Speciality Bites from Paul Hargreaves of Cotswold Fayre

This week’s blog is one of the easiest to write as some of my suppliers have written it for me. Simply put, it seems that Cotswold Fayre’s inaugural supplier conference was an event unique to the speciality food sector. Never before have over 100 speciality food and drink brand owners and producers been together in a conference before. Sure there are plenty of trade shows and the like, but these do not engage people together like the event last week.

There were presentations from suppliers, Cotswold Fayre managers and sales team and a customer. The theme of the event was “Working in Partnership for Mutual Growth”. So it is true, despite what Fine Food Digest says, that wholesalers actually do encourage producers to talk to and get involved with retailers. (more…)

I must be getting old – 4 days at Speciality Food Show and I was completely exhausted for the rest of the week.  It was a big event for Cotswold Fayre this year with over 50 suppliers at the show which does, of course, vastly increase the amount of visitors to our stand.  In fact this show we see as being the key one of the year, so much so it is a condition of our taking on new brands that they exhibit at Speciality and Fine Food Fair in their first year with us at least.

As usual even from lunchtime on the first day I was being asked “How is the show for you?” (more…)