East Midlands food and drink firms prepare for flagship event

Organisers are planning one of the East Midlands’ key food and drink sector trade events of the calendar.

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum will stage its annual general meeting and members’ supper at Kelham Hall near Newark on Tuesday 25th June 2013.

The event attracts members and associates from across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, and is the ideal place for those in the sector to network, renew acquaintances and make new contacts.

The Food and Drink Forum, which was founded in 1998, is working with DNCC to raise awareness about the event, and DNCC plans to invite more than 200 of its members who are buyers within the food and drink industry.

This year’s supper is being sponsored and supported by Campden BRI, the UK's largest independent membership-based organisation carrying out research and development and providing technical support for the food and drinks industry worldwide, Clegg Food Projects, a market leader in providing practical design, engineering and construction solutions for major food and drink operations, and the Food and Drink iNet, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and run by a consortium led by the Food and Drink Forum.

“This is our flagship event of the year, and is highly anticipated by members and associates who work in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands,” said Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson.

“We are delighted that this year we are working with DNCC to promote the event, and as a result we expect to see many new faces joining us.”

This year’s speakers include James Pogson, director of Chesterfield-based Northern Tea Merchants, Kamal Dhutia, director at Leicester-based condiments portion control supplier B I (Europe) Limited, and Phil Ellis, from Attimo – an online sales and distribution project.

Members of The Food and Drink Forum are eligible for free tickets to the event, with the number dependent on their membership level. Additional tickets cost £75 plus vat, with membership discount also available.

Sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities are also available, offering an ideal showcase for any company that works within the food and drink sector. These include the chance for producers to run sampling sessions and for consultants to promote their services.

A networking, buffet supper rounds off the event – featuring some of the region’s finest food and drink products.

Campden BRI business development manager Daphne Llewellyn Davies said: “Campden BRI is delighted to have been given the opportunity to support local food and drink manufacturing in this region. As an organisation, we have taken part in the event for several years and we look forward to an exciting future of continuing to take a key role in the sector in the East Midlands.”

John Moxon, business development director at Clegg Food Projects, said: “This is an event I always look forward to attending. It provides a great opportunity to meet interesting people directly involved at the sharp end of food and drink manufacture and sale.“

The Food and Drink Forum, which operates across the East Midlands and beyond, is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham. It is a not-for-profit, membership-led organisation which aims to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the region.

It provides a range of support for firms working in the sector in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, including technical services, accreditation, compliance, packaging and shelf-life advice, and marketing.

The Forum is also the lead partner in the Food and Drink iNet, a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which encourages innovation in the region’s food and drink industry.

For information about joining The Food and Drink Forum, tickets to the AGM and members’ supper or exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities, please call 0115 9758810.

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

East Midlands business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum stages its AGM

More than 130 professionals connected to the East Midlands food and drink sector took part in the annual general meeting and networking supper of business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum.

The Forum is one of the largest business support organisations in the region dedicated to the food and drink sector, with members across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

The annual general meeting and members’ networking supper, which took place at Kelham Hall, near Newark, is the flagship event of the organisation’s calendar.

During the event The Forum unveiled a new membership structure which it hopes will appeal to firms across the food and drink chain from producers and manufacturers through to distributors and retailers.

The new structure will also allow members to choose the level of support they need and to take advantage of new services that will be rolled out over the next year.

“The nature of business support is changing as a result of the political and economic landscape,” said Food and Drink Forum Managing Director Fiona Anderson. “However, we believe this makes our role as a sector-specific organisation even more relevant and even more important than ever for businesses.

“We have a commitment to the industry built up over 13 years. We know and understand the sector, and as a result we can offer services that are tailored to the industry’s needs and that help to achieve new orders, continued growth and access to new markets. We hope our new membership structure will appeal to existing members and also to others who work across a broad spectrum of the food industry.”

After the AGM, delegates received presentations from Sam Sangha, Managing Director of Nottingham-based importer and wholesaler of oriental foods Asiana Ltd, and his daughter Sandy Lathia, who is the firm’s Business Development Director, who spoke about bringing a product to market – describing how they developed and launched Siam Gold beer.

Head of Marketing at Pork Farms Ltd, Andy Napthine, went on to talk about Pork Farms’ brand relaunch, which came earlier this year as the brand marks its 80th anniversary.

This was followed by the Members’ Supper, sponsored by recruitment consultants Ambitions Personnel. Established in 1990, with 17 locations in the East Midlands, and currently supplying over 1500 temporary workers to the food industry on a daily basis, Ambitions Personnel believes that an organisation’s best ingredients should be its people.

The Food and Drink Forum is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, and is a membership organisation that supports the sustainable growth of the food and drink sector across the East Midlands.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the benefits of joining The Food and Drink Forum should call 0115 9758810 or visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Photo caption:
Left to right: Food and Drink Forum Managing Director Fiona Anderson, Head of Marketing at Pork Farms Andy Napthine, Business Development Director Sandy Lathia and Managing Director Sam Sangha, both from Asiana Ltd.

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East Midlands business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum announces its AGM

More than 100 individuals and companies involved in the East Midlands food and drink sector are expected to attend the annual general meeting of The Food and Drink Forum.

The Forum is one of the largest business support organisations in the region dedicated to the food and drink sector, with members across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

The annual general meeting and members’ networking supper is the flagship event of the organisation’s calendar and attracts many of the region’s key industry players. It takes place on June 16th at Kelham Hall near Newark, starting from 4pm.

Forum managing director Fiona Anderson said: “The AGM is always a very popular and well-attended event. It gives members the chance to chat about issues in the industry and to make valuable contacts.”

Each year the AGM is followed by the Members’ Supper which this year is being sponsored by recruitment consultants Ambitions Personnel.

Established in 1990, with 17 locations in the East Midlands, and currently supplying over 1500 temporary workers to the food industry on a daily basis, Ambitions Personnel believes that an organisation’s best ingredients should be its people.

Speakers at the event include Sam Sangha, managing director of Nottingham-based importer and wholesaler of oriental foods Asiana Ltd, and his daughter Sandy Lathia, who is the firm’s business development director. They will be speaking about bringing a product to market.

Head of marketing at Pork Farms Ltd, Andy Napthine, will be talking about Pork Farms’ brand relaunch, which comes as the brand marks its 80th anniversary. The firm supplies chilled savoury pastry products for retail.

The Food and Drink Forum is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, and is a membership organisation that supports the sustainable growth of the food and drink sector across the East Midlands.

Its AGM is open to members only, with the networking supper open to members and invited guests. Anyone interested in finding out more about the benefits of joining The Food and Drink Forum should call 0115 9758810 or visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

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

Food and Drink Forum ensures that the food and drink sector’s voice is heard

East Midlands business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum is campaigning to ensure that the food and drink sector in the region has a strong voice going forward.

The membership organisation wants to ensure that the industry in the East Midlands is effectively represented following the disbandment of regional development agencies in 2012.

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has been a key partner for The Food and Drink Forum in support of the food and drink sector in the region. Now the Forum wants to ensure that the sector retains a strong voice once emda ceases to exist.

“The Food and Drink Forum has spent a lot of time focusing on understanding what the structure of public-funded business support may look like in the future,” said Fiona Anderson, managing director of The Food and Drink Forum.

“What is clear is that the funds coming into business support in the future will be significantly reduced, and that businesses will have to pay for more of the advice and guidance that they receive.”

The Food and Drink Forum, which is one of the largest food and drink business support organisations in the East Midlands and which represents a wide range of member businesses, has held talks with a number of key organisations that may be involved in business support for the sector in the future.

“Through membership of the English Food and Drink Alliance (EFDA), a direct dialogue has been opened up with DEFRA to ensure that the needs of food and drink businesses especially SME’s across England are communicated and represented,” said Fiona Anderson.

“We believe that BIS (Department of Business Innovation and Skills) will be setting up six offices across England and are hoping that one will be in our region. We have also been in talks with the emerging Local Enterprise Partnerships for the East Midlands region and have been party to their submissions to Government. We were pleased that all of the proposals incorporated support for the food and drink sector - recognising its importance as the largest manufacturing sector in the region.

“We have also been keeping a watching brief on emerging funding schemes such as the Regional Growth Fund and innovation initiatives to ensure that we can maximise the value of these for our sector.”

As a private, membership organisation, the Food and Drink Forum’s role in supporting the East Midlands food and drink sector will continue.

“Whilst there will be a reduced number of publicly-funded programmes which we are able to offer, a wide range of support services will still be delivered by The Food and Drink Forum, such as support for collaborative distribution and for manufacturing efficiencies, food technical services, and training and development courses,” said Fiona Anderson.

Based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, and covering Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, The Food and Drink Forum was launched in 1998 as a not-for-profit membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands.

To find out more about The Food and Drink Forum, please visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk or call 0115 9758810.

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New manufacturing innovation manager for The Food and Drink Forum

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum has appointed Mark Nicholson as its new manufacturing innovation manager.

Mark will operate across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland offering support and advice to help the region’s food and drink manufacturers to discover more efficient ways of operating.

Previously an adviser with Business Link Yorkshire and before that a freelance business coach, Mark has spent 17 years in operations, specifically in the food sector. He has worked in the frozen sector for McCain, in confectionery for Needlers, and in fresh produce for MBM.

His role at The Food and Drink Forum includes helping to deliver the second phase of the CHIEFS project in collaboration with Food Processing Faraday and Optimat Ltd. The project, which aims to champion innovation between the engineering and food sectors, is being delivered on behalf of East Midlands Development Agency (emda) with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

“I am delighted to join The Food and Drink Forum as manufacturing innovation manager,” said Mark.

“I am passionate about helping food and drink businesses to think more creatively, and really enthusiastic about innovative and novel approaches to business improvement.”

Mark’s specialist skills include the use of lean and continuous improvement methods for food businesses, the application of environmental technology, the deployment of motivational/behavioural strategy and systems thinking.

He will be offering support in improving production efficiencies, specifying and purchasing new equipment, managing and delivering turn key engineering projects, process mapping and value stream analysis, waste minimisation and resource efficiency, top team, middle and junior management training, and coaching and mentoring.

Fiona Anderson, managing director of The Food and Drink Forum, which is based at the Business Centre at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, said: “Mark’s appointment will help The Food and Drink Forum to build on the support that we offer the sector in the East Midlands. Manufacturing efficiencies can bring immediate cost savings, as well as a range of other benefits, and are a popular service that we offer to our members and on a commercial basis to food and drink firms around the region.”

Married with three grown-up children, Mark’s qualifications include a BSc in Human Ecology and an MSc in Food Inspection & Control. He is also a certified trainer in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and a licensed facilitator in two psychometric profiling tools.

He loves the great outdoors, enjoys hill walking and his favourite food is curry.

The Food and Drink Forum is one of the region’s largest business support organisations, championing the food and drink sector in the East Midlands through a variety of different ways.

If you are interested in finding out more about The Food and Drink Forum, please visit http://www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk/ or call 0115 9758810.

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Food and Drink Forum annual general meeting and networking supper

Representatives from food and drink firms across the East Midlands came together for the annual general meeting and networking supper of business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum.


Held at Kelham Hall, near Newark, the event attracted more than 150 delegates, including food and drink business owners, employees of companies associated with the sector, as well as others linked to the industry in the region.

The AGM was followed by presentations from two Food and Drink Forum members – Jeeva Sanmugam, who runs Northampton ready meals firm Classic Cuisine, and who talked about increasing profitability in a recession, and Kevin Rushton, of Nottingham-based Cakes and Biscuits LLP, who focused on supplying UK retailers as a small business.

Delegates then spent two hours enjoying a networking event, sponsored by graduate recruitment organisation HotProspects, and a regional buffet that featured food provided by Food and Drink Forum members from across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.

“Our AGM and networking supper is always a highlight of the year, and this year’s was the biggest, and probably the best, yet,” said Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for food and drink firms in the region to come together, share knowledge, make new contacts and discover the opportunities for business support, as well as taste some of the amazing food and drink that our Food and Drink Forum members produce.”

The Food and Drink Forum, which is based in the Business Centre at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, was launched in 1998 as a not-for-profit membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands.

For more information visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk or call 0115 9758810.

Grants available to help East Midlands food and drink firms recruit graduates

East Midlands food and drink firms planning to recruit graduates for permanent positions or placements are being urged to take advantage of grants available to help with their search for the right person.

The Food and Drink Forum has teamed up with East Midlands graduate recruitment organisation HotProspects on a two-year project to offer small and medium-sized food and drink companies grants towards the cost of recruiting a graduate, either for specific projects or for permanent placements.

Now it has been announced that grant funding for recruitment has been increased – making it the ideal time to get involved with the scheme.

Businesses signing up to the programme delivered by HotProspects will receive £1,000 towards the standard recruitment fees instead of the £500 that was previously offered, thanks to grant funding that has been made available in partnership from East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

“The programme provides support in the form of niche and technical search, graduate assessment centres and full service graduate recruitment to help businesses manage the recruitment process and find the best talent,” said Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson.

“The food and drink sector is facing a skills shortage, but hiring a graduate can bring a number of benefits for a firm, such as introducing new skills to the business or giving a fresh perspective on something. Finding the right candidate can be time-consuming or difficult for a small or medium-sized business, so this project represents the perfect way for food and drink firms in the East Midlands to discover the pool of graduate talent that’s available.”

Graduates are available with a wide range of food and drink industry-relevant qualifications. One current example includes a graduate with an MSc in food technology and quality assurance from the University of Reading, who previously gained a first class Bachelor of Technology in bio-technology from a top engineering university. Fluent in three languages and with expertise in a range of techniques, including using nutritional software, conducting taste panels and sensory analysis, the graduate has good understanding of British Retail Consortium and EU/UK food regulations.

HotProspects programme director Iain McCracken said: “This grant-funded programme aims to support businesses and graduates in the region at a very challenging time in the employment landscape.

“The programme operates to help businesses and graduates connect on terms beneficial to each – brokering contracts that place graduates within organisations with schemes agreed from 2 weeks to 12 months and longer. The benefits of such a programme are clear – graduates gain valuable work experience that helps them connect with the market and businesses can access a skills resource that can make them better placed to emerge from the recession in a competitive position.

“We are finding that most strategically minded organisations view the current economic situation as an opportunity ... to acquire the most talented individuals in their field. Forecasts indicate that many sectors still and will face a substantial shortfall in skill sets.

“Organisations that are far sighted will use this time, when many are not operating at full capacity, to invest in their staff and development programmes so that they are in the strongest position possible when we emerge from recession.

“The programme offers a low risk, low cost, option for businesses to trial the benefits of employing graduates and the initial response has been wholly positive. Companies see the advantages of a scheme that operates with such flexibility and that allows them to engage with the graduate pool in a time and cost efficient way.”

The Food and Drink Forum is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, and is a membership organisation that offers support to businesses working in the food and drink sector in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

East Midlands food and drink businesses interested in finding out more about the graduate recruitment scheme should contact The Food and Drink Forum on 0115 9758810.