The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) has launched a new Scottish Wholesale Local Food and Drink Growth Fund.
Secured from the Scottish Government, the £195,000 fund, seeks to further support wholesalers and food producers to increase the volume of local Scottish produce being sold through wholesale channels.
The fund offers up to £10,000 per business and is open for applications from 13 August 2024 to 6 September 2024.
It is open to food and drink wholesalers who sell into the Scottish retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, licensed on-trade and the public sector, and who have premises and employees based in Scotland.
The initiative aim to increase sales of Scottish produce sold through Scottish wholesalers to 35% of baseline sales.
It comes as part of SWA’s Delivering Growth Through Wholesale (DGTW) local sourcing programme which has delievred over 320 new Scottish product listings since it launched in 2021.
If a producer has completed the DGTW training programme, this will be taken into consideration when awarding funds. Similarly, if the wholesaler has trained Wholesale Local Food Champions in their business, this will be taken into account.
Financial support from the fund can be used for a range of purposes, from helping businesses resource their capability to become a “local sourcing” wholesaler to creating a local sourcing strategy and monitoring processes.
Successful applicants might also consider training and/or financing a local/regional sourcing buyer and putting funding towards creating joint business plans with producers.
Colin Smith SWA chief executive commented: “We are delighted to have secured this funding from the Scottish Government – it recognises the role that wholesale must play regarding support for local producers and demonstrates confidences in our DGTW programme which is gaining momentum and striking a chord with both wholesalers and producers.
He said that the new fund aims to help promote a sustainable and prosperous food and drink wholesale industry in Scotland, as well as helping economic recovery for manufacturers and producers post-Covid.
“Investment in wholesale is not just about gaining more listings of ‘local’ products but about strengthening Scotland’s local supply chains,” Smith noted. “This gives local producers national opportunities and provides the public sector with a greater opportunity to support local producers.
“Increasing local choice and availability helps underpin a strong wholesale supply chain for producers and manufacturers of all sizes, across the whole of the UK. It is also about reducing food miles and supporting Scotland to become more self-sufficient in where our food is grown.”
The initiative aligns with the Scottish Government’s vision to become a Good Food Nation and supports local food strategies.
Wholesalers can apply for the funding here.
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