In a positive boost for West Country food & drink businesses, Taste of the West is building on the foundations of its revival as a community interest company (CIC) last year and has introduced a new membership programme.
Covering hospitality, producers and retailers, food businesses from the South West are eligible to join the network, which aims to support, celebrate and help them grow.
Members will be given the choice of three tiers: Connect, which will provide them with visibility and support, discounts on services provided by the group and two free entries into the Taste of the West Awards; Transform, which will grant them access to its online Training Portal, access to environmental performance and tracking software, regulatory advice and a food safety helpline; and the Accelerate tier, which will allocate a dedicated mentor to a business to provide it with tailored support and advice.
Taste of the West was founded in 1991 to champion West Country producers, retailers and hospitality businesses, as well as to attract tourists to the region. It formerly ran a membership scheme alongside its widely respected awards. It was rescued from the brink of collapse last year by a consortium of food industry professionals including Charles Baughan of Westaway Sausages, Hale Events MD Mike Anderson and food & hospitality advocate Steve Ashworth.
It was relaunched as a community interest company (CIC), always with the intention of re-establishing and expanding its membership programme.
Charles Baughan, spokesperson and sustainability lead for the group, said The South West food and drink sector is “a multi-billion-pound industry, significant job creator and cornerstone of the local economy, so it’s of benefit to everyone across the region to help it thrive.
“Taste of the West CIC is now run by industry experts who are volunteers and who thrive on ambition and innovation, rather than government funding, meaning we have the local expertise and knowledge to make sure support reaches the right people, increases productivity and creates more well paid jobs.
“Having spent a year developing membership benefits for a new kind of food group, we believe Taste of the West can deliver real economic and cultural impact across the region.”
This article first appeared in the October issue of Fine Food Digest.
