UK Market Development Regional
If you are based in Scotland and run a food and drink SME; run or are thinking about running a common interest group or regional food group; are promoting your area’s food and drink, then this UK Market Development Regional Food platform is for you.
For the past four years, the Connect Local team, a partnership between SAC Consulting, SAOS Scotland Food & Drink, Seafood Scotland and Scottish Government, has been actively developing the growth of regional food.
Some of the highlights of this period include supporting more than 1200 businesses; awarding 79 Regional Food Fund grants to the value of £359.0K and generating an overall project impact of £53.5m. Every £1 of Connect Local spend has generated £18.70 to the economy.
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With this strong impact fully realised, we are now entering the next phase in regional food development. The Connect Local project ended on 31st March 2020, but the work doesn’t stop there. Its legacy will be maintained and extended, under the umbrella of Scotland Food & Drink’s UK Market Development (UKMD) team.
The regional focus of the UKMD’s work forms a key part of the delivery of its national strategy, Home Advantage. We will be updating and strengthening this website over the coming weeks and aim to make it as relevant and useful as possible for you.
Now, and arguably more than ever, the need to support the growth of localised food and drink has never been stronger.
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