Funding has been granted to initiatives across Scotland to help celebrate Scotland’s regional food and drink industries.

A total of 23 projects (see below) will share £104,500 awarded via the Connect Local Regional Food Fund.

Grant recipients include the Annan Harbour Festival, the Glenkens Food Month, and the Skye Food and Drink Festival.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said, “Providing funding to regional projects is just one of the ways we are supporting the industry’s ambition to raise the value of Scotland’s food and drink sector by 2030 to £30 billion.

“These grants are being provided in order to stimulate the growth of these great local food initiatives, and encourage more people to appreciate and enjoy our amazing local produce. By doing so we help our domestic markets to grow, supporting local economies, and providing consumers with access to healthy, locally-grown produce.

“Reducing the number of miles food has to travel from farm to fork will also help us to achieve Scotland’s climate change ambitions.”

Ceri Ritchie, project manager, Connect Local, said, “Once again, we’ve been impressed with the level and quality of applications to the fund. It’s clear that there is there is a great deal of energy for, and commitment to, developing regional food projects that benefit local communities. Our congratulations to all the recipients and we look forward to celebrating and promoting their successes over the coming months.”

The recipients are as follows:
Annan Harbour Festival £4k
Artisan Larder£5k
Berneray £1,233
CLIMAVORE: Educate £5k
Deeside Local Food Festival £5k
East Lothian Food & Drink Ltd's Website Project £5k
East Neuk Salt Company £5k
Flowers to Food - Pollination in sustainable agriculture & retail £4,881
Food Heritage Scotland Scoping Study £5k
Forres Feast £5k
Future Food in Fife £5k
Galloway £3.75k
Glenkens Food Month £5k
Mey Highland Games scio £5k
Micro-greens Expansion £2k
New Gin Festival £4k
Scottish Organic Produce Showcase £5k
Skye Food & Drink Festival £5k
Spirit of Alba Gin and Whisky Festival £5k
St Andrews Street Market £4.5k
Taste Islay & Jura £5k
The Crafty Drinks Experiment £5k
Turriff Show Food and Drink Pavilion £5k

The Connect Local Regional Food Fund (RFF) is a grant to support growth in Scotland’s local / regional food and drink sector. This is a competitive fund and applicants can apply for grants up to a maximum of £5000.