“The Regional Food Fund is providing much-needed support to local businesses, producers and community groups to showcase the best products that their regions have to offer. To date, over £750,000 has been awarded to 160 projects across Scotland.” – Mairi Gougeon, Rural Affairs Secretary in the Scottish Government

22 projects across Scotland have been successful in the latest round of the Regional Food Fund. Although none of the projects are in Orkney, Shetland’s Up Helly Aa Market, run by Shetland Food and Drink was successful. Twenty five market stalls will be serving up a feast of Shetland’s produce to locals and visitors at the renowned annual fire festival, Up Helly Aa which this year takes place on  Tuesday 30th January.

The Regional Food Fund, managed by the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership, aims to provide support for small-scale regional, collaborative projects across the country, with funding from The Scottish Government.

The 22 successful projects are:

1. Aberdeen Restaurant Week,  Aberdeen BID (Business Improvement District)
2. Angus Food and Drink Trails Development,  Appetite for Angus
3. Online Digital Marketing & PR,  Scottish Honeyberry Growers
4. Tea Scotland Promotional Campaign,  Tea Scotland
5. South of Scotland Food & Drink Legends,  South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA)
6. Newton Stewart Food Market,  Newton Stewart Initiative
7. Dundee Eat Week,  M.ad Agency Ltd
8. Forth Valley Food Tales,  Forth Valley Food and Drink
9. Glasgow Food & Drink Week, Experience Glasgow Food & Drink
10. Shortbread Showdown,  Visit Inverness Loch Ness
11. Taster of Inverness, Visit Inverness Loch Ness
12. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Hub Sheds, Lauriston Agroecology Farm
13. Spring Market at Byres Farm, Byres & Avva Collaboration
14. Taste of Moray Speyside, Visit Moray Speyside
15. An Arran Food Journey from the land to your basket, Arran’s Food Journey
16. Eat Drink Hebrides online shop,  Eat Drink Hebrides
17. Locally Away (Perthshire)
18. Renfrewshire Food; First Step Forward,  Tenement Kitchen
19. Bad Girl Bakery Cookschool,  Bad Girl Bakery
20. Up Helly Aa Market,  Shetland Food and Drink
21. The Food Foraging Collaboration, Love Loch Lomond
22. Scotland’s LADHA (pronounced Larder), LADHA – Scotland

Grants of up to £5,000 were awarded to help to promote food products from their region and establish new markets. A fourth round of funding opened in October 2023, with a total of £100,000 available.

Head of Regional Food at Scotland Food & Drink Fiona Richmond said:

“It is fantastic to once again deliver the Regional Food Fund and support 22 exciting projects across Scotland. It is evident from the variety of projects that the desire to nurture a thriving local food scene and develop food and drink experiences is as strong as ever.

“All these projects play a part in making Scotland a renowned food tourism destination. We’d like to congratulate all the successful applicants and we look forward to working with them over the next year.”

Rural Affairs Secretary in the Scottish Government Mairi Gougeon commented:

“Scotland has some of the best food and drink in the world – the industry is worth £15 billion to our economy, supports thousands of jobs and businesses and is a success story at home and internationally.

“But there is no doubt that the sector has borne the brunt of an array of significant challenges in recent years and has repeatedly had to respond and adapt as a result.

“The Regional Food Fund is providing much-needed support to local businesses, producers and community groups to showcase the best products that their regions have to offer. To date, over £750,000 has been awarded to 160 projects across Scotland.

“The Fund is part of our wider Good Food Nation plans to improve the availability of local, high quality food, whilst also ensuring our food industry continues to grow in a way that is profitable and sustainable.”