Some of North Wales’ finest food and drink will be showcased at an event designed to boost the local tourism industry and champion Welsh food and drink.
2019 has been declared the ‘Year of Discovery’ by Visit Wales, and tourism and hospitality businesses in North Wales are being urged to give their guests a ‘taste of Wales’ by introducing them to new products.
[aoa id=”1″]With this goal in mind, Welsh food and drink business growth support project, Cywain – in conjunction with Conwy Cynhaliol (Conwy Rural Partnership) and Go North Wales Tourism and Hospitality Academy – has organised a ‘Meet the Producer’ event on June 20th, as part of Conwy Business Week.[/aoa]
To be held at Coleg Llandrillo’s Orme View Restaurant in Rhos on Sea, the event provides tourism and hospitality businesses with the opportunity to try a range of local produce and learn about how they may incorporate local food into their business.
Among the producers attending are: Grandma’s Cupboard, Coffi Eryri, Conwy Kombucha, Pendragon Drinks, The Cocoa Counter, Jaspels Anglesey Craft Cider Ltd, Deli de Bruin, Delaney’s Gluten Free Bakehouse, Maggie’s Exotic Foods, Shire Meadery, Hafod Brewing, Merywen Gin (North Star Distillery), Castell Gwyn Cheese, Chilly Cow, and Shlizzy.
Cywain development manager, Marial Edwards said:
“We know, from research such as the Welsh Government Food and Drink Wales ‘Value of Welshness’ consumer survey that the provenance of food and drink is increasingly becoming more important to visitors.
“The information gathered by that survey shows that 80% of consumers prefer to buy Welsh products, and 44% are willing to pay more for Welsh produce.
“Importantly, 75% of UK consumers perceive Welsh produce as being of high quality. It is therefore very much in tourism and hospitality businesses’ interests to use and promote Welsh food and drink to their customers.”
Anna Openshaw of Go North Wales said, “The event is a great opportunity to showcase the outstanding local producers in North Wales and introduce them to local businesses in the area. Our local produce is a unique selling point for any tourism and hospitality business with minimum carbon footprint.”
Rhys Evans of Conwy Cynhaliol added, “We are proud to be working with Cywain on this event, and support local producers by giving them a platform to highlight their great produce to Conwy businesses.
“For a small county, we produce so much top-quality produce that which is testament to the hard work and dedication of our producers. This event allows hoteliers and restaurateurs, café’s and attractions to meet and discuss with producers, with the overarching aim of having local produce on local menus”.
The Meet the Producer event will also feature sampling sessions and cooking demonstrations by the Junior Welsh Culinary Team led by Michael Kirkham-Evans. There will also be the chance to have a one-to-one ‘Menu Option Surgery’ with Food Skills Cymru and food specialist and author, Nerys Howell.
Meet the Producer will run from 9.30 am to 1 pm. Please note, booking is essential for both the event and the one-to-one surgeries.
Tourism or hospitality businesses interested in attending the ‘Meet the Producer’ event can book their place by emailing [email protected]
