News and events

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...

Twelve Welsh food and drink companies are preparing to attend the UK’s largest and most well respected food and drink trade exhibition. Over 1200 exhibitors will be present at Food & Drink Expo in Birmingham next week (25-27 April 2022), all looking to find new buyers and distributors. Supported by the Welsh Government, the Cymru/Wales stand, will this year feature 12 companies all looking to showcase their mouth-watering products and embed Wales’ place firmly on...

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...

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...

Welsh seafood will be on display in Spain later this month at the world’s largest trade event for the sector – Seafood Expo Global 2022. Featuring more than 2,000 companies from 89 countries, Seafood Expo Global will be held in Barcelona from April 26th to 28th. Acknowledged as ‘the place’ to be for the seafood industry, the event attracts suppliers, buyers and seafood professionals from every corner of the globe looking for everything from seafood...

Lesley Griffiths MS, Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd paid a visit to Mona Island Dairy on Anglesey and was delighted to see progress made ahead of its unveiling in the coming weeks. With recruitment for 15 key staff underway and senior management in place, the 25,000 sq ft development is approaching completion and will be capable of producing 7,000 tons of Welsh and continental cheeses every year. The Minister praised Managing Director...

Five Welsh food and drink companies are preparing to attend the Sustainable Foods London Conference this week (30-31 March) as part of the Food & Drink Wales Sustainability Cluster, all looking to showcase the work being done in Wales to create a sustainable future. As part of the Welsh Government’s overall strategic food and drink vision, the Sustainability Cluster was launched in January 2020 to support and develop sustainable business practices across Wales’ agri-food industry...

Sunday 27th February Wales took over the UK Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. Welsh Government’s partnership with the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the UK Pavilion showcased Wales as a globally responsible nation doing good things – at home and around the world. Bringing the very best of Welsh cheeses to the Pavilion gave an opportunity for visitors to sample a range of Wales’s finest products. Wales at Expo 2020 Pavilion saw a spectacular...

Sustainable development is at the heart of our founding legislation here in Wales and to support Welsh Government achieve their targets on sustainability, the Food Skills Cymru project delivered by Lantra, has recently worked in collaboration with Cynnal Cymru and Eco Studio to develop a Sustainability Training Programme specifically for the food and drink manufacturing industry. The purpose of the training course is to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to develop systems and...

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...