On the eve of the competition’s launch for 2018/19, it’s been announced that the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards has another slice of sponsorship, writes Anna Murby.
It comes in the form of Northampton wholefood retailer Daily Bread, which is joining the prestigious line up of long-standing sponsors, including Booker, Weetabix, Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment and British Pepper and Spice, by becoming a category sponsor of the competition designed to celebrate all that is best about the county’s food and drink sector.
The final details of the new category, which will be open to vegetarian and vegan producers, won’t be unveiled until the launch of the tenth year of the Awards next month, but Daily Bread’s Worker Co-operative Member, John Clarke, explained why the much-loved co-operative is getting involved: “We are delighted to become a sponsor of these awards and excited to enable the addition of this new category as it perfectly mirrors our ethical stance and our passion for the promotion of vegetarian and vegan produce.
“We’re also proud to stock as much Fairtrade, organic and local produce as possible and, as we embark on Fairtrade Fortnight, this seemed the ideal opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to this valuable competition and what it has achieved over the nine years” he enthused.
The partnership is the latest step in an exciting twelve months for the retailer which saw its Bedford Road premises undergo a facelift last spring, only for it to then pick up the title of ‘Growing Co-operative of the Year’ in the 2017 Co-op of the Year Awards last July.
The victory came as a result of its efforts in supporting similar businesses to launch by providing advice and mentoring, its generous donations to local and international good causes and in making its 4000-strong product range of wholefoods, environmentally friendly cleaning products and cruelty-free bodycare products available to customers across the UK, thanks to its increasingly popular online business.
The full details of the tenth year of the Awards are being kept under wraps until the launch which is taking place on Thursday 8th March at Moulton College in Northampton, sponsor of the ‘Artisan Local Sweet Product of the Year’ category.
Guests including sponsors, supporters and former winners will not only learn more about the new line-up of categories which will mark a decade of the competition but also have chance to see first-hand the latest stage in the construction of the College’s Food and Drink Technology Academy which opens in September.
For more information about this year’s competition, including downloading entry forms, nomination forms or becoming a sponsor, please visit www.northamptonshirefoodanddrink.co.uk (after the 8th March launch) or email rachel@themallowscompany.com or call 01933 664437.
You can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/foodawards
Meanwhile for more details about Daily Bread, or to order online, please visit www.dailybread.co.uk or call 01604 621531.
