2024 News and events

Delivered by Mabbett & Associates. Food & Drink Skills Wales are offering a series of online workshops for food and drink manufacturing and processing businesses with a focus on decarbonisation and moving towards net zero. These will be delivered by Mabbett & Associates. Workshop Overview This workshop will look at energy saving options, how to implement them and the risks and challenges to be aware of. Topics covered include: Electrical Efficiency in Processes Equipment Building...

The Food and Drink Wales Sustainability Cluster is embarking on a tour across Wales, hosting a series of breakfast meetings. Don’t miss this unique chance to connect with like-minded individuals in your community, forge new partnerships, and spark collaborative efforts for a greener future. Each meeting will feature insightful local speakers who will share their expertise on sustainable practices and explore avenues for improvement. Join the Sustainability Cluster at their next stop, Rossett Hall Hotel...

Seafood lovers are in for a treat during the upcoming Welsh Seafood Week (14th—18th October 2024), which celebrates the harvest of the sea. Fishmongers and retailers selling Welsh seafood will feature special displays and promote #WelshSeafood to customers in-store and online, highlighting the quality and diversity of the catch from around Wales’ coastline. Also, using the hashtags #BwydMôrCymru #WelshSeafood, fishermen and those in the wider seafood sector will encourage people to seek and enjoy Welsh...

A fund to support new food and feed start-ups has been launched by biosciences innovation and enterprise campus AberInnovation as it celebrates its fourth anniversary at an event on 24 th September 2024. Legacy Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme (LEAP), which will be funded by the Dick Lawes Legacy Fund, will support initiatives aiming to help aspiring entrepreneurs. Dick Lawes was a visionary entrepreneur who left a lasting impact on the dairy industry, founding Volac and L.E...

A group of newby food and drink producers will have the opportunity to put their trading skills to the test when they set out their stalls at the Mid Wales Autumn Fayre. The event (October 5th and 6th) at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd will feature an array of activities, including crafts, music, vintage vehicles, cooking demonstrations, and food and drink. The showground’s famous Food Hall will be filled with fantastic food and drink...

The Welsh Government remains committed to collaborating with businesses to achieve its aim of creating one of the most sustainable food and drink supply chains in the world. To further this goal, the Welsh Government Food & Drink Wales Sustainability Cluster has announced a series of breakfast meetings that will take place across Wales over the coming months. Bringing businesses and experts together, the meetings offer a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded people, forge...

Are you looking to develop and launch successful new or reformulated products which satisfy consumer demands, are financially viable, meet food safety standards, and comply with the latest food information regulations? If so, ZERO2FIVE’s series of New Product Development Workshops will take you through the entire Stage Gate approach to new product development from concept through to launch. These introductory level sessions are targeted towards early-stage businesses and start-ups. Building a Brief - Thursday 10...

Black Mountains Smokery is celebrating after winning one of the food and drink industry’s most prestigious awards. The Great Taste Awards, referred to as the Oscars of the food world, saw the Crickhowell based company’s Smoked Duck Breast taking the Golden Fork from Wales award. In another victory for Wales, Dà Mhìle Distillery’s Absinthe from Ceredigion, also earned the Nigel Barden Heritage Award for highlighting traditional production methods and heritage. Organised by the Guild of...

An identification initiative launched to raise the profile of Welsh sea bass is providing a financial boost for Welsh fishermen and fish wholesalers. Prized for its quality and flavour, sea bass is one of the main fin fish species caught around the Welsh coast, and in 2022, some 53 tonnes of bass were landed in Wales. Launched as a trial in 2023, the #WelshSeafood tagged sea bass pilot scheme saw fishermen begin tagging their responsibly...

The Great Taste Awards 2024 has once again highlighted the exceptional quality of Welsh food and drink, with numerous producers being recognised for their outstanding products. In a remarkable showcase of culinary prowess, Welsh producers have been honoured with a remarkable 149 awards, with 97 products achieving 1-star, 45 receiving 2-stars and 7 earning the gold stamp of approval with 3-stars. The awards come following recent statistics showing the food and drink industry in Wales...