A membership scheme to support Bristol’s burgeoning local food scene will be officially launched later this month at the first-ever Bristol Food Producers’ Gathering.
The event will be open to all those who wish to work together to support local, sustainable food production in the city and surrounding region. 
The project emerged from findings of the report Who Feeds Bristol, which highlighted how an estimated 2,000 hectares of land in the city could be used to grow food, producing several thousand tonnes of produce, with a cash value of several million pounds to the local economy.
Yet around 84% the Bristol city region’s food and grocery retail sales are made in around 100 stores owned by the big five supermarkets groups.
Food Producers’ Gathering co-organiser Nessie Reid said: “Bristol, as the 2015 European Green Capital, has enormous potential to go beyond ‘business as usual’, and become a pioneer for the UK’s local, sustainable food movement.
“This newly emerging Bristol Food Producers group is in the process of creating a membership structure to help link and support existing and new food producers, processors and distributors in and around the city.
“We encourage existing food producers and processors to attend, but also anyone who is interested in helping to develop a resilient local food system, as there will be lots of new research, ideas and networking opportunities on the day.”
Author of Who Feeds Bristol, Joy Carey, added: “It is an exciting development for the provision of local food in the city. As Bristol Food Producers are the practical delivery arm of the Bristol Food Network, to help realise our city Good Food Plan of increased urban food production and distribution, by enabling more collaboration and coordination between the people involved, thus helping to drive both supply and demand.”
Food producers will be able to share learning and ideas in a range of practical workshops, including; Setting up a local food brand, Collaborative distribution, Building enterprise skills, How to find Land, Marketing your products.
The day will mark the official launch of membership and there will be information stands and networking opportunities, with refreshments provided. Places are limited so do book on soon www.bristolfoodnetwork.org/bristol-food-producers
For more information visit: Bristol Food Producers Gathering
