Speciality Food Magazine May 2024

8 It takes gumption, tenacity and passion to get a new business off the ground – especially if you’re spreading your wings in the speciality food and drink sector. From conceiving an original idea, to gaining funding, scaling up production andmarketing, there is a mountain to climb towards success. The founders of Speciality & Fine Food Fair recognise this success as a tremendous achievement – one to be celebrated. This pinnacle event in the speciality food and drink diary is proud to have helpedmany businesses take their first steps in the industry via its highly regarded Start-Up Village. In commemoration of Speciality & Fine Food Fair’s landmark 25th anniversary, organiser Montgomery Group is collaborating with Speciality Food magazine to mark the achievements of 25 of the most exciting new rising stars and entrepreneurs in food and drink today. Each Rising Star will be profiled within a dedicated section of the June magazine, and honoured at Speciality & Fine Food Fair during the event from 10th to 11th September 2024. Event manager, Nicola Woods, said, “We are thrilled to be marking the 25th anniversary of Speciality & Fine Food Fair by recognising 25 of the most exciting rising stars in the world of speciality food and drink, in partnership with Speciality Food magazine. Our industry is packed with entrepreneurs who are blazing a trail, driving innovation, and inspiring the sector. Since the very beginning one of the core goals of the fair has been providing a platform to these individuals and supporting their future growth and success. We can’t wait to read the nominations for our Rising Stars and celebrate with you at this year’s event.” Charlotte Smith-Jarvis of Speciality Food magazine, said, “Our magazine shares a history of more than two decades with Speciality & Fine Food Fair, and we align with the event on our values of showcasing the very best of the artisan food and drink world. Our team is delighted to be partnering withMontgomery Group to recognise the significant achievements of some of food and drink’s most luminary, inspirational entrepreneurs, who not only deliver delicious, category-leading products, but also demonstrate a commitment to sustainable practices, driving change, and creating the ‘next big thing’. “We’re very excited to be able to platform some truly exceptional people alongside Speciality & Fine Food Fair this autumn.” HOW TO ENTER We are on the hunt for passionate, driven, and creative individuals who’ve developed new brands that have disrupted the market, grown exponentially and sustainably in a short space of time, or been at the cusp of innovation, blazing a trail for others to follow. And we need your help to seek out the most worthy candidates for recognition this year. Please join us in our quest to honour the next generation of food and drink business leaders by nominating them via the QR code on this page. Your nomination can be for any food and drink business founder in the speciality sector. Founders may also nominate themselves for recognition. The closing date for entries is May 10, 2024. Who do you think deserves recognition this year as we shine a spotlight on some of food and drink’s most remarkable entrepreneurs? @specialityfood Nominate your groundbreaking, rising food and drink stars of 2024 Award-winning speciality food and drink wholesaler, Cotswold Fayre, has re-certified as a B Corp with a score of 117.8 - 10 points higher than its previous certification in 2020. Cotswold Fayre was one of the first B Corps in the UK in 2015, but this fourth certification is particularly pleasing for the company as the rigorous audit included its new food hall and kitchen, Flourish, for the first time. Employing more than 100 people and operating a muchmore diverse business added to the complexity of the B Corp audit this time around, and the company is delighted to have achieved a higher score than most of the other B Corp food and drink businesses in the UK. Paul Hargreaves, founder and CEO, said, “We are delighted to celebrate our highest B Corp score in this, our 25th birthday year. Clearly our business still has much to do to improve its social and environmental impact, but to have a 10 point improvement when the B Corp bar is much higher than our last certification is really pleasing.” There are nowmore than 2,000 B Corps in the UK, making it the fastest growing B Corp community in the world. Cotswold Fayre stocks 75 B Corp suppliers today, compared to only six in April 2020, which gives an indication of how fast the recent uptake has been in the FMCG sector. Cotswold Fayre recertifies as a B Corp with its highest ever score A new poll, ordered by the Food, Farming and Commission (FFC), has unearthed the ‘real food crisis’ in Britain. Four in five asked (80%), believe healthy food is something everyone should be able to have, yet only 8% think it is affordable to most, and 69% say it is the government’s job to enable the British public to have healthier diets amidmounting financial pressures. The next phase of The Food Conversation is to find urgent solutions to the UK’s food crisis, with a series of in-depth workshops taking place nationwide, asking representative groups what they want from food and how they want to see things change. Sue Pritchard, CEO of the FFC, said, “Of all the elements of our everyday economy, one of the things we simply cannot manage without is healthy food. Food is now at the centre of some of the biggest challenges this country faces and, for many people, eating enough healthy food is becoming impossible. “What we are hearing from citizens, is that many of the things people care most about relate to food. People tell us they are concerned about the inequalities of a system that means poor children will live shorter lives than rich ones. They are sympathetic to the challenges facing family farmers who are dealing with the impacts of climate change on their businesses. And they are worried about an NHS buckling under the pressure of diet-related ill health. While difficult – this is all fixable. And as we talk to people all around the UK, it’s clear that citizens see the problem and want the government to take control of a situation that has become untenable.” Public back greater government intervention for healthy food access