2022 News and events

Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths has officially opened a brand-new Tasting Lodge at Llanerch Vineyard and seen the grape work taking place as Welsh Wine Week starts today (Saturday 4 June). Now in its third year, Welsh Wine Week celebrates the wonderful wines produced at vineyards in Wales. The annual event is organised by the Welsh Drinks Cluster, supported by the Welsh Government, and works with vineyards, retailers and wholesalers to promote the sector and...

Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths has visited an award-winning honey producer in Builth Wells to celebrate World Bee Day which takes place today (Friday, 20 May). Designated by the United Nations, World Bee Day was established to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators to sustainable development, food security and biodiversity. Each year, the UK produces around 3,000-4,000 tonnes of honey – of which around 10 per cent comes from Wales. The Bee Welsh...

North Wales brewery, Wrexham Lager Beer Company, is celebrating success after scooping the ‘Best Beer from the UK’ title in a highly prestigious international competition in Germany. The company’s Wrexham Export lager wowed judges at the Frankfurt International Trophy, putting it among some of the best beers in the world and providing customers with a sign of brewing excellence. It also gives the company an important marketing boost as it seeks to expand its retail...

Wales is the only UK nation to exceed pre-COVID export levels, according to new research by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF). The FDF’s UK Food and Drink Exports report reveals the latest picture for country and regional exports of food and drink for 2021. The report shows exports in Wales were worth £558m, 13% higher than in 2019 and before the supply chain problems caused by COVID and the new UK-EU trading relationship. An...

Some of the most innovative and creative food and drink producers in Wales have been celebrated at the inaugural Wales Food and Drink Awards, which were held in Cardiff on 13th May 2022. From established companies who have become household names to small start-ups, the business awards were set up to celebrate and showcase the best food and drink producers in Wales, whatever their size. At a gala dinner and awards ceremony held at the...

The founders of an award-winning alcohol-free brewery are celebrating their first supermarket listing, after securing a deal with Tesco. The listing is a dream come true for Joelle Drummond and Sarah McNena, the founders of the Drop Bear Beer Company, and will see four-can packs of their alcohol-free New World Lager and Tropical IPA appear on Tesco shelves across Wales. Joelle said: “When Sarah and I would walk around our local Tesco doing our after-work-shop...

Welsh food and drink businesses have every reason to celebrate after securing business deals which will see their products available in South Korea, thanks to support from the Welsh Government. Wrexham Lager, one of Wales’ most well-known breweries will see its Wrexham Lager Export bottles in supermarkets, bars and restaurants in Seoul in the coming weeks. Vaughan Roberts, Director of Wrexham Lager is delighted with the recent announcement, “We are continually looking for ways to...

At this free Welsh Government funded new product development (NPD) workshop, food and drink companies will gain access to world-class insight from industry thought leaders. The Future Diets research provides an industry first, long-term view of consumer eating habits over the next 10 years. This will help businesses gain a planning framework essential for a successful long-term NPD and business strategy. Delegates will: Understand in depth the way that consumer diets will develop over the...

One of the largest groups of Welsh food and drink companies to exhibit at UK trade events will be heading to Birmingham later this month for two pivotal shows in the culinary calendar. The group includes more than 40 fabulous Welsh producers who will be featured in two parallel events to be held at the NEC (April 25-27) – the Farm Shop & Deli Show 2022 and the Food & Drink Expo 2022. There are...

Investors, banks and finance providers joined Welsh food and drink businesses at the iconic Royal Mint on Thursday 24th March for the Sustainable Scale Up Cluster’s first annual conference, Money To Grow. Hosted by business journalist Brian Meechan, the agenda started with opening remarks from Lesley Griffiths MS, and Food and Drink Wales Industry Board member, Maggie Ogunbanwo. The focus of the morning’s agenda was examining in more detail the three key challenges faced by...