News and events

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...

Delivered by the Academy of Cheese on behalf of Food & Drink Skills Wales and the Fine Food Cluster; the Cheese Grading Course is for those who are seeking a better understanding of fundamental principles and to perfect skills within cheese grading. The course will be presented by Katy Fenwick, Education Project Manager at Academy of Cheese; a specialist in cheese education, dairy science, technology, cheese making and affinage. Subjects Covered: Using the Academy of...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Over 20 brewers from across Wales have tapped into the latest innovations and best practice from the UK’s leading provider of brewing and analysis services, allowing them to grow and develop their businesses. Brewing Skills Development is a course recently offered to brewers by the Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru | Food & Drink Skills Wales programme and the Food & Drink Wales Drinks Cluster on behalf of the Welsh Government and delivered by industry...

Project HELIX is delivered by the three food centres across Wales that make up Food Innovation Wales. The project offers a range of funded support in response to the needs of the sector, including help with process operations, new product development and food safety certification. Since July 2023, Project HELIX has been funded solely by Welsh Governmentand has delivered the following benefits to the Welsh food and drink industry: £119 million financial impact 101 jobs...