News

Welsh Assembly Government "Growing for Growth" Horticulture Seminar [23 April 2010]

 

Levercliff organised a special Horticulture Seminar on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government in support of their Strategic Action Plan for the Welsh Horticulture Industry. The Plan is one of a number of sector specific plans for the Welsh food industry which relate to the overarching Food Strategy for Wales, which is currently being developed.

The event took place on 16th April at IBERS, Aberystwyth University, and attendees were from the growing community and organisations working in support of the industry.

Elin Jones AM, Minister for Rural Affairs opened the day, making it clear that she fully supports the growth of Horticulture in Wales and gave her thoughts on the opportunities as she sees them. She stressed the need for the Horticulture industry to work together across the whole supply-chain in order to leverage real, sustainable growth.

Nine speakers gave short lectures on the day on Subjects ranging from supplying both Wholesale and Retail markets through to the various various projects that are taking place in conjunction with the Welsh Assemblys' initiative.

Aberystwyth University provided an excellent lunch using meat and vegetables directly from thier own farm which was very much in keeping with the ideology of the day.

The lectures were very well received and were followed by a lively question and answer session which brought to light some of the barriers to growth within the industry.

It was a very informative and productive day, which will be part of the foundation of the growth in Welsh Horticulture going forward.

 

London Fish Study Tour Goes "Swimmingly" [23 April 2010] 

 

Delegates on the second Fish Programme recently took part in a Levercliff organised "London Fish Study Tour" as part of the Welsh Assembly Governments' "Building Sustainable Business in the Welsh Fishing Industry" initiative.

Bryn Williams of Odettes restaurant on Primrose Hill created a special Menu for the occassion, and spent an hour after dinner discussing his thoughts on Welsh Fish, and offering his views on how best to get it into the London restaurant trade.

The following morning, visits to Billingsgate Fish Market and M&J Seafoods were very well received, with some of the delegates making new business contacts in the market. They were also treated to a fabulous display of knife craft when a young processor at M&J showed off his filleting skills.

Later in the morning, the delegates visited Waitroses' flagship branch at Canary Wharf where they were given a talk on the types of fish that are stocked on the counter, how they were sourced, and their best selling lines. Waitrose also kindly prepared some fresh Hake and Tuna for the delegates to taste.

After lunch at Loch Fyne in Covent Garden, the tour moved to its final destination: Harrods. The delegates were shown around the fish department by the Assistant Manager of the Food Hall, who kindly ended the day with a full tour of all Harrods food halls.

As the tour has been so popular, another tour is being organised for Mid May to accomodate the delegates who were unable to make this event.

 

Added Value Dairy Programme Launched [2 March 2010]

 

Levercliff launched The Welsh Assembly Governments' Added Value Dairy Programme on February 24th at Rachels Organic Dairy, Aberystwyth.

The day included a fascinating tour around the Rachels' Organic processing plant and an informative and interactive workshop based on giving the participants real insight into the current trends in the UK Dairy Market. The Programme was launched by Sian Roberts-Davies, Dairy Sector Manager at The Welsh Assembly Government. 

Guest speaker Chris Smith, Sales Manager at Rachels', gave a presentation on the background of the company highlighting the growth of Rachels' Organic from very humble beginnings. DairyCo's Delyth Davies, Head of Dairy Development Wales, also gave a talk on DairyCo's role in supporting the Dairy Industry in Wales.

Programme participants are Welsh Dairy companies looking to grow their businesses through the medium of product and brand innovation and development.

The next workshop in the Programme is scheduled for early April 2010.

 

Fish Programme Commissioned for Second Run [2 March 2010]

 

The Welsh Assembly Government has commissioned Levercliff to deliver a second run of the "Building Sustainable Business in the Welsh Fishing Industry" Programme.

The Programme is set to launch on March 10th in Aberystwyth, with a selected number of Fisheries already on board.

The Programme proved to be highly successful in its initial run, bringing Welsh fish to the attention of major multiples such as Morrisons

 

Added Value Dairy Workshops [19 October 2009]

 

Levercliff have just delivered two Added Value Dairy Workshops to Welsh Dairy suppliers in The Food Technology Centre, Llangefni and the Food Centre Wales, Horeb.

Welsh Assembly Government commissioned Levercliff to research opportunities for Welsh added value dairy products in the UK retail sector. The findings of the research were presented at the two workshops.

The workshops were open to any companies or farmers/producers who are currently active in, or considering entering, the added value dairy market. The key objective of the workshops were to highlight the trends in Added Value Dairy sectors and to identify potential opportunities for future growth.

Scotland Food & Drink Supplier Development Programme [28 September 2009] 

 

Following the completion of a very successful Supplier Development Programme supported by Sainsbury's a celebratory dinner was recently held at the world renowned Gleneagles Hotel.

Guests included Richard Lochhead (Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment), Mike Coupe (Sainsbury's Trading Director) and Paul McLaughlin (Scotland Food and Drink Chief Executive). The dinner formally marked the end of the 6 months supplier development programme which is expected to generate £4m of incremental sales.

The final workshop if the programme took place at the Highland Spring Water offices, and included presentations on Account Management, How to be an Outstanding Supplier and How to Work More Closely With Sainsbury's.

 

Fresh fish from Wales is now on sale at Morrison's Welsh stores [21 September 2009] 

 

Fresh fish from Wales is now on sale at Morrison's as part of plans to boost the Welsh fishing industry. This is just one of the great outcomes of the Welsh Assembly Governments Building Sustainable Business in the Welsh Fishing Industry Programme to date, which is being delivered by Levercliff.

The Welsh fish range launched into Morrison's Welsh stores on 7th September. The food for sale includes oysters, mussels, sea bass and trout caught or farmed locally from sites across Wales. Rural affairs minister Elin Jones attended the launch in the Morrison's Aberystwyth store saying; "We are keen to further improve the availability of Welsh fish within Welsh supermarkets and will continue to work with Morrison's and other major retailers to achieve this."

Morrison's Buying Manager Janine Watson said: "Our policy is to support and encourage locally sourced produce in each of our stores and our new Welsh fresh fish range is a perfect example of our success so far."

Seven companies are participating in the Welsh Assembly Government programme to help build the supply chain infrastructure and develop links in the retail and foodservice sectors.  It is a practical programme designed to deliver increased sales and profitability – in a sustainable way.

Companies on the programme include:

Celtic Crab Products (Haverfordwest), Menai Oysters (Llanfairpwll), Pwllheli Seafoods, Sean Ryan (Milford Haven), Selonda UK (Penmon), Selwyn's Penclawdd Seafoods (Llanmorlais), Severn and Wye Smokery (Westbury on Severn).

The launch also coincided with the 3rd Workshop for the programme. The workshop assisted companies in assessing the various elements of the marketing mix and identify the actions needed to offer a clear consumer proposition.  Helping delegates develop both their understanding of what is required and competence levels in being a supplier to the multiples.

Morrisons' guest speaker on the day was Janine Watson (Morrison's Buying Manager; Fish) who talked from a Buyers Perspective.

 

Welsh Assembly Government Fish Study Tour [22 June 2009] 

 

Levercliff recently organised a fish study tour in London as part of the Welsh Assembly Fish Programme. The event took place over June 17th and 18th and involved delegates from the programme, representatives from Levercliff and the Welsh Assembly Fisheries Policy Branch. Bryn Williams of Odette's Restaurant, Primrose Hill put on a special fish menu for delegates to enjoy and shared his enthusiasm for Welsh fish. Delegates also had the chance to visit Billingsgate Market, M&J Seafood, Waitrose, Borough Market, Loch Fyne Restaurant in Covent Garden and Harrods throughout the tour. Some of the outlets were kind enough to prepare tastings for the Welsh fishermen and the fish buyer from Waitrose joined us to discuss issues of supply and what the retailer looks for when sourcing product.

The tour was both educational and informative for participating delegates and the hospitality we received from our hosts was beyond all expectations.

 

Welsh Assembly Governments Building Sustainable Business in the Welsh Fishing Industry Programme [9 June 2009]

 

The Welsh Assembly Governments Building Sustainable Business in the Welsh Fishing Industry Programme was launched on 4th June in Aberystwyth for 7 selected entrepreneurial Welsh fish companies. Graham Rees from the Welsh Assembly Government opened up the programme, and guest speakers throughout the day included Philip Palfrey from SeaFish who spoke about the Latest Trends in the UK Fish Market, and Mark Greet & Steve Cadwallader from Falfish who discussed Working with the Major Retailers from a Supplier Perspective.

The programme - delivered by Levercliff - will take the companies through a series of workshops, a study tour and business counselling sessions over the next 12 months to help build the supply chain infrastructure and develop links in the retail and foodservice sectors. It is a practical programme designed to deliver increased sales and profitability – in a sustainable way.

 

Levercliff New Website [13 May 2009] 

 

Levercliff have recently launched their new website. The site has been developed by Wrexham based web developers Fotofire and the visuals were concepted by Ian Salisbury. 

 

Scotland Food & Drink Programme [06 April 2009]

 

 

Levercliff are involved in a new business development programme designed to help food and drink producers secure lucrative supermarket listings. It has been launched by leadership organisation Scotland Food & Drink, Sainsbury's and the Scottish Government. 

Eleven food and drink companies from all over Scotland will start the six-month programme this month. A similar course, operated by Scottish Enterprise in 2001, resulted in sales boosts in excess of £10m –  an increase of 85%.

The programme will consist of hands-on workshops to introduce companies to buyers and success stories, such as Graham's The Family Dairy which recently secured extensive listings in Sainsbury's.

In addition, access to market data and one-to-ones with specialist food marketing consultant, Levercliff, will help identify and develop growth opportunities.