Bidfood Scotland has opened its doors to a brand new, purpose built hospitality hub in Larbert, which will serve as the first of its kind for the £14 billion Scottish food and drink sector.
Opened by Fergus Ewing MSP on 15 June, the hub sets out to work in partnership with Scottish food and drink suppliers as a dedicated ‘centre for excellence’, testing and developing new products as well as supporting menu development and innovation for some of its 5,000 customers across hotels, restaurants, cafes, care homes, healthcare and education in Scotland.
The launch is part of the Scottish foodservice provider’s wider strategy to drive product innovation and growth for its Scottish suppliers, as well as seeking opportunities for its existing suppliers to gain national listings across the rest of the UK, where Bidfood has a further 40,000 customers.
Speaking about the hub, Fergus Ewing, MSP and cabinet secretary for the rural economy and connectivity said: “I’m delighted to have opened Bidfood Scotland’s hospitality hub. The wholesale sector represents a huge part of our food and drink economy in Scotland, and it’s fantastic to see Bidfood’s investment in this innovative facility and the exciting prospects it will bring for Scottish food and drink suppliers and customers throughout the country.”
Close partnerships
The food and drink industry, along with farming and fishing, are among those most valuable to Scotland’s economy, and Bidfood works in close partnership with Scotland Food and Drink, VisitScotland and the Scottish Tourism Alliance to support the delivery of Scotland’s strategy, which is to double the value of the Scottish food and drink sector to £30 billion by 2030.
Katie Sillars, business development manager for Bidfood Scotland said: “It’s been so exciting to finally open our doors to the hospitality hub and showcase what the site can offer.
“We’ve been planning the hub for a long time, so it’s fantastic to see our vision coming to life, and to celebrate this with industry colleagues. We look forward to sharing this concept with our customers and partners over the coming months and in the future.”
The brand new hub comprises a bar, deli, a fully operational industrial kitchen and non-food catering suite. The kitchen is the focal point of the facility, and will be used to showcase products and keep customers up to date with the latest food trends, inspiring them with new innovative ideas and techniques used by executive chefs.
Scottish suppliers featured at the launch included The Scottish Salmon Company, Scotlay Eggs, Yester Farm Dairies, Inverloch Cheese company, First Milk, Cobbs Cakes and Aulds desserts.
The launch of the hub coincides with the company’s new Scottish brochure which showcases more than 600 products from local Scottish suppliers.
Pictured: John Quinn, Bidfood development chef for the North; Fergus Ewing MSP; Katie Sillars, business development manager for Bidfood Scotland; and Andrew Selley, CEO, Bidfood
