Listen
Support for Scottish producers
05/04/2009
A new business development programme designed to help food and drink producers secure lucrative supermarket listings has been launched by Scotland Food & Drink, Sainsbury's and the Scottish Government.
Eleven food and drink companies from all over Scotland will start the six month programme this month. A similar course, operated by Scottish Enterprise in 2001, resulted in sales boosts in excess of £10 million - an increase of 85 per cent.
The programme will consist of hands-on workshops to introduce companies to buyers and success stories, such as Graham's The Family Dairy which recently secured extensive listings in Sainsbury's. In addition, access to market data and one-to-ones with specialist food marketing consultants, Levercliff, will help identify and develop growth opportunities.
The first group of participants are: Kingdom Bakery; Jians Dumplings; Cosmo frozen foods; Mey Selections; National Fruit & Beverage Co; Little Bird; Mitchell's ice cream; Murdoch Allen & Sons; Mackays Ltd; Cream O'Galloway and Scotherbs.
Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, said:
"In the current economic climate we are determined to do everything we can to help deliver a sustainable and profitable future for our retailers, farmers, producers and suppliers. Later this year we will unveil the next steps in Scotland's first-ever National Food and Drink Policy, which is aiming to boost business and put more Scottish food on consumers' plates, while at the same time delivering major health and environmental benefits.
"The new Supplier Development Programme, which is being part-funded by the Scottish Government, shows that our work is already bearing fruit. It will offer firms invaluable advice on how to access lucrative UK markets, enhance their profile and take advantage of Scotland's world-class reputation for food in the process. It comes hard on the heels of our first ever Retailers' Forum, and previous programmes of this type have delivered £5 million in direct benefits to participating companies within the first year. We have high hopes for this new project."
Paul McLaughlin, Scotland Food & Drink chief executive, said:
"We are committed to providing Scottish food and drink producers with unrivalled opportunities to grow their businesses.
"This programme will provide a diverse group of companies with access to expert advice from buyers and from those with first-hand experience to demystify the process of dealing with major multiples.
"We're looking forward to reporting the resulting sales boosts and new listings when the programme reaches completion this autumn."
Dean Clegg, Sainsbury's Zone Managing Director for Scotland, said: "Sainsbury's is delighted to support the Scottish food and drink industry through this excellent initiative. We hope that by working with suppliers we can not only help them to develop their businesses but also give them opportunities to highlight the world-class selection of food and drink that Scotland has to offer."
Scotland Food & Drink offers a range of benefits to its members including a product development service, marketing support, sales advice, consumer research, information on access to markets, a meet the buyer programme, PR support and a free legal consultation.
The participants in Scotland Food & Drink's supplier development programme are:
- Kingdom Bakery, a fresh bakery and cake producer from Fife
- Jians Dumplings, an Edinburgh-based specialist Chinese dumpling manufacturer
- Cosmo, a chilled and frozen pizza producer headquartered in Midlothian
- Mey Selections, a producer of iconic Scottish meat, biscuits, cakes and cheeses all of which originate from within a 100 mile radius of the Castle of Mey
- Coatbridge-based smoothie manufacturers National Fruit & Beverage Co
- Little Bird children's fruit drinks, based in Glasgow
- Mitchell's, a traditional ice cream manufacturer
- Murdoch Allen & Sons, traditional bakers with roots in Aberdeen
- Mackays Ltd, Arbroath-based jam and preserve producer
- Cream O'Galloway, a dairy ice cream and frozen smoothie producer
- Scotherbs, a Dundee-based supplier of fresh culinary herbs & salad leaves
Scotland Food & Drink is the lead organisation helping to deliver the 'Sustainable Economic Growth' workstream of the Scottish Government's first National Food and Drink Policy. As a result, its members, through involvement in one of four working groups, can help shape the future of the food and drink industry in Scotland.
Scotland Food & Drink aims to grow the value of Scotland's food and drink sector, make it more profitable and deliver greater global success in a fiercely competitive market. Its mission is to grow the industry from £7.5 billion to £10 billion by 2017 and its vision is to build Scotland's international reputation as 'A Land of Food and Drink'