Scottish Food and Drink Leaders to Gather in Aberdeen to Grow the Sector

More than 250 food and drink business leaders are expected to gather in Aberdeen in March next year as part of an industry conference, hosted by Scotland Food & Drink, aimed at helping accelerate growth for the sector.

Producers from the length and breadth of the country are invited to hear from and to meet major buyers and influential figures from retail, food service and hospitality as well as government, enterprise agencies and growth partners.

Scotland’s food and drink sector is currently valued at a record £19 billion, a total that the Scotland Food & Drink Industry Conference 2027 aims to increase to £30 billion by 2030.

The conference will be held at the P&J Live arena in Aberdeen for the first time on 3 March 2027 and will feature a wide range of expert speakers on key growth topics including practical support on accessing new markets, growing shelf-space for Scottish products, net zero, and succession planning. The speaker line-up combines sector experts from leadership organisations, the heads of some of Scotland’s most successful food and drink businesses, and major retailers including Aldi, Sainsbury’s and ASDA.

Attendees will be the first to access new and exclusive trends data to equip them for building market opportunities, as well as the chance to connect and build relationships with key potential buyers.

Research from The Knowledge Bank, Scotland Food & Drink’s insights hub, found that more than half of Scots said that ‘made in Scotland’ provenance was important to them (51%), and the vast majority (87%) want to be able to buy more food and drink produced in Scotland. However, consumer spending power in Scotland remains a cause for concern with three quarters (75%) of Scots identifying cost of living pressures as a concern. A third also highlighted food prices as a concern.

So, while there is a desire for more Scottish products in Scottish baskets, price and economic pressure mean that producers need to balance serving the domestic market while also growing into the rest of the UK and internationally. The Scotland Food & Drink Industry Conference 2027 will provide the support, knowledge and insight to help producers reach build their markets and ultimately grow.

Iain Baxter, CEO of Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Our sector has an £11 billion in potential growth between now and 2030. To achieve that we need to match the ambition of our businesses with the practical tools they need to seize on the opportunity.

“The Scotland Food & Drink Industry Conference in March is a unique opportunity for businesses to be part of the conversation around the future of our sector and empower them with insights, connections, practical guidance and inspiration to realise this growth potential.

“Our sector is unique in its collaboration and shared determination to grow and make Scotland the best place in the world to own, operate or work in a food and drink business. Our £19 billion valuation is a positive reflection on the endeavour and entrepreneurial spirit of our business leaders, but as global appetites for the premium products we produce grows, we have to be prepared to take advantage of that demand.”

ONE SeedPod has been confirmed as headline partner for the event.  

Alan Thorpe, Director of ONE Food & Drink, said: “We are excited about partnering with Scotland Food & Drink to bring this conference to Aberdeen for the first time. ONE SeedPod is Scotland’s innovation hub and located just up from the conference venue, so we’re looking forward to showing a national audience the exciting innovation and development happening here in the north east of Scotland.” 

To find out more about the Scotland Food & Drink Industry Conference 2027 and to book your tickets, please visit: industryconference.foodanddrink.scot