Lanarkshire Larder

Lanarkshire Larder is a membership organisation made up of local food and drink businesses who want to raise awareness of the food and drink industry in the region. The group aims to heighten awareness of the breadth and quality local produce whilst making it more accessible to a wider public.

You were awarded funding from Scotland Food & Drink in 2021. What have you used this funding for so far and how has it helped the development of the region’s food and drink?

The funding has been used to part fund a part-time coordinator who can grow the network. We also received additional funding from Scotland Food & Drink which we used to create a strong brand and social media presence for the group and to develop a website which will showcase all our members. Phase 2 of the website will be to develop food and drink tourism trails. Our food and drink trails will increase access to locally produced food and drink and reduce supply chains which in turn can benefit the local economy. The trails will make significant contributions to communities by attracting additional visitor nights and expenditure. People are looking for experiences to immerse themselves in a destinations story and engage with locals. By creating Food Trails, we will be providing visitors with a way to experience the food and drink in Lanarkshire.

Who has benefited from these initiatives and are there any stand-out success stories?

The group was officially formed in April 2021 and over the last couple of months we have been actively recruiting members. We have had a very positive response from businesses and already have over 32 members from across the region and are continuing to grow. Lanarkshire as a region has one of the most diverse food and drink landscapes in Scotland with producers ranging from St. Brides Poultry, MacDuff Beef, Taylors of Biggar to smaller producers such as, Mclean Gin, Chocolat Blanc, Millers Larder and Cows of Covington. Our members also include hospitality, Farm Shops and Food retail. All members will benefit from our social media, PR and industry engagement as we work together to raise awareness of the region.

What are your goals and plans for 2021?

Grow our membership to encompass the diverse nature of the food and drinks sector participants (Producers, Food retail, Farm Shops, Café, Restaurants, Hotels)
Create a regional brand identity for Lanarkshire food and drink which heightens awareness of the variety and quality of our regional produce.
Build a strong social media presence for all members.

Other goals include:

Increase sales of local produce within Lanarkshire and the rest of Scotland and the UK.
Develop and enhance working relationships with local authorities and tourism agencies to heighten the awareness of the Food and Drink sector in the Region. Delivering innovative and collaborative food tourism products.

How can others support what you do, and ensure the local region continues to thrive?

It is important that we engage with members and the wider food and drink industry in Lanarkshire to raise awareness of food and drink for the region. We want to support Lanarkshire food and drink businesses and to work with the wider community to encourage people to shop local.

You can support us by becoming a member and creating a stronger voice for regional food and drink from Lanarkshire.

Membership Benefits:

Full listing on Lanarkshire’s Larder Website - Your own profile page.
PR support to promote collaborative activities that grow Lanarkshire’s Larders food and drink profile.
Enhanced listings in future promotional publications.
Invitation to Networking and training events.
Industry and funding updates.
Access to Lanarkshire’s Larder newsletter.
Opportunity to attend events under Lanarkshire’s Larder branding.
Training and support in areas relevant to the food and drink industry.

Find out more about Lanarkshire Larder by visiting their website here.