AMBITIOUS plans to make Mold a Mecca for food-lovers have been unveiled.
Flintshire’s best food and drink, from buffalo meat to beer, is to be thrust into the spotlight as part of a new project to look at who is producing what and how much, and to work on promoting it to shoppers.
Menter A Busnes, backed by rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd, have launched a study in the county.
The aim is to find out if Mold could be the hub for Flintshire’s food, marketing it to the public and to the region’s hotels, restaurants and cafes.
John Les Tomos, landlord of the Royal Oak in Hendre and chairman of Mold Food Festival, said: “Initially we want to find out who produces what, where and to whom it’s sold and if they’re producing x amount, how much could they produce.
“If we’re going to encourage local businesses to use local produce then they have to be able to guarantee supply, there has to be quantity, quality and sustainability.
“What we would like to see would be that we can bring all this together under one roof as an outlet in Mold where shoppers can drop in and which attracts visitors to the town and the county.
“Ideally it will also supply hotels and restaurants and perhaps even local schools.”
Cadwyn Clwyd is backing the study through its Flintshire Agri-Food Project and project officer Lowri Williams said: “We want to create a Flintshire food brand that is special, produced and prepared to the highest standards, and to show that we really care that the consumer enjoys it and wants to come back for more.
“We want to help them discover the richness, variety and quality that Flintshire has to offer because we have a network of really good food producers and we need to make people aware of this.
“The Mold Food Festival attracts people from far and wide and we need to build on that success.
“We want to increase awareness of the great food that is produced here in Flintshire and to find new markets for it.”
The study is being conducted by Elen Jones, of MABIS, part of Menter A Busnes.
For details about the Flintshire Agri-Food Project contact Cadwyn Clwyd by e-mail at lowri.williams@cadwynclwyd.co.uk or elen.jones@mabis.co.uk