November 2023 Newsletter

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November 2023 Newsletter Latest News With Christmas looming, it’s a busy time of year for food and drink manufacturers. The pre-orders are in, markets have begun and production is probably racing at double speed! We’ve been lucky enough to host some fantastic events and bookings involving their festive preparations. Butcombe have been perfecting their Christmas menu and making 1000 Christmas puds! Arthur David were producing festive recipe cards for their customers and artisan producers have been creating seasonal special editions such as Drinks Kitchen Ltd and Russell and Attwell. As well as development kitchen activity, the technical team have also been busy supporting businesses with product launches, product development and SALSA preparation. Read more below. Our business lounge and café now has new and improved lunch options which include Field Doctor - delicious healthy hot meals made on site. We’re also now stocking Brockley Store’s famous sausage rolls and quiche! As sponsor, we attended Taste of the West awards earlier this month too, see more about the evening below. We also were host to their ‘Future of food and drink in the South West’ conference last month. Read more below. We’ve hosted our series of Autumn events which included Starting up Your Business, Meet the experts in PR and Comms and Introduction to Audits. These free events were a great success with a big thank you to RAW PR, Tidy Studios, The Hive and SALSA for their presentations. We are currently planning our next programme for the New Year so keep your eyes peeled! This will be the last edition of the year so we wish you all a lovely Christmas with your loved ones. We hope you all have a well earned break and enjoy the festivities. We can’t wait to see what 2024 brings! Technical Team Zoe’s blog.. “Last week I went to Churchill Academy to chat to the year 13 students about there imminent practical exam in Food Technology. I helped them to overcome various issues when making and baking a quiche. I’ve also been to Orchard School, Bristol, to help with student mock interviews. I asked the students a set of questions that they would normally be asked in a job interview, e.g. tell me about yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses etc. To get them used to being in a interview situation and talking about themselves. Last month I went to the Bishop Fleming business breakfast where Taste Tech were the stars of the show, Rob Sinton the Commercial Director took us through his working career, with a ‘warts and all’ account of working in this family run business. On site I’ve had a few days in the development kitchens playing around with crickets and really enjoyed welcoming the NHS chef academy into the kitchens to see what they’ve been creating!” Introducing Yixo… November 2023 sees the new age of the jelly shot. The YIXO alcohol jellies are meticulously crafted into elegant spheres and classic cubes and come in two flavours. Zoe and Rachel have both been working with the Yixo team to launch the jelly shots. They’ve delivered the ‘full monty’ package which helps progress the product from concept to launch including NPD in the development kitchens, support with sourcing ingredients and packaging suppliers, nutritional’s, HACCP and label compliance. “Starting YIXO was a new experience for us. We could not have done it without the help and expertise of The Food Works SW. Their swift, helpful and expert advice guided us throughout this process and we would like to say a huge “Thank you!” to them all.” A classic taste reinvented, the Cola jelly, captures the essence of a timeless refreshment but with a spirited twist. The second, Pink Lemonade, is a zestful dance of sweet and tart. “What if jelly shots could be more than just a backyard novelty? We embarked on a mission: to refine and reimagine the world of jelly shots.” Jessica Sokel, Co-Founder The YIXO shots are made for occasions. They come in a premium giftbox of eight – ideal for presents or when you want to surprise and delight. Perfect for sharing, partying, gifting, or treating yourself and others. Gone are the days of watery, sweet jelly shots - YIXO is here to provide premium texture, alcohol-friendly taste, but still hitting a punch, with a minimum of 23% Vol in each shot. The new age of the Jelly shot is here to stay. The YIXO jelly shots infuse flavour and finesse into every spirited bite. YIXO helps craft memories, one wiggly bite at a time. Check them out here. If you’re interested in finding out more about our technical packages click here New and Improved Business Membership has landed Business Membership provides early-stage producers with critical food safety and production management support while established manufacturers can make substantial savings through discounts on our commercial services and facilities hire. Read below to see what we offer: Support Network Your Business Membership will start with an initial welcome call with the Membership Team. By getting to know you and your business, the Membership Team will be able to start connecting you with our network. This will include signposting you to opportunities and other organisations that could be of value. One to One Support Fortnightly drop in sessions Our drop-in sessions provide the opportunity to get advice from our experienced Technical Team. You can either book to meet in person, at one of our three sites, or to arrange a call back. The drop-in sessions are an excellent opportunity to get specific advice on aspects of your product or approach to production.  Quick Query Email Support During the early years of your business, knowing you can reach out to a food safety expert for advice, or a second opinion provides real peace of mind. Discount on Commercial Services Business Members enjoy a 15% discount on all Food and Drink Forum commercial services, including Technical Team services and the sessional hire of Food Works test kitchens and meeting rooms at all three sites. Proof of Membership - Annual Business Membership certificate. - Food and Drink Forum Business Membership logo to use on your website, email footer and other marketing materials. Skills Development Workshops - Technical Team Led by our Technical Team, our comprehensive programme of workshops covers key food safety and production management topics, including understanding HACCP, allergen management, labelling, health and safety and accreditation schemes. Members and their staff can either book to attend in person or join us online. All sessions provide an opportunity to ask questions, and many include downloadable tools to take away Webinars - Associates Launching in 2024 This webinar programme provides an opportunity for our members to benefit from the specialist expertise of our endorsed Associates. All our Associates have experience working with early-stage food and drink businesses and understand the challenges that come with the territory.  All topics are relevant to food and drink producers and include a wide range of subjects including aspects of business administration as well as production management. Online Courses Our courses provide foundational information for start-ups. Topics include understanding Natasha’s Law, recipe costing, and tips for no-cost promotional activities.   Knowledge Bank Our knowledge bank is an excellent source of reports and guides that provide information on a wide range of food safety, trading standards and other compliance information. All materials are published by leading UK food and drink authorities. The Membership Team is always happy to help our members make the most of these resources and find what they need. Join Here Celebrating the best at the Taste of the West awards! The team recently attended the Taste of the West awards ceremony at Sandy Park in Exeter. We were thrilled to see RaviOllie champion light snack and light eat and Holly Chocs as champion chocolate for the winners of the two categories we had sponsored. The evening was a celebration of the West Countries finest food and drink businesses and it was great to see so many fantastic people be congratulated for their hard work and commitment. Congratulations to all of the winners and runners up! Taste of the West Conference The Future of Food & Drink in the South West Food WorksSW welcomed more than 80 attendees to the Bishop Fleming, Taste of the West and Trowers & Hamlins regional event in October that brought together food and drink businesses to explore the future of the sector, reflecting on challenges and opportunities that are being faced. Attendees heard from Karl Tucker, Chair of The Great South West Partnership and Yeo Valley,  Mel Squires, Director for NFU SouthWest,  Jon Brookes, Partnerships Director at Ecosurety, Chris Ormrod, CEO at Cakesmiths and Chris Milton, former Sales Director Thatchers Cider from their experience, views and insights as to what next for the industry in the region. The event provided great networking opportunities as well as a chance for attendees to tour the facilities at the Centre. Other News Development Kitchens The kitchens have been a hive of activity with some really exciting visits lately. We’ve had numerous pub/hotel chains developing their festive and New Year menu’s. These have included South West organisations Butcombe and Stay Original Co as well as KE hotels who were developing a menu for the opening of their new hotel. Each of the companies had their own concepts and it was great to see the variety of menu’s on offer and some fantastic new ideas! Last week we also welcomed NHS supply chain who were showcasing the work of Hospital Caterers Association. The businesses made the most of the facilities at the centre by using both the development kitchens and meeting rooms in sync - perfect spaces for preparations and presentations as you can see below. Find out about our development kitchens here A message from Too Good To Go… "Too Good To Go is a social impact company that. In 2022 alone, we helped over 80,000 new businesses save nearly 80 million meals from the bin. You may have noticed our users coming on site to collect surprise bags from both the café and Kinda Co. who've been saving with us since 2021. We're incredibly proud of our partnership with Food Works SW and are happy to announce that we can now offer a 6 month free trial to all of Food Works' partners! Meaning you can start reducing waste and recouping sunk costs with zero risk and zero admin fees.” Cameron, the local TGTG rep for the will be more than happy for anyone to reach out to his email with any questions or to set them up with an account. You can get in touch with Cameron here Copyright (C) *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*. 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