Investment boost for Cornish food, drink, fishing and farming

March 17th, 2024 by Keren Cooksey

From farming to fishing, fine wines to mature cheeses, land to sea, bean to bar… Cornish food and drink is rich and varied and renowned far and wide for its quality. But the industry is also facing headwinds in the shape of subsidy reform, the need to decarbonise, cost pressures and labour shortages.

Here at the Great Cornish Food Store we are therefore incredibly pleased to be launching a major new project, funded by an investment of over £500,000 from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme.

‘Raising the Bar’ aims to build the strength, success and resilience of our local food, drink, farming and fishing, while making Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the UK’s number one region for low impact food production.

We’ll provide access to a wide range of skills, knowledge and tools to help businesses boost performance, attract talent, find new customers and explore new markets. Half of the Good Growth funding will go straight into the industry via new easy to access grants of up to £5,000 (match funded) to support eligible projects.

In line with Cornwall’s  ‘Good Growth’ principles we will focus on carbon neutral, nature-rich food production and encourage wider adoption of clean and green practices.

We are also creating the Great Cornish Food Academy to attract new talent by showcasing the wide range of potential careers to 14-16 year-olds and offering ‘have-a-go’ taster sessions to anyone interested in making a move into food, drink, farming or fishing.

A new Great Cornish Food Awards scheme will encourage and celebrate excellence, while a programme of events, promotion and development will open up opportunities for those looking to reach new markets.

We have always been passionate about helping the industry we love thrive and flourish. It’s part of what makes us so much more than a shop. Through this project we will help achieve that by showcasing, sustaining and evolving our food and drink and the people behind it in a new and engaging way.

For more information on what’s happening and how to get involved, hop across to the Cornwall Food & Drink website. 

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