition stands, cookery demonstrations, company presentations, as well as lunch and networking opportunities.

It is being organised as part of the Leicester Food Specialist project, which is providing business support to food and drink manufacturers in Leicester. The Meet the Buyer event, however, is open to food and drink producers and to buyers from the independent pub trade, and the catering, hospitality and retail sectors, from across the East Midlands.

“Meet the Buyer events are an excellent way for producers to showcase their products and for buyers to source new suppliers,” said Fiona Anderson, managing director of the Food and Drink Forum.

“We’re very pleased to be working with Everards Brewery on this event, and hope that both producers and buyers will seize the opportunity to come together for their mutual benefit.”

The event is free to attend for buyers. Food and drink producers in certain areas of Leicester that are part of the Leicester Food Specialist project can also attend free of charge. Contact the Food and Drink Forum for details about eligibility.

The cost of attendance for members of the Food and Drink Forum is £30 plus vat. Other food and drink suppliers can attend the day’s event for £60 plus vat. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

For more information or to book, please email enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk or call 0115 9758810. 

The Leicester Food Project is being run by the Food and Drink Forum, and is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink Forum and Leicester City Council through the Working Neighbourhood Fund.

Visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Guest Motors Ltd delivers for Everards Brewery

Guest Motors Ltd is helping to keep the nation’s pubs well-stocked with award-winning Everards beers after supplying a new dray to the Leicestershire-based brewery.

The Iveco Eurocargo model, which features the new E5 state-of-the-art common rail injection systems, will be making weekly trips to London, Wales and Morecambe.

Supplied by Guest Truck and Van in Warren Park Way, Enderby near Leicester, the new dray conforms to the new Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle standards offering 5% better fuel consumption and C02 emissions.

One of the secrets of the Eurocargo’s success is its versatility. It’s easy to drive, even in city centres, thanks to a compact cab, an excellent steering angle (52 degrees) and a tight turning circle (starting from just over 11 m between kerbs). At the same time it offers excellent performance on long trips or on particularly difficult missions.

This makes it perfect for brewery deliveries across the UK.

Pip Podgers, of Podgers Transport Ltd, who operate the Everards fleet, said: “We’re pleased to be able to work with other local companies and with Guests being based in nearby Enderby, it made perfect sense for us to acquire the latest addition to our fleet from our local dealer.

“We chose this truck due to its greener engine credentials and lower emissions. Iveco’s reputation for build quality and reliability is outstanding.”

Everards Brewery is a family owned business, which has been brewing beer for more than 160 years. It has over 170 pubs of its own and supplies its range of beers to pubs across the UK.

Guest Motors Ltd, the UK’s largest Iveco dealer group and Fiat Professional van dealer, has also been a family owned and run business for more than a century.

The Guest Group, which also includes Sherwood Truck and Van, covers an area of responsibility for Iveco which includes the East Midlands, West Midlands, North Wales, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire. Its network includes 14 full service dealerships, supported by local agreements with an additional eight authorised Iveco repairers.

Guest Truck and Van fleet sales manager in Leicester Peter Wheat said: “I have had a working relationship with Podgers Transport Ltd for several years, and I was very pleased to supply the Iveco Eurocargo to Everards. It’s an ideal vehicle for the brewery’s delivery routes, being versatile and suitable for both motorway and long-distance journeys, as well as town centre travelling.”

www.guests.co.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Key recommendations to boost food and drink sector in Leicester and Leicestershire revealed

Local sourcing initiatives, making the most of food and drink linked to tourism in Leicestershire’s market towns, the provision of food grade production units and an increase in vocationally led learning are some of the key recommendations to emerge in a blueprint drawn up to help develop Leicester and Leicestershire’s £600 million food and drink economy.

The ideas are just some of the suggestions included in a draft strategy created to ensure that the city and county have the place they deserve on the UK’s food and drink map.

Commissioned by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), the strategy has been drawn up by East Midlands business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum in conjunction with the European Food and Farming Partnerships (EFFP).

They consulted the city and county’s food and drink firms, and have come up with a string of ideas which are aimed at helping local food, drink and farming businesses grow and develop.

The draft strategy was unveiled at The Royal Oak, Kirby Muxloe, to more than 50 guests where Stephen Gould, managing director of Leicestershire brewery Everards launched details of a local sourcing pilot scheme that the company plans to trial.

Mr Gould said: “We can act as a conduit for food manufacturers and food processors in Leicestershire to sell their food in our pubs. We want to work in a few of our pubs with several local food producers and manufacturers and blend their ideas onto our pub menus.

“We need to work out how to get the food to the pubs and manage the whole supply chain but I think it’s do-able and we can do it.”

The firm plans a trial in six Everards pubs. It also hopes to provide space for artisan producers and retailers, such as bakers, farm shops and delis, at its premises in line with a similar scheme it has run for micro-brewers.

“This isn’t pipe dream stuff. We want to move forward with our trial,” added Mr Gould.

At the event, held for invited guests who had helped to shape the draft strategy through group and individual consultations which involved farmers, manufacturers, restaurants and hotels, the audience was given an outline of the conclusions and recommendations.

Event delegates were invited for their feedback, before the final copy of the strategy is drawn up.

Gill Smitherman, Programme Manager at LLEP, said the next steps were to finalise and publish the strategy, establish a Leicester and Leicestershire food and drink group, prioritise delivery of the key recommendations, identify key delivery partners and start delivering chosen projects.

Anyone who would like a copy of the final strategy should register their details with The Food and Drink Forum by email to enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Nottingham PR consultant Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk