New Web Portal www.yearoffoodanddrink.com Launched Responding to Growing Demand for Unforgettable Food and Drink Experiences

Do Something Delicious, the online food and drink experiential marketplace, has launched a new online portal to showcase Scottish food and drink products and experiences during Scotland's Year of Food and Drink 2015 at www.yearoffoodanddrink.com

To mark the launch of the website and encourage more businesses to test out marketplace selling as a platform, all listing fees for businesses signing up have been scrapped until the end of September 2015.

Do Something Delicious, launched by the team behind Savour the Flavours and Flavour Fortnight at the end of 2014, provides business support, product development and a 'shop window' for food and drink gifts and experiences.

Building on her experience with Savour the Flavours, Dumfries & Galloway's regional food and drink network, which ceased activity in 2013, Director Liz Ramsay said the web portal had been developed in response to feedback from Scottish food and drink businesses:

Liz said: “We launched Do Something Delicious in December 2014 to bring small businesses together and support them to deliver innovative products. Savour the Flavours worked with producers, chefs, retailers, farmers' markets, events and consumers to raise awareness of the exceptional local produce to be found in Dumfries & Galloway and, on the back of this, Do Something Delicious was born to support businesses from across the UK.

“As soon as we got chatting to Scottish businesses we realised the Year of Food and Drink was the ideal platform to promote artisanal, Scottish food and drink products.

“We are aiming to complement and add value to the Year of Food and Drink Scotland 2015 campaign, which is a Scottish Government initiative  led by VisitScotland with support from Scotland Food & Drink, Think Local and other partners, by supporting producers and other businesses who wish to make the most of the opportunities available in 2015.

“Scotland is an unforgettable destination where food is concerned – the public want access to unique food and drink experiences, whether that's a tasting, a tour or a hands-on workshop. The new website will host a variety of experiences and products and visitors will be able to book directly through the site.”

Scottish food experience providers already signed up include: Cairn o' Mohr Winery in Perthshire; Ally Bremner, a Salmon Fishing Instructor from the Scottish Borders; Duke Street Countryside Cook School in East Lothian; Waulkmill Cider in Dumfriesshire; and Forrest Estate Experiences in Galloway.

Andrew Case of Forrest Estate Experiences provides fishing tuition and country sports experiences with a foodie twist to individuals and groups of visitors from across the world.  He was one of the first businesses to sign up to the new initiative and he said that experience based tourism offers tremendous potential for food businesses.

Andrew said: “Scotland is known for its stunning landscapes, fresh quality food and its international appeal.  Thinking about how we can involve visitors in unique, memorable, educational and inspirational experiences gives Scotland's many food and drink producers a real opportunity to shine.  Food tourism is something Scotland does naturally, but discovering these food tourism experiences can be difficult.  The approach taken by the Do Something Delicious team in bringing people who offer these experiences together is fantastic and I signed up as soon as I heard about it.  It gives me a platform to showcase my business and support at the end of the phone to discuss ideas and plans.”     

Fiona Richmond Scotland Food & Drink Project Manager said: “Do Something Delicious is supporting the promotion of Scottish producers during the Year of Food and Drink which will continue to grow the industry's profile. Thanks to our excellent provenance and the quality of our fantastic larder, Scotland is rightly reputed as a Land of Food and Drink.

“The Year is being celebrated by a plethora of food and drink festivals, food trails and themed menus - the products and experiences promoted by the site highlight the wealth and variety of food and drink activities visitors and locals can enjoy.”

Scotland's Food Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “Scotland has a stellar reputation as a Land of Food and Drink – and it is a reputation that is well deserved. From our popular whiskies and specialist beers to our fresh tasty Scotch Beef, succulent seafood, Stornoway Black Pudding, and Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop Cheese which was recently awarded EU protected status, Scotland is home to a fine variety of delicious food and beverages that are the envy of countries around the world.

 “This is Scotland's Year of Food and Drink and I am pleased to see so many Scottish food and drink businesses getting behind our campaigns to eat and sell fresh, local in-season produce. This year gives us a great opportunity to showcase the fantastic natural larder Scotland offers, our impeccable provenance credentials and iconic products that are loved both at home and abroad. I hope everyone gets behind the industry and supports it throughout the Year of Food and Drink and beyond.”

As part of the Year of Food & Drink celebrations April has been named the month of 'Award Winning Food', and award winning food producers including Mara Seaweed, Scotia Spice, Galloway Chillies and iQ Chocolate are among the Scottish food producers signing up to be involved.

Mara Seaweed was recently named the only Scottish finalist in the prestigious BBC Food & Farming Awards, in the category of Best Food Producer.

Fiona Houston, CEO of Mara, said:  "YearofFoodandDrink.com is a great platform to celebrate the delicious food produced lovingly and authentically, and Mara Seaweed is very happy to be part of this exciting new food journey.  2015 is a big year for Mara too and with 2015 being Scotland's Year of Food and Drink we are proud to be flying the flag for Scotland by reaching the final three in  BBC Food & Farming Awards for Best Producer.  We are hugely excited about the potential to grow the Mara brand alongside partners like Do Something Delicious."

On responding to the Year of Food and Drink initiative, Liz Ramsay added: “Year of Food and Drink gives us all a reason to think a little differently, perhaps more innovatively, about our industry and about our relationships with customers.  We want to bring businesses together to support them to develop their products and experiences and to share their passions.

“Food and drink producers are often very modest about what they do, and marketplaces can be a good way to overcome that modesty.  YearofFoodandDrink.com is all about making artisan and speciality food and drink more active, participatory and connected; helping businesses shout that bit louder and helping members of the public uncover delicious and unforgettable experiences.”

You can find the new website portal at www.yearoffoodanddrink.com

The Do Something Delicious website hosts bookable experiences and products from around the UK. For more information visit www.dosomethingdelicious.com

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