Welsh drinks producers will this week attend their first major trade event outside of the country in two years when they take to the stand at Northern Restaurant & Bar 2022 (NRB22).
Held at Manchester Central Convention Complex on 15 and 16 March, NRB22 is the first event of its kind outside of Wales for the group since early 2020, and it brings a buzz of anticipation for the six Welsh producers who are exhibiting under the auspices of Cywain.
Hafod Brewing Company Ltd, Mug Run Coffee, GasmDrinks, Flowerhorn Brewery, The Fungtional Brew Company Ltd, and Derw Coffee will be showing their ranges of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and hope to make inroads into the north of England’s vibrant hospitality sector.
With a network of development managers throughout Wales, the Cywain project works with food and drink producers across Wales, helping them grow and develop their business, with support in a range of areas, including marketing, brand development and finance. An important part of that work includes supporting producers at events and with test trading.
The stand at NRB22 will also feature a display of products by members of Food & Drink Wales Fine Food Cluster, which is facilitated by Cywain.
Alex James, Cywain’s Marketing and Events Team Leader, said:
Now regulations have relaxed and the events calendar is getting back on track, we are delighted to be able to take this fantastic group of drinks producers to NRB22.
“Attending events such as NRB is incredibly important for businesses who have the desire to grow their customer base beyond the Welsh border.
While many businesses successfully adapted to operating on virtual platforms during the pandemic, you can’t really beat meeting people in person.”
The six drinks producers are also part of Cywain’s drive to highlight Welsh food and drink to potential new markets and customer bases.
Alex James said:
We also want to demonstrate to hospitality and trade customers in Manchester and the north of England the easy accessibility of innovative and high-quality Welsh produce, which can bring an extra dimension to their menus and offerings to customers.”
Co-owner, Sam Davies, said:
We attended a few events towards the end of last year which went really well. Northern Restaurant and Bar is ideal for us, as we already have connections with a few restaurants in Manchester. We hope to build on those relationships and also bring Gasm to an even wider audience.”
