For businesses in the region who specialise in sourcing and/or producing the best of local produce, the following information from Scotland Food & Drink on funding opportunities and award recognition will be of interest.
Enter Industry Awards
The Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards close for entries on 1st March and this year there is a new Artisanal product category which may be of interest to some businesses. Also, please note the Scottish sourcing category which is split into independent and multiple, is a free to enter category.
This is a great opportunity to be recognised for the many innovative ways that your business features Scottish produce and Business Loch Lomond encourages you to apply! Full details are available here
The Food tourism category at the CIS Excellence Awards is also worth submitting an entry for, the deadline for entries is 28th February. More details on how to apply can be found here
Applying For Funding
The following funds are currently open to receiving applications.
The Connect Local Regional Food Fund has a deadline approaching for the next round of funding which is 1st March. Details can be found here, and it is worth looking here at successful applicants from previous rounds, and some case studies too to help with your application.
The Year of Coast and Waters 2020 is the next thematic year from Visit Scotland and the deadline for funding closes on 7th June. More details can be found here and for details on the VisitScotland toolkit click here
Dates For The Diary
This year Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight runs from 31st August until 5th September. There will be more info forthcoming on the focus of this year’s campaign in the following weeks and months.
March is Scottish Tourism Month and there is lots going on throughout the month. View all of the listings here . If you wish to submit your own tourism-related event to the calendar, it can also be uploaded here