Welsh food hero Conrad Davies will give local producers a taste of what it takes to succeed in the marketplace at a special conference this month.
He will serve up his own recipe for success to food producers from across North East Wales at the Northop Hall Hotel on Tuesday, January 31.
And Wales the True Taste Champion 2011/12 Conrad, the Managing Director of two Eurospar stores in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Dolgellau with a Spar store also in Pwllheli, will also be on the lookout for new suppliers for his successful chain.
He said: “We are always looking for new suppliers but it is a tough marketplace and they have to be different, they have to be quality and they have to be competitive on price.
“There’s always been a passion for local produce but you have to let people know about it so producers need to get out there, they need to come into places like our stores and build relationships.”
The North East Wales Food Conference, organised by rural regeneration agencies Cadwyn Clwyd and Northern Marches Cymru, through the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government, is open to food producers and businesses from across North East Wales.
It starts at 5.30pm and as well as Conrad Davies, other key speakers will include Lawrence Washington, of Porthmadog’s Purple Moose Brewery, and marketing experts Amanda Daniels, of Koogar Digital Marketing, and Russell Ferguson, from the Wales the True Taste Mentoring Programme.
Cadwyn Clwyd Agri-Food Officer Robert Price said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for food producers from across the area to learn how to take the next step up into finding new markets for their products.
“North East Wales has some of the richest and most diverse food and it really is the garden of Wales so it has everything going for it and this conference aims to help our producers find new customers.”
Conrad Davies was named as the Wales True Taste Champion in November for the pioneering work he has done at his Spar/Eurospar stores in Pwllheli, Dolgellau and Blaenau Ffestiniog.
In the last 12 months he has sold £1.5 million of Welsh food and drink ranging from bread to beer and from sausages to squid supplied by more than 70 Welsh producers.
These include the Purple Moose Brewery, Edwards of Conwy Butchers, Anne’s Patisserie from Flint and Patchwork Pates of Ruthin.
He has won the True Taste Local Hero Store Manager award in 2007-2008, and was also judged joint winner of the Best Local Food Retailer award at the BBC Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards the same year and he also won True Taste Local Retailer of the Year 2010/2011 for EUROSPAR Dolgellau.
Conrad, who switched from a career in landscape gardening to become the fifth generation of his family to go into the food business, said: “I think our relationship with the local community and locally sourced produce gives us a real point of difference from the other supermarkets in the area.
“That’s the advice I would give to producers. Come into our stores, see who we are and how we work and build a relationship with us.
“You need to be proactive and get your business out there and learn about the places where you think you can market your produce.”
Anyone interested in attending the conference, which includes a free buffet, should contact Caroline Dawson at Northern Marches Cymru by calling 01978 298384 or by e-mailing [email protected] by Wednesday, January 25.
There will also be two follow-up Wales the True Taste marketing workshops at Northop Hall Hotel, Northop on Thursday, February 2, on Effective Telemarketing for food and drink producers from 9.15am to 4pm, and on Thursday, February 23, on Effective Selling. To register contact Bethan Sian Jones on 01691-830189 or e-mail [email protected]
Cadwyn Clwyd continues to look for innovative projects to support which help safeguard the area’s natural, cultural and heritage assets and maximise their economic potential for local businesses and communities.
To find out more or share your idea for a project call 01824 705802 or email [email protected]
Photograph: Caroline Dawson, of Northern Marches Cymru, and Robert Price, of Cadwyn Clwyd, show off local produce ahead of a major food conference at Northop this month
