Co-op Midcounties is bringing its Food Glorious Food competition to Wiltshire for the very first time and is calling all food and drink producers from across the county to put their produce to the test, to be crowned the 2020 winner.
Budding entrepreneurs that enter could be in with the chance of securing a £10,000 cash injection and an exclusive listing in selected Co-op Midcounties Food stores as part of the Best of our Counties Range.
The competition seeks to highlight all that is great about Wiltshire food and drink and is open to existing producers, farmers looking to diversify or anyone with a great idea.
The lucky cherry-picked finalists will go head-to-head in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style competition where they will pitch their best ideas to a panel of industry experts, including the likes of celebrity chef Phil Vickery and Countryfile’s Adam Henson.
Phil Ponsonby, CEO Co-op Midcounties, said: “Supporting locally produced food and drink will always be a strong commitment of ours and the Food Glorious Food competition provides a great platform for the most creative minds in Gloucestershire to showcase their innovative new ideas or existing products.
“We’re looking forward to spotting the next big food and drink products and supporting the producers on their exciting journeys. We’d encourage all budding entrepreneurs ready to take the next step to enter to be in with a chance of giving their existing products a boost or turning their concepts into a reality on our shop shelves.”
The Food Glorious Food competition launched in 2018 is returning for a second year with the hopes of replicating its success and helping more local producers get their innovative products to shoppers.
Last year’s winning products came from local producer Deborah Flint, owner of Cinderhill Farm in Lydney with her ‘Sausage Roll of Exceeding Enormity’ and ‘Foggy Pasty’, which are now on the supermarket’s shelves, as well as Midcounties’ stores in Gloucestershire.
Deborah Flint of Cinderhill Farm said: “The Food Glorious Food competition was a really fantastic initiative to be involved in and has been a key part in fuelling the growth of our business. The £10,000 investment has meant we’ve been able to hire four more members of staff to respond to the increase in demand for our products.
“The commitment Co-op Midcounties has to supporting local producers is second to none so we’d encourage anyone starting out with a great food or drink idea to take the next leap and enter the competition. We can’t commend Co-op Midcounties enough for the role they played in helping us and the other Food Glorious Food finalists to secure shelf space in stores across Gloucestershire.”
The Food Glorious Food campaign is being run in conjunction with Happerley and The Growth Hub.
Those that would like to enter the Food Glorious Food competition can apply online at https://www.bestofourcounties.coop/food-glorious-food/