New support helps businesses make the most of Scottish
food and drink
Research undertaken by Scottish Enterprise during 2009 indicated
that visitors prefer to buy food and drink with local
provenance, that is food 'with a story behind it' of where, when,
how and by whom it was produced. It also found that businesses and
events providing locally sourced Scottish food enhance their
visitors' experience and typically enjoy higher levels of sales -
on average 20% more per year.
This research has been summarised in the Food & Drink
Experience in Scotland Guide which is available to download
for free from Tourism Intelligence Scotland (TIS). This Guide
gives you simple tips and intelligence to help grow your
business. Scottish Enterprise has also developed a
practical guide, At Your Service, for front of house staff
which is also currently available to download free from the TIS website.
To help tourism businesses get more Scottish food and drink on
their menus, Scottish Enterprise has launched the 'Experiencing
Scotland' project. Through the project, businesses are being
offered:
- One-to-one business support for eligible tourism businesses and
event organisers, supplied by the Merritt-Harrison Catering
Consultancy.
- Dedicated 'meet the buyer' events, which will provide an
opportunity for food & drink suppliers to meet with tourism
businesses and event organisers and to hear about the latest
intelligence and insights on the food service sector.
- A range of communications designed to highlight the benefits of
offering Scottish food & drink, including the latest news and
intelligence from the Scottish food & drink community; case
studies; hints and tips on using Scottish produce; information on
working with local suppliers; plus links to the latest food and
drink-related tools and resources.
For more information about the project, please see the
Information for Businesses document below.
In the latest quarterly update from Experiencing Scotland,
you'll find a round up of news and intelligence from the Scottish
food and drink community; case studies; hints and tips on using
Scottish produce; information on working with local suppliers; plus
links to the latest food and drink related tools and resources. The
latest edition is available below.