Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) and Business Link are continuing to work together to create new opportunities for local food and drink businesses. One approach resulted in representatives of eight companies meeting one of the UK’s leading sales agents at a meeting in Penrith on Thursday (26 March).
“Alan Ramsay is well known in the food trade for his expertise and years of experience,” explained Ian Winchester, Development Officer with CREA. “He is actively looking for new clients in the artisan food and drink sector and we knew that several Cumbrian businesses were looking at different ways of extending their reach outside of the county. Putting them all together in one place seemed like a positive step.”
Alan operates a sales team of 12 covering foodservice, retail, grocery and also cash and carry sales so he has a range of channels on offer to Cumbrian producers wanting to get into more outlets or wanting to supply the hospitality trade in the region or nationally.
“I can’t guarantee sales,” said Alan during his presentation, “but I can guarantee exposure and awareness. In my experience, if the product is good and has the right sort of quality and promotional backing then the sales will grow. I have been involved in food and drink sales for over 20 years and have seen all sorts of trends come and go. It is reassuring to see that the demand for high quality, local and ethical produce is surviving the credit crunch - so far, at least.”
Ian Winchester continued: “At the moment, businesses don’t want to take ridiculous risks or invest huge amounts of money up front. Employing your own sales rep is a huge step whereas getting involved with an established player on a smaller scale might be the best option for some local companies. Alan’s presentation and the subsequent discussions showed just how many options are available, depending on the ambitions, scale and capacity of local producers.”
Lorraine Stobbart of Friendly Food and Drink in Staveley was one of those who attended the session with Alan. “We make preserves and other foods using fruit sugars,” she said, “and we’re selling on a very local basis at present. The nature of what we do and the associated health aspects mean that there could be potential for much broader interest. We are looking at the various options open to us for selling further afield. I am not sure that we are quite on the scale of Alan’s current clients but it was a useful session and gave us ideas to explore in the coming weeks.”
John Williams of The Apple Orchard Juice Company in Natland near Kendal also took part in the discussions with Alan. “We have had brilliant support form local retailers and cafes,” he explained, “but we know that we need to reach a bigger market. Some of the food service companies distributing to pubs and restaurants could be an excellent route for us and talking to Alan has certainly helped to clarify our ideas.”
Other food and drink businesses looking for advice and contacts to help them to survive and thrive should contact John Gardner (07500 064816) or Ian Winchester (01768 891555) for brokerage and support.
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