Food and drink producers are being encouraged to enter the Wales Food & Drink Awards 2025 as the entry deadline fast approaches.
These awards are now in their fourth year and offer 16 categories celebrating businesses of all sizes, from innovative start-ups to established brands. Companies can enter up to two categories free of charge.
The 2025 awards are sponsored by independent food service wholesaler Castell Howell.
Haydn Pugh, Sales and Marketing Director at Castell Howell, said:
“As a long-standing supporter of the Welsh food and drink industry we encourage businesses of all sizes to enter. It is a fantastic opportunity to be recognised, build brand awareness, and grow your business.”
Brooke’s Wye Valley Dairy won Wales Food & Drink Farm to Fork Producer of the Year 2024.
They said:
“Winning the Farm to Fork Producer of the year award was a huge boost for our team. It reinforced our commitment to quality and sustainability and introduced us to new customers who value locally sourced produce.”
Ben Roberts, Wales Food & Drink Apprentice of the Year 2022, said:
“Winning this award was a huge springboard event for myself in 2022 and led on to more successes. It gave me a huge confidence boost and was great recognition to all the effort and support that goes into my career. The self-belief this award gave me allowed me to compete at the World Butchers Challenge with huge confidence which in turn led to great success.”
Do Goodly Foods, which won Wales Food & Drink Start-up Business of the Year 2022, said:
“On the back of this win it has enabled us to continue to grow by expanding our customer and consumer base and also launching new products to the market.”
The categories include:
- Wales Food & Drink Start-Up of the Year
- Wales Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year
- Wales Food & Drink Exporter of the Year
- Wales Food & Drink Apprentice of the Year
- Wales Food & Drink Innovation Award
- Wales Food & Drink Sustainable Values Award
- Wales Food & Drink Rising Star of the Year
- Wales Food & Drink Scale up Company of the Year
- Wales Food & Drink Community Award
- Wales Food Producer of the Year
- Wales Large Drinks Producer of the year
- Wales Small Drinks Producer of the year
- Wales Food & Drink Artisan Business of the Year
- Business Resilience Award
- Farm-to-Fork Business of the Year
- Wales Food & Drink Champion of the Year
The category sponsors and supporters for 2025 are ASDA, BIC Innovation, Cambrian Training, Food and Drink Federation Wales, Food Innovation Wales, Hugh James, Mentera, NFU Mutual, Pembrokeshire Creamery, Shirgar, Stills, and Welsh Government. Visit Conwy are venue sponsors, CPS Print are Print Sponsors, and Business News Wales return as media sponsors.
The application deadline is February 21 and finalists will be announced in March 2025. Winners will be revealed at the black-tie awards ceremony on May 22 2025 at Venue Cymru, Llandudno.
For entry details, judging criteria, and category information, visit the website
