Foodservice supplier Bidfood Scotland has opened a new area within its e-commerce platform, Bidfood Direct, that is completely dedicated to Scottish produce.
The new platform is live now and gives food and drink manufacturers the opportunity to get their products in front of Bidfood’s trade customer base of chefs, caterers and buyers.
The Scottish online platform has been delivered as part of a new funding partnership with Scotland Food & Drink.
Bidfood supplies more than 10,000 products to over 45,000 caterers and foodservice businesses around the UK. In Scotland, it services over 5,000 customers with interests in a range of sectors, including pubs, restaurants and hotels; retail, travel and leisure; business and industry; hospitals and care homes; and schools and universities. Bidfood Scotland has a growing range of over 700 locally sourced products from more than 100 Scottish suppliers and is keen to support further growth.
The new online platform will see Scottish suppliers to Bidfood auto enrolled, with hopes to grow sales of Scottish food and drink and increase accessibility of a wider variety of products from producers across the country.
Representing a broad spectrum of Scotland’s larder, the shop will include products from all categories, including fish, meat, dairy, bakery, deli & store cupboard, and alcohol & soft drinks. To expand the offering further, the partnership between Scotland Food & Drink and Bidfood Scotland will also include a ‘meet the buyer’ event for new suppliers in the coming months.
Promoting local produce is a key tenet of the recently launched Scotland Food & Drink industry strategy, ‘Sustaining Scotland. Supplying the world’.
The Bidfood partnership comes during the annual Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, which this year encourages consumers, buyers and suppliers to celebrate the food and drink businesses on our doorsteps.
Stephanie Pritchard, Head of UK Market Development at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Scotland is full of passionate suppliers, and buyers who are keen to maximise Scottish produce on their menus and plates. The launch of the Scotland Food & Drink platform on Bidfood Direct is an excellent step to supporting both suppliers and buyers to grow commercially.
“Sustainable growth is at the heart of our new industry strategy, and through the partnership with Bidfood Scotland, we can shorten supply chains, and support the local food and drink businesses who are vital to our economic success.”
Katie Sillars, Head of Digital Trading at Bidfood UK, added: “Over the last few years, we’ve worked behind the scenes to ensure we have the right Scottish suppliers and local products for our customers, at the right price stocked in our depots. Now, we’re daring to be different. Technology is at the forefront of our business, and we want to ensure all suppliers, small and large are visible to our customers.
“This is not another boring brochure! The launch of our digital Scottish platform gives our suppliers the opportunity to showcase their fantastic produce, giving our customers visibility of our local range and access to all the helpful tools on Bidfood Direct.”
The digital shop is now open for orders at bidfooddirect.co.uk.
It will be supported with campaigns and promotions around themes including Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, St. Andrews Day, Hogmanay, and Burns Night, as well as popular eating occasions such as the Scottish Breakfast and Scottish Summer Festivals.
