New food and drink manager for Cornwall

Objective One help for the Cornish food and drink industry has taken another step forward with the appointment of a new manager for Taste of the West in Cornwall.

Carol Trewin, former agricultural editor of the Western Morning News, will be in charge of the trade development programme aimed specifically at raising the profile of Cornish speciality food and drink.

As manager of Taste of the West in Cornwall she will be in charge of the organisation’s £3 million programme to promote speciality food and drink produced in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, which includes a £1.9 million marketing grants programme. The schemes have been jointly funded by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund under Objective One, and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

Carol will be working alongside Business Link’s Food and Drink Partnership scheme and with Amanda Fielder, the Food Sector Development adviser. She will also oversee Taste of the West’s activities in the county.

“Although we have a number of different programmes promoting Cornish food and drink, we are all working together as a partnership with the long term aim of improving the profile and quality of an industry that is extremely important to the county,” she said.

“What many people don’t realise is that more than 90 per cent of the businesses producing speciality food and drink have fewer than 10 employees. It is these businesses that need the most support but find it hardest to access existing grants, training or other forms of help because, in most cases, they are too busy running their businesses.

“As an umbrella programme we are here to help them to access Objective One funds directly. Hopefully we can remove some of the difficulties and hurdles of developing their businesses, help them improve their competitiveness and provide long term benefits to farming, horticulture and food production in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

The trade development scheme will include ensuring Cornwall’s continued successful attendance at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh, where in 2000 the ‘Cornwall at the Royal’ stand won both the best food exhibit and best trade stand awards. It will also assist speciality food and drink producers to attend major trade and catering events, such as the Good Food Show and the 2003 International Food & Drink Exhibition (IFE) in London.

“By building links between food producers, processors and their potential customers we can raise the profile of Cornish food both within and outside the county, which increases the potential for sales considerably,” Carol explained.

“We will also be working with other agencies, particularly those linked with tourism, to promote Cornish food and drink to the three million tourists that visit the county each year.”

For more information on Taste of the West and the umbrella funds available, contact 01579 349363.