Nearly 70 Welsh food and drink producers came together to share their wealth of experience and knowledge at two events hosted by the Food & Drink Wales Fine Food Cluster.
Dozens of leading Welsh food and drink producers joined their most valued suppliers for a lively Food & Drink Wales Fine Food Cluster event, coming together to spark new collaborations, strengthen key partnerships, and share insight as they look ahead to an exciting year of opportunities.
The Welsh Government Food & Drink Wales Fine Food Cluster, provides a platform for ambitious Welsh food and drink businesses to identify and solve common problems together through knowledge sharing and training.
There are currently 170 Welsh food and drink businesses participating in the Fine Food Cluster. Members are encouraged to build partnerships, share experiences, and connect with commercial, governmental, and academic partners to create a powerful environment for development. Members also collaborate as a cluster to exploit commercial opportunities.
Over the past decade, the Fine Food Cluster has grown and adapted to meet the changing needs of its members.
In just the last three years, the Fine Food Cluster has facilitated 63 collaborations between company members, with 49 member meetings taking place, and 12 peer-to-peer partnerships have been established.
This activity has contributed to 22 new product launches and the establishment of member companies supplying a total of 57 new markets outside Wales. Collectively, opportunities and savings generated through Cluster membership now total £299,000.
Held over two days at the Quay Hotel in Deganwy and at Llanerch Vineyard in the Vale of Glamorgan, the latest meetings brought together 69 Fine Food Cluster members, with each member inviting a trusted supplier to share opportunities with other members.
Emma Morris, Sales Director at Trailhead Fine Foods, said,
“Attending the Fine Food Cluster meetings provides significant personal and professional value, giving me the opportunity to engage with colleagues across the Welsh food and drink industry to discuss business, build networks, and explore collaboration opportunities.
“It was also valuable to bring one of my trusted suppliers to the event and have the opportunity to meet other businesses’ trusted suppliers.”
Fine Food Cluster Manager, Jayne Jones, said,
“Bringing Fine Food Cluster members together created the ideal forum for open discussion and mutual support. The energy in the room was electric, and members left inspired – with fresh ideas for their businesses and new suppliers to explore for products and services.
“The event once again highlighted how the Food & Drink Wales Fine Food Cluster continues to thrive through collaboration, with members actively supporting one another and sharing expertise for collective growth.”
Feature image: Neil Burchell from the Food & Drink Wales Fine Food Cluster welcomed Cluster members and their trusted suppliers to the meeting at Llanerch Vineyard in the Vale of Glamorgan.
