Media release: Small Scottish producers enjoy business boost, thanks to Bidfood listing

THREE small Scottish producers of healthier food and drink now have 410 new customers between them, just six months after securing a listing with the foodservice company, Bidfood Scotland.

The producers are: SHORE, The Scottish Seaweed Co.; Growers Garden, a sustainable broccoli crisp brand; and The Start-Up Drinks Lab, makers of fine craft sodas.

They were each selected from dozens of other small producers, after a call-out from Bidfood Scotland for companies making sustainable, healthy and delicious food and drink.

All three producers report that the prestigious Bidfood listing has really helped to drive their growth this year.

• SHORE is expanding their sales team and introducing new products, to build on the UK-wide distribution they now enjoy.

• Growers Garden has secured business from dozens of new customers, including the NHS. They’re busy reformulating their products to increase the fresh broccoli content and have ambitious plans for new products in 2020.

• Start Up Drinks Lab has extended their range, seen sales and turnover increase and are now hiring a full-time brand ambassador.

Bidfood Scotland’s supplier development manager, Katie Sillars, continues to work closely with all three producers to help them reach new customers and increase their sales.

She said: “Having access to our network of customers, gives innovative businesses like these three, a fast track to reach a very wide customer base and helps to support local jobs and also the Scottish economy. In time, some of these small producers may even pick up a national UK listing.”

Keith Paterson, director of SHORE, commented that the support they’d received from Bidfood Scotland’s sales team had been fantastic.

He said: “This listing has opened up a lot of new opportunities for us and allowed us to reach new customers right across Scotland that we would never have been able to reach by ourselves.”

Alan Wallace, commercial manager for Growers Garden, said: “Having Bidfood as a partner is opening up many more doors for us with larger customers and in new sectors, especially in the trade.”

Hannah Fisher, co-founder of The Start-Up Drinks Lab, explained: “Bidfood’s approach to a new start-up business like ourselves has been innovative, both in terms of how we won the listing with them and how they’ve supported us thereafter. We’ve seen sales and turnover increase as a result, which has obviously been fantastic.”

All three companies feature in a new supplier video on the Bidfood Scotland homepage here https://www.bidfood.co.uk/2019/11/14/small-scottish-producers-enjoy-business-boost-thanks-to-bidfood-listing/

Notes for editors:

1. About Bidfood Scotland – Bidfood Scotland is one of the leading foodservice providers in Scotland. The wholesaler provides a variety of food, beverage and non-food items to the Scottish hospitality sector and serves more than 5,000 customers across hotels, restaurants, cafes, care homes, healthcare and education in Scotland. Bidfood’s Scottish range includes over 600 food and drink lines from more than 100 Scottish suppliers, and is continuing to grow. The company’s 440-strong team supports customers from depots in Edinburgh, Oban, Inverness and Larbert, as well as out on the road in more than 90 multi-temperature lorries. Bidfood Scotland was established in 2015, and is part of Bidfood UK and the global Bidfood business around the world. bidfood.co.uk
2. SHORE, The Scottish Seaweed Co. was founded in Wick and makes delicious, flavoured seaweed puffs from locally hand-harvested Scottish seaweed. Contact 01349 5705890 or email zorgenlos@newwavefoods.co.uk Website: www.shoreseaweed.com
3. Growers Garden Growers Garden was founded by 16 broccoli growers who have worked together for over 30 years as a cooperative, growing fresh broccoli, cauliflower and kale in Fife, Perthshire, Angus and the Scottish Borders. They make their crisps from 100 per cent natural ingredients using the ‘wonky’ vegetables which would normally be discarded as food waste. Website https://growers-garden.com/ For media enquiries, please email wallace@growers-garden.com
4. The Start-Up Drinks Lab is a small batch bottling facility producing craft sodas, mixers, ready-to-drink beverages, beers and ciders for a variety of brands across the UK. Their premium drink, Sparklingly Sober, is a non-alcoholic alternative to rose wine. The Start-Up Drinks Lab https://startupdrinkslab.com/ Unit 4 Block D Kelburn Business Park Port Glasgow PA14 6TD. General Enquiries hello@startupdrinkslab.com

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