Taste of the West will live to see another day, as administrators have agreed a deal to sell the West Country trade organisation and awards organiser to a consortium of food professionals.
South West & Wales Business Recovery (SWBR) was appointed as the administrator for the independent regional food group on 8th May and the Taste of the West website was taken down, leaving its more than 1,000 paying members in the dark as to the status of their subscriptions and awards entries.
SWBR confirmed that a sale has reached a conclusion, and was preparing a full statement as FFD went to press.
When the news of the group’s collapse broke in May, Charles Baughan of Westaway Sausages said he and “a consortium of people who care” wanted to continue Taste of the West’s work, and that it had entered into discussions with the administrators.
It is understood that this consortium bid successfully for Taste of the West’s assets, because the group was liquidated prior to the deal and unable to be sold as a going concern.
Sources close to the deal said the group includes Mike Anderson, managing director at Hale Events; James Simpson of Somerset Charcuterie; food & hospitality advocate Steve Ashworth; the managing director of marketing firm Daneswood, Nigel Wilkinson; former managing director of SPAR UK Jerry Marwood and Chris Milton, formerly of Thatcher’s Cider.
The new business will be trading as Taste of the West, and the group is working towards re-establishing the trade organisation with new benefits, and protecting the 2024-2025 awards for those who have already entered.
While it is yet to bring the website back online and set up a phone line, members were encouraged to be patient as an official statement from the consortium was also being prepared at the time of publication.
Established in 1991, Taste of the West was created to champion West Country producers, retailers, and hospitality businesses, as well as to support tourism to the region. It offered a membership programme and ran a popular annual awards scheme, the logo of which is now well-recognised as a symbol of quality.
CEO of 20 years John Sheaves retired in March. Posting on his LinkedIn profile, he said: “What a fantastic journey it has been. I have loved working with you all, it has been an absolute pleasure. I send my very best wishes to colleagues and friends old and new.”
This article first appeared in the June-July 2025 issue of Fine Food Digest.
