Outer Hebrides Meet the Producer Uist Tour - Sourcing Scotland Regional Event

Outer Hebrides Sourcing Scotland/Meet the Producer tour is taking place on the 6^th and 7^th of September in Uist. Buyers, tourism and hospitality professionals, digital content creators and other participants will meet island food and drink producers and businesses to learn more about what they do.

Delegates, travelling from as far as London, include prominent Scottish food, drink and  travel writer Adele Conn, also known as Tartan Spoon, The Scotsman’s SCRAN podcast team, chefs, deli owners, community shop buyers, food tour organisers, and Mairi Gougeon MSP Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform & the Islands.

Designed to build relationships with buyers, introduce them to new products, secure future business and to promote local produce and networking, the tour is one of a number of regional Sourcing Scotland events across the country supported by Scotland Food & Drink and is phase two of the Outer Hebrides programme, which saw a highly successful event hosted in Lewis and Harris in March of this year. 

The group will experience ‘Food with a View’ at its very best, tasting some of the finest examples of locally produced award-winning artisan food and drink that Uist has to offer. Businesses include those specialising in smoked salmon, venison, salt, and island gin.

The will day round off with a BBQ showcasing local produce.

The Outer Hebrides’ traditional crofting and fishing practices generate a variety of unique local produce from a fresh and unpolluted environment.  Eat Drink Hebrides, part of Outer Hebrides Tourism, was established in 2016 to champion the producers and preparers of these products, supporting food and drink businesses from Barra to the Butt of Lewis.  The network now has almost 100 members and acts as the Scotland Food & Drink’s Regional Food Group for the islands.

The Sourcing Scotland series of events brings together suppliers with buyers from retail, wholesale, and foodservice to help grow the sales of Scottish products across the country. 
   
Fiona Richmond, Head of Regional Food at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Over the past couple of years we have seen consumers grow increasingly aware of where their food and drink is coming from, and buyers need to meet the demand for locally produced products. Local events such as the one in Uist play an important role in bringing producers and buyers together to build relationships and create sales and we are delighted to be able to facilitate those conversations.”