Food businesses wanted for international publication

Sustainable food is worth £8.64billion to the UK economy. 

Driven by increasing consumer appetite and new legislation, buyers from retail, wholesale and the public sector are actively seeking suppliers that can help them meet this growing market demand.

Ecostudio is preparing a publication for the Welsh Government to promote how innovative food businesses profit through brands, products and services that benefit the environment and local communities.

We are seeking up to 10 food businesses from Wales to be included in this publication.

This is a free promotional opportunity. Please get in touch before 5pm Friday 17^th February 2017

Contact:

Iain Cox

m: 07827 815876
e: iain@ecostudio.org.uk

We have an immediate requirement for a sustainable food researcher.

You'll be working with us on the Sustainable Supply Chains initiative a Welsh Government funded project that we've been running in partnership with f3 since 2009.

Your role will be to help us develop the Sustainable Business Review - a new self assessment toolkit for food and farming businesses that we are launching to the industry throughout Wales.

This is a 3 month fixed term post until the end of July 2015.

For further information and to apply for the role here.

Abergavenny Food Conference - a talk by Iain Cox with Debbie Handley of the RRU Community Food Co-ops

We were delighted to deliver a talk at the Abergavenny Food Conference last month alongside some inspirational speakers covering a broad range of topics about innovation in local food.

Hosted by Miller Research and now in it's 8th year the Conference is an integral part of the the annual, award winning, Abergavenny Food Festival.

Click here to watch us on YouTube.

Here's the blurb:

How doing business sustainably helps small food enterprises gain commercial advantage

Many food enterprises play a positive role in local communities and the environment. All too often however these efforts go unnoticed and growth opportunities are missed.

This talk draws on Ecostudio's work supporting small businesses to demonstrate their contribution to sustainable development.

It includes a working example of the RRU Community Food Co-ops 10 point sustainability plan.

Free sustainable business coaching for Welsh food companies!

Ecostudio are offering an opportunity for up to 6 food companies to receive up to 2 half-day sustainable business coaching sessions. We're providing this free of charge subject to eligibility.

There are numerous benefits that food companies can gain from doing this. For example, food businesses that demonstrate good practices can take advantage of new opportunities in areas such as supplying the public sector, selling to retail and hospitality, or selling direct to consumers.

Ecostudio in collaboration with f3 have been awarded Welsh Government funding to develop the Welsh food supply chain.

Further information can be found on the project website. Click here.

If you’re interested in this opportunity email us asap we’ll call you to discuss in more detail.

Monitoring and evaluating social enterprise and community food initiatives

Sustainable development isn’t just about the environment, it’s about social responsibility and economic benefit. This is widely talked about, but when it comes to putting sustainable business into practice it can raise different challenges that requires a new set of skills.

In recent years political, academic, industry and consumer interest has grown considerably in this area which has given rise to the development of businesses with social and environmental conscience. Social enterprises are seen as way forward by enabling communities to take ownership of initiatives that contribute back.

Like any business, social enterprises need to demonstrate their benefits they provide to the communities they serve. However because these can include environmental and social benefits aswell as a financial profit the way these benefits are captured requires so much more than a profit and loss balance sheet or an environmental management system.

Over the last year or so Ecostudio have been working with leading social enterprises and community initiatives to establish sustainable performance indicators and a practical methodology for benchmarking these benefits. This has provided a straightforward way to demonstrate a social businesses contribution to a sustainable future and offers a practical way forward for planning for the future.

A feature on one of our clients will follow……please check back soon….or contact us for more info.

What does Ecostudio do?

We're often asked this question and this will all be included in our new website launching later this month - here's a summary (feel free to contact us to find out more):

We work together with business and the public sector to apply environmentally innovative and socially responsible practice in the food and drink industry.

We combine our knowledge with our client's experience of their marketplace. We work with them to ensure their business objectives are met in the most sustainable way. Our experience shows that it's better to help people make their own decisions.

Our approach is different and our results are more sustainable.

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