Survey launched by new Highland food and drink network
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A new food and drink network has launched a survey to help identify the needs of the industry and its workers in the Highlands and Islands.
The Covid-19 crisis has left the sector in a fragile state and Highland Food and Drink Club (HFDC) is looking at ways to help businesses get back on their feet and thrive again after the pandemic.
The club will act as an online larder – a directory offering its audience a signpost to exactly what quality food and drink is available in the region.
John Murray from Golspie, co-owner of HFDC, said: “I'm delighted to see this project start on its long and very exciting journey and am passionate about the food and drink sector and the Highlands and Islands."
HFDC will be a platform offering different levels of membership to support the sector's growth.
HDFC says: "The current pandemic has seen a shift from us eating out to eating in while we are encouraged to stay at home. With restaurants, cafés and bars closed, many businesses have had to adapt to keep themselves alive."
Research from last month shows that 14.2 per cent of people over 18 had increased their use of online grocery shopping and 6.9 per cent had been ordering more takeaways online.
Fergus Ewing, Scotland's rural economy secretary, said: “Innovative projects like HFDC help grow our local economies and promote the availability and importance of locally produced and sourced food and drink.
"In these challenging times, the local approach is even more important and I very much welcome the launch of their market research to help stand them in best shape for recovering from this crisis."
Mr Ewing added that he encourages all food and drink producers in the region to take part in the HFDC survey.
“The club is just one of 78 innovative projects we have supported through the Regional Food Fund and I have been hugely impressed by the standard and range of all of them," he said. "The fund is creating new opportunities for small businesses and producers and is helping to promote Scotland’s world-leading food and drink sector.”
The team behind the club is calling all the food and drink businesses – whether a producer or in retail – to take two to three minutes to complete the online survey.
The club believes businesses can come back stronger by working together and completing the survey will help them see where support is needed most.
The survey can be found at https://highlandfoodanddrinkclub.com/
