Midlands food and drink showcase serves up networking opportunities

A major food and drink showcase in the Midlands allowed for networking, advice and workshops among the region's diverse range of hospitality businesses.

The Coventry & Warwickshire Food and Drink Showcase held at Warwick racecourse attracted breweries, distilleries, vineyards, pizzerias, bakeries, coffee companies and many more suppliers.

READ MORE: Coventry and Warwickshire Food and Drink Showcase to launch next month

Exhibitors were able to meet decision makers from potential clients and encourage people across the sector to discover and use local suppliers.

The event was organised by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP), which includes Destination Coventry, Shakespeare’s England, Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council.

Darren Tosh, operations and marketing director at South Warwickshire’s tourism board Shakespeare’s England, said: "Our local food and drink suppliers are the bedrock of our communities – and our tourism offering too – both directly to consumers and also to venues and attractions themselves, so it was brilliant to see some of our most talented independent businesses expanding their network.

"It was great to walk round the room and hear so many great stories – from businesses started up during Covid that are now flourishing, others gearing up to expand their footprint, and those that are championing sustainable packaging."

Guests were treated to a live cookery demo from award-winning chef Sophie Hyam, who spoke about championing local suppliers.

There was also insight into business support, procurement, packaging, sustainability and business development from an expert Q&A panel.

The panel included Steve Ogden, general manager at Ansty Hall, Laura Delahunty, account manager at Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, Mark Farr, CEO at Purple Planet Packaging and Daniel Bentley, operations director at Cobbs Farm Shop.

Colleen Muldoon-Taylor, business development manager at Destination Coventry, said: "This event was a celebration of Coventry and Warwickshire food and drink, showcasing the amazing array of incredible producers and suppliers we have in this region.

"We set out to highlight the diversity of food and drink in the region and the event certainly did that.

"We hope that it will provide a boost to their businesses, and they also went away with some insights on how to take their business to the next level from our expert panel."