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LOCAL SOURCING
WHOLESALE: SCOTTISH WHOLESALE ASSOCIATION
SWA STRATEGY HIGHLIGHTS FRESH LOCAL SOURCING OPPORTUNITIES
THE SCOTTISH WHOLESALE ASSOCIATION HAS UNVEILED A NEWSTRATEGY THAT AIMS TO SHINE A SPOTLIGHT ON NEW LOCALSOURCING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRODUCERS IN SCOTLAND.
The Scottish Wholesale Association has embarked on an ambitious project to help its members and the wider wholesale sector engage with more local producers and help them access new markets.
Working with the Scottish Agricultural Organisations Society (SAOS) and with support through the Scottish Government’s recovery plans to help rebuild the wholesale industry post-Covid, the SWA is developing a Local Food Logistics strategy that will enable producers to better understand the role of the wholesale sector in the wider supply chain.
Consultant and former wholesaler John Forteith is project lead and chairman of the steering group which comprises high-profile individuals from national and regional wholesale businesses across Scotland. The group is exploring how wholesalers are currently sourcing and connecting with local food producers, manufacturers and suppliers, identifying key barriers and establishing what is needed to increase local sourcing ability.
Forteith said: “This is a really important initiative designed to deliver tangible benefits for Scottish suppliers and wholesalers alike at a time when our industry needs all the help it can get to keep our wheels moving and diversify into new markets as we emerge from the pandemic.”
A survey conducted by the SWA earlier this year showed that its members’ current local/Scottish food offering is typically around 30%. Colin Smith, SWA Chief Executive, said: “SWA’s aspiration is to agree a target for increasing and benchmarking against this figure. Increasing this by a further 10%, for example, would be a significant boost to food and drink producers in Scotland.”
With phase one of the project looking at the barriers and developing the best way for the industry to educate and connect with producers now complete, phase two is currently in development. This phase aims to create an industryagreed standardised education and training programme that can be delivered either through SWA workshops or by individual members at a local level.
To help highlight both the benefits and learnings from using the wholesale distribution model, the SWA has enlisted the help of three differentsized and well-known companies – Summer Harvest Oils, Mackie’s of Scotland and Barr Soft Drinks – to share their stories on how they “won in wholesale”.
With the project aligned to Scotland’s recovery action plans, the final phase will see local/regional trials supported by Scotland Food & Drink as well as the creation of a Scottish Wholesale Association centrallymanaged directory for producers and suppliers to use as a means of connecting with wholesalers.
Smith added: “The SWA sits on the Food Tourism Strategy Group and was a member of the Scottish Government’s Tourism Recovery Taskforce, set up during the first coronavirus lockdown last year. As part of this, one recommendation was to increase the consumption and promotion of Scotland’s food and drink – something that was already on our radar.
“Our Local Sourcing Logistics strategy will accelerate that and help us achieve our objective to distribute more local goods onto the shelves of Scotland’s 5,000 convenience stores and onto plates in the 30,000 hospitality, tourism and leisure outlets.
“It’s all about helping our sector become resilient to challenges and get us ready to capitalise on new opportunities, at the same time educating Scottish producers that wholesale is a £2.9bn industry and a dynamic route to market.”
Wholesalers supporting the project include Braehead Foods, Williamson’s Foodservice, Lomond Wholesale, CJ Lang, Total Produce, Brakes Scotland and JW Gray.
