Industry remains hungry for growth despite challenges

It was a pleasure to welcome businesses from across the country to the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh on Wednesday for our first industry conference post-Covid, and my first as CEO at Scotland Food & Drink .

More than 350 leaders from our national food and drink industry were in attendance and the buzz in the room was palpable.

We were joined at the conference by speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds – from some of Scotland’s leading names such as John Gilmour Butchers , Bothy Trading , Best of British Beer , and Donald Russell Ltd to international giants, 阿里巴巴 and 马莎百货 .

During the session, we polled attendees and 88% said that they remain optimistic about the future growth of the sector.

Almost three quarters (71%) of attendees felt that consumer demand for local produce has increased over the last year. More than half (54%) believed their biggest growth opportunity was within the wider UK market, and a quarter (25%) were looking to international markets for growth.

The poll results highlight the ambition that our businesses have, and their strategies to seize growth opportunities. It’s heartening to see such positivity among our membership and wider industry, particularly in the context of myriad challenges facing the sector.

The positive attitude expressed today reflects the direction of our coming industry strategy. In the weeks and months ahead, we’ll set out the strategic direction to ensure that our sector is sustainable, resilient and growing.

Events like this give businesses the tools to grow, both locally and globally, and learn from each other as we set out on our joint mission to grow the opportunities for our sector and champion Scotland as a land of food and drink. It is such a rewarding time to be part of this industry and I would like to thank every one of our speakers for sharing their stories, and insight, to make the day such a success.

Thanks must also go to the sponsors of the conference, DRAC LOGISTICS LIMITED and CMS .?