Leicestershire’s busy food and drinks sector is being offered extra help through the Covid-19 crisis thanks to a new support package.
The county’s Business Gateway Growth Hub together with the regional Food and Drink Forum have created a series of webinars to support the sector through the challenges and hardship caused by the pandemic.
The county’s food and drink manufacturing sector is nationally and internationally recognised thanks to brands such as Samworth Brothers, Cofresh Snack Foods, Walkers Crisps, Stilton makers Long Clawson Diary, cordial maker Belvoir Fruit Farms and Pukka Pies.
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Small and medium-sized additions to the sector include Harrisons Sauces, Royal Tea, Just Egg and FGS Ingredients.
As manufacturers adapt to the changing business landscape the Business Gateway is launching the programme of free, one-hour, sector-specific webinars to be delivered by the Food and Drink Forum.
Topics will include supply chain development, product development and adaption, regulatory compliance, selling and routes to market as well as understanding emerging trends.
Growth hub manager Jon Egley said: “Like everywhere, businesses in Leicestershire have been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis and the food and drink sector is no different.
“I’m very pleased to be working with the Food and Drink Forum which has a fantastic team of experts who speak the language of this sector and who will share their knowledge to enable businesses to recover and come back fighting.”
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Andrew Collinson, commercial manager at the Food and Drink Forum, which is based in Nottingham, said: “It has been a difficult few months for the food and drink businesses within our network, but it has been fantastic to see so many of them starting to get back to full production and diversifying their offering.
“We have developed this programme of webinars based on feedback received from the sector and we feel the broad range of topics will give businesses the tools they need not only to bounce back but to expand their product ranges, access new markets and develop new skills.”
The webinar series kicks off on September 17 with ‘Finding sales leads for food and drink products.’
The full webinar programme with booking details .
The Business Gateway Growth Hub is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and run in partnership with Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership Limited (LLEP).