Fourteen Orkney businesses are set to promote their products at a major food and trade fair event, which gets underway in Glasgow this weekend.
Scotland’s Speciality Food Show 2016 brings together 130 exhibitors offering the very best of fine food products from Scotland, the UK and overseas. The show, which regularly attracts over 1,000 buyers from delicatessens, farm shops, speciality food retailers and food halls, will run concurrently with the Scotland’s Trade Fair event at Glasgow’s SECC, between 24 and 26 January.
Five Orkney businesses – all members of Orkney Food and Drink - will attend the speciality food show, including Kirkwall-based smokehouse, Jolly’s of Orkney.
“The Speciality Food Show is a good platform for showcasing our products outwith Orkney,” said the firm’s George Stout. “Being part of the Orkney group at the event is also ideal. It gives us exposure to a lot of potential new customers, as well as the opportunity to meet up with existing ones and we’ve always found it beneficial.”
Some of the Orkney Food and Drink products that will be on show in Glasgow this weekend
Orkney Crafts Association (OCA) will be particularly well represented at the trade fair element of the SECC event, with nine local companies making the trip to Glasgow. Amongst the Orkney contingent will be textile designer, Hilary Grant.
“This will be the first time I've joined the OCA on a trade event, so I'm looking forward to trying it out,” said Hilary.“It's a great opportunity to meet with current trade customers, some of whom are based in remote places around Scotland, just like Orkney. I'm also looking forward to meeting potential customers who might have not yet heard of my knitwear company."
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Edgar Balfour, development manager for Orkney food, drink and crafts, added: “Orkney has had a presence at this combined food and trade show for the past few years and it’s always proved to be beneficial for the businesses attending. Given the scale of the event and the huge number of buyers who visit, it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase what the islands have to offer and we’re delighted that the Orkney contingent this year is bigger than ever. We’ve also seen local firms pick up a number of awards during previous show weekends and hope they might enjoy further success this time around.”
The full list of Orkney companies attending the Speciality Food Show is: The Orkney Bakery (Argo's), Barony Mills, Jolly’s of Orkney, Orkney Creamery and Stockan’s Oatcakes.
Attending the Scotland’s Trade Fair element of the event will be: Aurora Jewellery, Ortak, Castaway Crafts, Fursbreck Pottery, Hume Sweet Hume, Celina Rupp Jewellery, Hilary Grant, Kerr Carpentry, and Sheila Fleet Jewellery.
Attendance at the event is being supported by an Orkney Marketing funding package. An initiative between Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Orkney Islands Council (OIC), Orkney Marketing funding is available to projects that focus on bringing local companies together in joint promotions, ensuring the islands maintain a strong presence in competitive markets such as food and drink, the creative industries and renewable energy.