The recent impact of COVID-19 on the small food and drink producing businesses has been significant. As a positive, more people have sought to support local businesses, realising the worth of ‘Buy Local’.
As part of the buy local movement Cwm a Mynydd, the rural development programme for Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent are offering food and drink producers an opportunity to become a part of a soon to be launched local food map for Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent providing a visual directory of local food and drink. The food map and website will give residents an easy way to see what fantastic produce can be bought from local and artisan producers right on their doorstep.
A range of local food and drink producers have teamed up with Cwm a Mynydd including Terry’s Patisserie, to work on a customer friendly map with Aberystwyth University. The project has already brought local producers together and is funded through the Geographical Data and Earth Observation for Monitoring (GEOM) project led by Aberystwyth University, and we are looking for more businesses to take the opportunity to join the growing map.
Acting as a local food hub, customers can pre-order from producers on the map and collect from a central hub point to pick up their local goodies – like a ‘buy local’ click and collect service. The website will also put customers in direct contact with producers that offer home delivery, collection or farm-gate sales and all the producers are ensuring that collections and deliveries are done safely in these difficult times.
Caerphilly Council cabinet member for Environment and Neighbourhood Services and chair of Cwm a Mynydd Local Action Group Councillor Nigel George is leading the call for local support ‘In these challenging times in which we are living we are all appreciating what is local to us, what food and drink is available on our doorstep and this project allows our fantastic local producers to have their businesses displayed on one map where residents can easily find them. Buying local and cutting food miles helps the environment and supports our local economy and is becoming part of the new normal.’
If you are interested in having your food or drink business included on this website, or for more information, please email to [email protected] or call 01443 838632.
Cwm a Mynydd is funded through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Union.
