Professional services

No obligation call with a member of our Virtual Finance Function Team

Location is no longer a barrier for your finance function. We've emerged from lockdown proving that location is no longer a barrier when it comes to receiving high quality professional services for your business.

Our VFF team work with food, drink & hospitality businesses located across the UK and Internationally, offering a bespoke and flexible service to fit exactly what you need, whether its data entry, payroll, tax compliance or cash flow forecasting. Our VFF team will allow you to reduce or completely remove the time and resources you dedicate to your finance functions, managing all of your financial information under one (virtual) roof.

To find out more, get in touch and a member of the team will arrange for a no obligation, hour long call to find out more about your current finance function and how we can help.

Whistleblowing Services for your business

Under the BRC Global Standards, it is mandatory for Food manufacturers and suppliers to implement a confidential reporting system to conform with the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety

Our team at SeeHearSpeakUp are a global whistleblowing provider can implement and manage your whistleblowing system and make sure your business is compliant at all times.

SeeHearSpeakUp operate 24/7, 365 days a year, assisting businesses by providing a case management platform, management information reports and much more.

The cost of the service is depended on scope, but as a member of Scotland Food & Drink you can receive a 20% discount.

AAB are one of the UK’s leading Chartered Accountants and Business Advisory Firms.

We have a team of specialists with extensive knowledge in the food and drink sector who have the experience and resource to support any business from start-ups to established companies. Our dedicated team provide specialist services to food and drink companies which include audit and accounting, tax planning, business planning, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions, consulting, payroll and whistleblowing.

If you are interested to learn more or are interested in our member benefits below, please contact Derek Mair derek.mair@aab.uk. You can also follow us on twitter at @fooddrink_aab.

Are you considering improvements to your business premises, investing in equipment or even purchasing new business premises? If so, the purchase may well qualify for capital allowances which will reduce your tax bill. Contact Martin Aitken & Co’s advisers today to request a free consultation.

Quite simply, capital allowances can reduce your annual tax bill. They can be claimed for some types of capital expenditure, but generally speaking anything that is used for a business purpose that has a useful life of two or more years may qualify.

Capital allowances are treated like any other expense and can be deducted from your profits, or added to a loss, when calculating your taxable profits at the end of the year. It is also often the case that embedded plant fixtures are not valued separately when purchasing a property and as a result qualifying items are missed.

To ensure that you don’t miss out, Martin Aitken & Co offers a complimentary face to face consultation for SF&D members to find out if your capital expenditure could qualify. Further, if you are contemplating capex we’ll run the numbers for you to see if there is a potential claim in advance of you making the purchase, and we’ll discuss the potential grants and economic incentives that may also be available to you to help fund the purchase.

No obligation meeting with Food & Drink specialists

At EQ, we know that businesses within the food and drink industry face some very specific challenges. With a long tradition of supplying advisory services to the sector in Scotland, our dedicated Food & Drink team understand the relevant issues, and have the experience needed to assist clients.

We pride ourselves on offering advisory services on top of our general compliance services to our food & drink clients. These services can vary but in our experience, the most valuable would include:

• Widening share ownership
• R&D tax credits for new product development and processing techniques
• Business acquisition, disposal, succession and structuring
• Remuneration planning and staff incentives
• Property taxation

At EQ, we also have a dedicated Virtual Finance Office, called Amber Accounting that can assist with bookkeeping, payroll and management accounting. Whether you are looking for advice, or you’d like us to deal with everything on your behalf, we can help.

We strive to build strong relationships with members, as this enables us to fully appreciate your aims and objectives in order to provide the most relevant advice and support in each unique situation. We are more than happy to offer a no obligation meeting to understand your business and explore how our experts can help you.

If you would like more information, please visit our dedicated EQ Food & Drink page on our website. To discuss your own requirements, contact a member of our team via leisure@eqaccountants.co.uk or call one of our offices.

Funding strategy, business planning, internationalisation or ideas for growth: arrange a free consultation on the topics of your choosing with our senior food & drink team

Johnston Carmichael are an award-winning Chartered Accountancy and Business Advisory firm known as ‘Scotland’s food & drink experts’. Our 800 staff & partners act for over 16,000 businesses across 13 offices, including London, and we have international representation through our membership of global network, Moore Global.

What we do: our team ae advise over 400+ food & drink businesses across the UK, have a wealth of industry expertise and a strong understanding of the industry’s opportunities and challenges such as internationalisation and growing exports, innovation, controlling raw material costs, supply chain management and access to growth funding.

With a dedicated industry team we advise businesses on strategic growth, internationalisation, and funding options. Our industry head and Business Development Partner, Adam Hardie, is particularly well connected in the food & drink industry and makes introductions for our clients across his network of business leaders, investors and intermediaries to help their businesses grow. Click here to find out more.

E: foodanddrink@jcca.co.uk

Members of Scotland Food & Drink are entitled to a 10% discount off health and safety services provided by NFU Mutual Risk Management Services Ltd (RMS).

Commercial insurer NFU Mutual provides service to its customers via a network of local offices across Scotland from the Highland & Islands to the Lowlands. With over a century’s experience NFU Mutual remains true to its original philosophy of providing customers with the insurance and risk management cover they need and a no quibble claims service.

RMS are uniquely placed to provide health and safety advice to the food and drink industry that is tailored to the specialist needs of your business. With their background in this sector, they understand the specific risks and issues faced every day. They can provide cost-effective advice on reducing risks that is backed-up with practical support from a team of experience consultants.

They can offer you cost-effective Risk Management Services which include :

• HACCP (including primary production)
• Health & Safety Policy
• Task Based Risk Assessments
• COSHH Assessments
• Fire Risk Assessments
• Consultancy
• Specialist assessments including noise, dust and DSEAR
• Staff Training
• Employee Handbook

Nimbla Invoice Insurance

Unpaid invoices from insolvent or bankrupt customers can have a significant impact on any business. That's why we're working with Nimbla to help you protect your business with flexible invoice insurance designed to safeguard you from risk. Nimbla gives you a free, real-time credit risk analysis on all your invoices.

There are no subscription fees or added charges, just the leading credit risk information to help you decide which invoices to insure. Invoice insurance could give you the confidence you need to expand your food and drink business and even enter new markets.

• A simple online platform

Insure your invoices in a couple of minutes through Nimbla's fast, secure and easy-to-use platform.

• Affordable

Protect your business against losses caused by insolvent customers from just £5.60 per invoice (T&Cs apply).

• Flexible

Rather than requiring businesses to commit to a whole book insurance policy, Nimbla provides insurance on a per-invoice basis.  

• Free risk analysis

Nimbla facilitates credit risk management. Using past payment behaviour, financial performance and credit referencing, Nimbla rates each invoice's risk of not being paid due to customer insolvency.

Reliable

Our claims process is simple. Customers are kept informed throughout and receive payment in 30 days on average.

Easy to integrate

You can add your invoices manually, but you can save time by connecting your accountancy package, such as Xero, QuickBooks and Sage, to Nimbla.

Click here for more information or visit us at one of the links below -

https://twitter.com/nimbla

https://www.linkedin.com/company/nimbla

Free Access To 200 + HR Templates

Brodies’ employment team has created an innovative, new, online website, Workbox, which offers online HR know-how and guidance and access to over 200 HR templates including letters, policies and contracts of employment, all from a source you can trust.

Brodies are offering Scotland Food & Drink members a free trial of Workbox. To request a free trial, click here.

Contract Management – Exclusive Offer For Members

BOrganised is an online contract management solution for customer and supplier contracts, and we are offering Scotland Food & Drink members 3 months free when you sign up for 1 year. Plus, if you commit to using BOrganised for 2 years, you will benefit from a 10% discount on the annual subscription fee.

Find out how BOrganised can help improve a business’ risk and cost management practices and get the most value out of their contracts by visiting Brodies LLP - BOrganised

Citation is offering Scotland Food & Drink members Health & Safety and Employment Law solutions.

Their experts also provide services such as fire safety services (including fire risk assessments), electrical testing services, ISO certifications, and training.

Citation will become your partner - acting as your personal advisor whenever you need it. Their service includes a dedicated local consultant, 24-hour expert advice line, and full legal documentation - including a detailed Health & Safety policy, staff handbooks and contracts of employment.

Free resources: get your hands on their free guides, templates and posters

Call a friendly advisor: 0345 844 1111

Organise a free audit of your business: get in touch by clicking here

CMS are offering Scotland Food & Drink members free access to bribery, contracts and GDPR webinars which analyse recent commercial cases and bring out useful practical points.  

CMS’s food and drink team which provides a one-stop-shop for all issues relating to the food and drink sector is delighted to offer you free access to recorded webinars, as well as the opportunity to sign-up for Kernel which covers the legal aspects of your industry.

Contracts Training – CMS

Food and drink companies have to navigate a complex legal landscape to run a successful business.  Our contracts webinars analyse recent commercial cases to bring out useful practical points.  We have a series of short (10-15 minutes) pre-recorded webinars that you can view at a time to suit.

Avoiding bribery and corruption: as easy as ABC?  - CMS

Your employees need to be aware of your policies and procedures in relation to bribery and corruption in the workplace. We can offer training to help you meet your requirements under the UK Bribery Act, as well as advising on policies, procedures and investigations.  

GDPR - what the Food & Drink sector needs to know

This GDPR webinar which discusses the key implications of the GDPR for organisations in the food & drink sector in the UK.

Kernel – CMS Food & Drink bulletin

Kernel looks at the current legal issues affecting the Scottish food and drink industry and provide bitesize articles on key developments.  See below for registration information.

Access CMS webinars and Kernel by contacting Linda Chirnside or emailing us at kernel@cms-cmno.com

All members of Scotland Food & Drink are entitled to one hour’s free legal advice with top legal firm Dentons.

This service is offered from any of Dentons offices (located in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh or London) and can also be conducted via telephone conversations if these locations are inconvenient. This offering can cover any legal concern which you have in relation to your business.

Previously members have sought advice on property issues, health and safety concerns, labelling advice, getting their contracts sense checked, debt recovery issues and ecommerce concerns. The team can also address any export queries you might have, accessing their wider international network of law firms wherever and whenever needed.

MacRoberts’ 24/7 Emergency Response Number

MacRoberts provides a 24/7 emergency response for food and drink businesses dealing with a sudden, major incident.

John McGovern, Consultant at MacRoberts, provides free telephone advice (on 0800 999 3225) to any business that needs urgent legal protection in the event of a major incident, such as an accident or a dawn raid. John specialises in protecting clients from regulatory investigations by the HSE, SEPA, Police Scotland and many others.

MacRoberts has vast experience in the food and drink sector, providing a unique, full-service and cross-sector offering designed to meet clients’ particular circumstances and complexities. Given the varied nature of the sector, and the supply chain and cross-sector complexities industry operators face, we understand the need for clients to have access to the full range of legal services provided by our specialists in areas including employment, finance, real estate, intellectual property, dispute resolution, debt recovery, trademarks and commercial contracts.

MacRoberts has a comprehensive grasp of the ever-changing food and drink environment, and appreciates the increasingly complex supply chains which operators and businesses must navigate – the result is legal services designed to meet the needs of food and drink business, delivered by thought-leading legal experts.

Legal Advice

Shepherd and Wedderburn's in-depth knowledge of this sector allows them to understand the constant challenges faced by food and drink businesses.

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s experience advising companies in the sector, large and small, with supply chain, branding, distribution, and related issues, as well as unrivalled M&A and finance expertise, helps food and drink companies to understand better the commercial and legal issues they face. Members are offered a free consultation to share this experience and insight.

Low Carbon, Waste, & Energy Efficiency Projects

Shepherd and Wedderburn are currently offering a free consultation to share this experience with any members who are currently considering or initiating a “Low Carbon” or “Green” project.

The food and drink sector is the fourth highest industrial energy user in the UK. A real opportunity exists within the sector to drastically reduce this consumption by developing and implementing a range of “Low Carbon” measures which would not only reduce emissions but also have a positive impact on a member’s bottom line by reducing energy and waste disposal costs.

Shepherd and Wedderburn understand the increased focus throughout the industry towards “Green” issues and have been working with clients across a range of sectors in originating and delivering projects which have had a positive impact on their business. They are currently offering a free consultation to share this experience with any members who are currently considering or initiating a “Low Carbon” or “Green” project.

ALCOHOL LICENCE HOTLINE

30 mins free advice from TLT LLP

Members of SF&D can discuss any licence issues with specialist lawyers who will advise and guide those looking to apply for:

• Outside area licences and popup bars
• Permanent premises licences, variations or extensions
• Guidance on promotional activity
• Guidance on running festivals with entertainment
• Market licences

Please contact:

Distillers:

Caroline.Loudon@TLTsolicitors.com

07825896887

Brewers/Hospitality:

Stephen.McGowan@TLTsolicitors.com

07879 848 352

Blackadders LLP: 30 mins free consultation with one of our specialist lawyers

Our food and drink lawyers are experienced in the sector and members of SF&D can discuss any legal issues with our specialist lawyers.  We can help with any of the following:

• Succession and buying and selling businesses
• Third party sales
• Sales to management
• Employee ownership
• Company restructuring
• Equity investment
• Taking on investors
• Acting for investors
• Brand protection and exploitation
• Supply contracts (products/services)
• Commercial Property
• Buying and selling
• Leases
• Rent reviews
• Securities
• Rural Land and Business
• Farm and estate sales
• Succession and inheritance
• Diversification
• Disputes
• Employment and HR

Business Law for your industry | Charities, Commercial Property, Finance and more | Blackadders Solicitors

Please contact:

Susan McFadyen
Susan.McFadyen@blackadders.co.uk
01382 342464

Peter Duff
Peter.Duff@blackadders.co.uk
0141 561 4173

Free initial consultation, generally up to an hour

Cameron Intellectual Property has extensive experience of managing brands and other IP rights in the food and drink sector

As a member of Scotland Food & Drink we offer the other members the benefit of free initial consultations, generally up to an hour, to discuss new projects or major business initiatives, whether new products or services, entering new markets or due diligence in advance of seeking new investment.

Our free initial consultations to Scotland Food & Drink members can include undertaking preliminary audits to help identify assets, assess the strengths and weaknesses associated with those IP assets, and recommend follow up actions to support business development or growth.

fiona@cameronintellectualproperty.com
T: +44 (0)1224 937 739 / +44 (0)141 375 7575
www.cameronintellectualproperty.com

Free one-to-one consultation with one of our attorneys, followed up with written action points.

All members of Scotland Food & Drink will be offered a free one-to-one consultation with one of our attorneys, followed up with written action points. Upon becoming a client of Marks & Clerk, Scotland Food & Drink members will be able to benefit from free IP health check reviews, free IP training sessions and other bespoke packages.

Marks & Clerk is one of the world’s leading intellectual property firms. It was established in 1887 and has had a continuous presence in Scotland since the 1960s. Our team of patent and trade mark attorneys is immersed in Scotland’s thriving Food & Drink sector and acts for a wide range of Scottish businesses, ranging from early-stage start-ups to well-established international brands, from whisky and gin distilleries to online farm shops and fresh produce suppliers.

The team advises Food & Drink clients situated throughout Scotland on how best to protect, enforce, manage and utilise their most valuable asset - their Intellectual Property.

Our attorneys advise on patents, trade marks, copyright and designs, as well as niche areas such as geographical indications, certification marks and collective marks.

Our Scottish patent and trade mark team members are recognised year-after-year by legal directories as leaders within their respective fields, with over 30 featuring in this year’s submissions alone.

Finally, be sure to look out for our Food & Drink publication, Scran & sIPs. Published quarterly, it provides a multitude of articles focussed on Intellectual Property and its importance to the Scottish Food & Drink sector.

Scran & sIPs – Issue 1
Scran & sIPs – Issue 2

Contact:
Jason Chester - jchester@marks-clerk.com
https://www.marks-clerk.com/topics/scran-sips/

Free Brand Consultation

Over the past 18 months, we have experienced and are experiencing so much - The economy has shifted; Our buying habits have changed; Scotland's place in the world is different; Future opportunities are evolving - and it’s the small businesses in Scotland who are having to adapt quickest to grow, nurture and succeed in this changing landscape.

We at FortyTwo Studio understand these challenges fully - we’ve experienced them ourselves - and wholeheartedly believe that how you are perceived, how you engage with your market and how you position yourself in our lives are key to taking advantage of the possibilities ahead of us. 

The old ways won’t work anymore and we’re here to help.

Our initial Free Brand Consultation will provide you with a foundation for growth and a clear path to developing your brand for the new marketing world. In our session we will look to uncover a number of vital factors: 

1. Your Uncommon Offer - What do you do that is uncommon amongst your competitors? This may have changed in recent times.
2. Key client personas - Buying habits have changed, so who are your key customers and what truly motivates them to buy from you now?
3. Brand Characteristics - What are the key characteristics of your brand that resonate today that can provide the foundation for your marketing campaign themes.

Your buyers have to recognise themselves in what you offer and the above insight will help you can both identify your audience better, provide clarity with the brand and enable you to engage with your audience in a more effective way.

FortyTwo.studio

Discount, advice and support for funding - Offshoot creates eye-catching brand identities, stylish print and digital collateral and engaging packaging.

Established in 2010 in Glasgow, they work with UK and international clients, helping make the creative process straightforward and impressive.
The fruits of their labour are the cornerstones of your business; the tools that help you drive sales and communicate your message.

The team is on hand to create a range of options that will best suit your requirements. And when they need to they can call on a host of talented specialists to enhance and help bring the concepts to life.

Every project is unique and always focused solely around the client.

• Free introductory consultation about your requirements
• 10% discount to all Scotland Food & Drink members
• Advice and support in applying for funding, of up to £5,000, from Scottish Enterprise which can be used to develop your brand as well as packaging, digital presence and prototyping. They can offer a range of service that fit within the remit of the grants available.

A free half day workshop

Root & Toot are a specialist marketing, design and advertising agency. We only work with clients in the food and drink sectors, offering a unique understanding and perspective. Working on large campaigns for established companies such as Tunnock’s and Glenfarclas to one off projects for new start-up businesses we provide a wealth of experience across strategy, planning, creative, web and media all under one roof and all working together seamlessly.

We are delighted to offer fellow Scotland of Food & Drink members:

A free half day workshop with our industry expert who will learn about your business and assist in a variety of areas including reviewing current sales & marketing procedures to advising on innovative ways to grow your business.

• An independent review of your current brand and marketing activities.
• Ideas portfolio tailored to suit your product and business including initial concept designs and media suggestions (both traditional, digital and social).
• Free SEO audit for your website and suggestions on how to improve traffic flow to your site

Check out our website www.rootandtoot.co.uk for more information on what we can do to help your brand grow.

Scene & Herd – PR and Marketing specialists who give your business voice and vision

Specialising in all things rural and food and drink related, whether you are in the business of producing something from the land or giving something back, then we are in the business of telling your story and helping you to grow. There is no other agency in Scotland like us.

We work with businesses, organisations and events about which we feel passionate and enthusiastic, building their reputation and helping them grow. We deliver results by ensuring that our clients are ‘seen and heard’ in all the right places.

Offering web design and development, traditional PR, digital marketing, social media, podcasting and much more, you can work with Scene & Herd on a project or retainer basis.

Alternatively, you can benefit from our expertise by undertaking some of our online communications training courses at the brand new OnFARM Academy. The OnFARM Academy delivers short, online training courses which help rural and foodie business people to up-skill across a variety of subjects. Each course lasts under an hour and costs around £35 (plus VAT) to undertake.  Topics include Storytelling, Instagram, Facebook, Social Media Influencers and more. Launching in January 2022, new courses will be added to the OnFARM Academy portfolio at least twice a month. 

Scotland Food & Drink member can secure a 15 per cent discount on all training courses.  Simply contact Scotland Food & Drink for your unique code and enter it when you purchase at: https://training.onfarmacademy.com/

www.sceneandherdpr.co.uk

Enjoy Instant PR success

‘Just had sight of The Grocer article - it is amazing! The best article I have ever seen written about McCaskie's!

Can I just say you and Holyrood have done an utterly fantastic job. The PR McCaskie's has achieved has been a different league to what we have experienced before and surpassed our expectations.

We will absolutely look no further than yourselves for future PR activities; we have found an amazing partner in yourselves!’

- William Ovens

This is the chance for members to get a one-off package of work with a multi award-winning PR agency for a fraction of the normal price.

There’ll be no hanging around. We know you want instant results – and that’s exactly what we deliver. The package is entirely success-focused. As well as guaranteed media coverage you’ll get an important SEO boost and a pipeline of further media story opportunities.

Holyrood PR has spent 20 years honing its skills and is recognised – in PR and journalism – as the best media relations agency in Scotland. Our package for members delivers all of those vital ingredients on a budget.

In fact, this 12-hour programme of work is normally worth £1350, but is being offered for just £800. That’s a 40% discount available ONLY for SF&D Members.

What you get:

• PR onboarding – We’ll get a detailed picture of the opportunities or obstacles facing your business, and explain exactly how PR can help.
• Customised PR plan - Our suggestion for an immediate blast of PR success, as well as a series of follow-up suggestions.
• Media release - Sit back and relax as we draft your story, then steer it through sign off with your team, suppliers, clients, customer and any other stakeholders. We’ll also work with you on images to perfect your package.
• Bespoke media list – It’s vital your story gets to exactly the right people. Our detailed research will identify exactly who they are: on paper, on air and online.
• Personalised pitch – Other PR agencies use the “spray and pray” technique to reach the media. Not us. We’ll make sure every recipient gets individually tailored outreach, dramatically enhancing your chances of success.
• Media monitoring and reporting – We’ll deliver at least five significant items of coverage (usually more) and provide detailed reporting of what your success looks like.
• Online boost – Beyond the coverage, you’ll also get a prominent mention - with hyperlink – on our website, one of the highest domain authority PR websites in Scotland.

This is public relations as it should be.

But don’t just take our word for it. Get in touch and we’ll provide you with multiple, relevant examples of our success for a huge range of clients across multiple sectors. That way you’ll have the time and the tools to decide if this is right for you.

https://www.holyroodpr.co.uk/media-coverage/

Mentorship programme & Studio hire discount

Mentorship 

We know that businesses of all sizes will increasingly be looking for cost effective ways to upskill members of their team members who may have a creative / marketing remit. We would like to offer a 'Mini Mentorship Programme' to Scotland Food & Drink members. The offer will see an individual from a member business teamed up with a member of the LUX team across the disciplines of 'brand', 'digital', 'communications' and 'design'. The mentorship programme would equate to 3 hours of in person mentoring, plus email support, and be delivered over 3 months (1 hour per month). We recommend that LUX sets up a form on our website with a series of questions that interested individuals can complete. From here we'll onboard a cohort of 4 mentees we feel we can have the most impact with per quarter; meaning there will be scope for us to mentor 16 individuals over the course of a year. Once at capacity, we would still be happy to provide adhoc advice to businesses who may not have capacity to mentor, but can still support with guidance. 

Studio Hire Discount

Lux have Scotland's only purpose-built food & drink photography & videography studio. We currently hire this out to LUX clients, and also brands that wish to use the space for their own shoots and demos. Please refer to our rate card for the space with more information on the facilities and props house. We would be delighted to offer a generous 25% discount on our 1/2 day hire & full day hire rates to SFAD members.

Contact

Chris Knox
chris.knox@getlux.co.uk

DR Newitt are offering members of Scotland Food & Drink preferential rates for exclusive business. They also offer a free salary overview for your business.

Whether you are looking for a fresh graduate or an experienced Senior Manager / Director, DR Newitt can offer you a selection of the best candidates who are currently looking for an exciting move within the food and drinks industry.

With over 20 years food and drink recruitment experience, Stephanie Newitt has shared her knowledge of the ever changing industry and now oversees a team of 30 Recruitment Consultants, all based in Edinburgh.

DR Newitt are offering members of Scotland Food & Drink preferential rates for exclusive business. Members are not required to pay a retainer. They also offer a free salary overview for your business.

Eden Scott is a dedicated food and drink recruitment business that has placed professionals across the length and breadth of Scotland.

Their expertise of the industry allows them to use innovative methods to find the right talent for your business. They don’t limit their search to the home market, they have reach across the entire UK and overseas. The specialist food and drink recruitment experts at Eden Scott have experience recruiting across permanent, graduate, contract, temporary and executive positions.

Their core specialisms include - Production and Operations; Engineering; Technical, Quality and Hygiene; New Product Development; Supply Chain; Packaging; Procurement; Accountancy and Finance; HR and Business Support; Sales and Marketing; Information Technology; and Direct Labour.

They also provide a suite of added value services, which include assessment centres, psychometric testing, marketing and employer branding as well as start-up growth support. For more information, and to arrange a complimentary consultation, please contact your Business Development Manager.

Psychometric Profiling

First Achieve Ltd are pleased to offer members preferential rates on their services, in addition, they are pleased to include free of charge psychometric profiling on up to three short listed candidates.

The clear vision at First Achieve is to work closely with clients to ensure that together you agree the right strategy for your business, in sourcing the best calibre candidates.

They are exclusively a Food & Drink related agency, and with over 20 years experience in the industry they are well placed to source for your permanent and interim requirements.

In addition to preferential rates for all Scotland Food & Drink members, they are pleased to include free of charge psychometric profiling on up to three shortlisted candidates.

Protea Recruitment – reduced rates for members

Protea Recruitment is offering its recruitment services to Scotland Food & Drink members at a reduced rate across Interim, Contract & Full-time appointments.

The Managing Director, Matt Steedman, is still hands-on whilst leading the team and has nearly 20 years of recruiting experience within Scotland's food and drinks manufacturing and processing sector.

Based in the heart of Edinburgh and servicing the whole of Scotland, they understand that people are your greatest asset and that culture fit is just as important as ability. 

As a boutique business specialising in relocating candidates across the country and globe, they offer you a bespoke service tailored to your needs, including recruitment, salary reviews, relocation advice, and preferential rates for all Food and drinks Scotland members.

Website - Protea Recruitment Ltd

Sales Manager for Hire: David Orr
Scotland Food & Drink is delighted to offer its members a day’s free access to an industry expert (worth £450) who can assist in a variety of areas from negotiating with multiple retailers to reviewing sales & marketing strategies and accessing practical skills and know-how.

David Orr has a proven track record working with our members in a number of fields including multiples, foodservice, specialist retail, B2B, wholesale and export.

Initial Free Consultation

Wallace Partnership offers Scotland Food & Drink members an initial free consultation to understand the business challenges, offer initial advice and advise what support and guidance is required and how they can assist with this. In addition, members will also be entitled to a bespoke Scotland Food & Drink discounted rate for consultancy services.

Wallace Partnership works with food and drink suppliers and retailers to help them develop, flourish and sell more product.

They work with a wide range of suppliers from small business start-ups to established brands and across a wide range of categories from beers, cider & spirits, to bakery products, chilled, core grocery and frozen food and drinks. We bring a strategic thinking model and an end to end process covering all areas of product and brand development, commercial strategy, identifying key routes to market and planning, preparing to sell effectively to supermarkets and wholesalers.

They can fill the knowledge and experience gap to support the area where your business requires. This can be short term project work and delivery, advice and support, developing strategies, to long term working relationships.

Steve has worked in the food and drink industry for over 30 years - ten years in the retail sector, twenty years as a buyer and the last two years as a consultant to the industry. He has been a national UK buyer at Waitrose & Sainsburys, responsible for categories such as Beer & Cider, Core Grocery and many more. Steve also headed up the Sainsburys regional buying team managing all regionally sourced products and suppliers in Scotland, Northern Ireland & Yorkshire.

Steve was also Head of Food at Dobbies and spent time at a specialist wholesaler working on buying, category management and supply into Morrisons, Co-op, and the wholesale and travel sector. In this time, Steve has built up huge experience and a proven track record with products, brands, suppliers, wholesalers and retailers and now uses this to help and support suppliers and retailers grow their businesses.

Services offered are as follows:

Retailer Sales Strategy

• Identify key retailer targets
• Create targeted strategies by retail and sector
• Buyer contact details
• Understand turnover potential by retailer

Selling to Supermarkets and other Retailers

• Planning the pitch, what information do you need?
• Effective Brand & product presentation
• How to get the listing over the line & retailer system set up
• Ongoing account management

New Product Development

• Market gap analysis
• Trends & category insight
• Competitor brand product benchmarking
• Concept developing & testing

Branding & Packaging

• Define brand character
• Design Briefs
• Packaging market research

Commercial Strategy

• Develop product commercial position
• Promotional support plan
• Joint business plans with retailers
• Cost negotiation

Category Management

• Clear understanding of the category and your product’s role within it.
• Market range analysis
• Making the right decisions and proposals based on the market.

Data Management

• Understanding market data
• Retailer sales data interpretation
• Create targeted product and market opportunities driven by data

Business Strategy

• Create short, medium and long term business strategy
• Create action plan to identify and plot actions to achieve.
• Business and Product SWOT Analysis

For further information on any of these services, contact Steve Wallace at steve.wallace@wallacepartnership.com, or call on 07523 129 669 for an initial chat and to arrange your initial free consultation.

Hickory would like to extend their food and first class service to members with a number of value added benefits including; 20% discount on venues and 15% off all catering packages.

From intimate boardroom lunches, to hospitality dinners and large-scale corporate events, with Hickory as a preferred caterer, you can be sure of one thing – their food will be as good for your business as it will be on the palate of your guests.

Each member of the kitchen team is passionate about creating dishes that go beyond the expectations of their clients, led by award-winning and highly-regarded Development Chef Robbie Gleave they are totally committed to buying local, seasonal produce, they embrace the Scottish larder and use Scotland Food & Drink members products wherever possible in their menus.

£250 instead of £350 to join Company Membership with an Introductory Whisky Tasting 

SMWS is offering Scotland Food & Drink members £100.00 discount on Company Membership of the Society, saving you almost 30%

Contact:

Agata Zacharevskaja

Email:

Agata.zacharevskaja@smws.com

Telephone:

+44(0)1315552929

Whether it's client meetings and business presentations or private dining and whisky tastings, the Society’s Company Membership offers company entertaining with a difference.

And as an active member of the Scotland Food and Drink community, what better environment than the Society’s four UK Members Rooms in which to conduct your business and pleasure.

Company Membership affords your organisation a variety of benefits including exclusive access, bespoke services, savings and belonging to the world's foremost Whisky Club.

1. 3 named Membership Cards.
2. A bespoke ‘Company Card’ offering the flexibility to be circulated to ensure access for all your staff to all SMWS services. Additional cards available for a small fee.
3. Introductory 3 Dram Whisky Tasting for up to 6 people in the venue of your choice.
4. 4 superb venuesin Edinburgh, Leith, Glasgow and London.
5. 10 impressive private function rooms for company entertaining.
6. A dedicated team of Event Experts to manage your bespoke Private Dining, Whisky Tasting and Meeting Events.
7. Preferential company member rate for private events, available to everyone within your company hosting private events with SMWS.
8. Access to bottlings both in the venues and online.
9. 10% of your food and drink bill at Kaleidoscope Bar, Edinburgh.
10. Special discounts in SMWS Partner Bars around the world.
11. Invite to Exclusive Company Society Events throughout the year.
12. Free subscription to Unfiltered, SMWS award – winning member’s magazine.

Typically, £350 to join, Scotland Food & Drink members come on board for just £250, saving them almost 30%.

A 10% discount on the annual subscription to The Grocer is available to members of Scotland Food & Drink.

Business Health Check Consultation

SGConsultancy has worked with a wide range of small to medium sized businesses on improving their operational performance and ensuring their compliance.

Case studies include implementing a CRM system for Scotland Food & Drink and getting them ready for GDPR, attaining ISO 9001 & 14001 certification for The Evolve Group (creative agency), managing the full implementation of a new lottery funded service for the MS Society Scotland, a time analysis study of the operations of Wallace Financials and others…

SGConsultancy continues to work alongside Scotland Food & Drink and would like to offer its members a free business health check consultation.

This will consist of a run through of what is needed to be compliant and some tips on how to incorporate lean thinking into how to manage your business.

Areas that can be covered are GDPR, Employment Documentation, Health & Safety, Environmental legislation, Quality Management systems and more, depending on what stage your business is at and your growth plans.

Contact Sarah Geoghegan on sarah@sgconsultancy.co.uk

www.sgconsultancy.co.uk

Free review and appraisal in respect of identifying R&D within your business and a 15% reduction

ZLX Business Solutions Ltd are a Scottish company employing over 100 full and part-time staff. We have returned over £30m to businesses in the last 2 years, primarily in Government Tax Credits. In addition, we have successfully achieved HMRC payments for investment in Land Remediation, Capital Allowances, and Patent Box.

These successful submissions have been across over 40 industries, including Food and Drink, Manufacturing, Distribution and Processing, Brewing and Distilling.

As a member of Scotland Food & Drink, ZLX Ltd offer fellow members a free review and appraisal in respect of identifying R&D within your business. There are no upfront fees and additionally, we offer a 15% reduction on our normal service rate, to members should a claim progress, fee only payable on successful pay out.

A bit about the Governments Tax Credit Scheme:

The scheme was introduced by the UK Government in 2000 for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with a separate scheme for large companies launched in 2002. Any company carrying out Innovation in their field, is likely to qualify for the relief. The definitions of eligible R&D and eligible costs are reasonably broad, and eligible R&D activities can take place across a wide range of company operations. The scheme also allows you to make claim on two previous years R&D activities.

Is your company a UK Registered company eligible to pay Corporation Tax? If so, have you:

• In the last 3 years, has your business improved any processes, services, materials, or devices?
• In the last 3 years, has your company developed any software or IT solutions(e.g. APP/IT to improve your business) by your internal staff or by external contractors?
• Have you ever manufactured or modified any products in house?
• Have you invested time and money into failed projects or developed products that have never launched?
• Have you ever outsourced any product design?
• Have you ever purchased an off-the shelf item and modified it to a better standard?
• PAYE staff

For a free no obligation appraisal of your company’s qualification for a tax credit, please contact me via: Ross.n@zlx.co.uk or phone: 0131 378 1340/07426 883956