The exciting new Business Leaders Cluster for Mid and South West Wales was launched by Food Centre Wales on 22nd of October at the picturesque Jabajak Vineyard in Whitland.

The Business Leaders Cluster is part of the Welsh Government’s ‘Food & Drink Wales Cluster’ network, which brings together suppliers, academia and government with the key objective of helping businesses achieve accelerated growth in sales, profit and employment.

The Business Leaders Cluster aims to be at the centre of growing the food sector economy in Mid and South West Wales by facilitating businesses to work together on common themes and innovative initiatives.

The cluster’s first meeting was well attended by a broad mix of manufacturers from the South West and Mid Wales regions, which included Castell Howell, Chantler Teas, Conti’s Ice Cream, Dairy Partners, Dunbia, Jenkins Bakery, Radnor Hills, The Little Welsh Deli and Tovali.

The evening began with an introduction to the new cluster membership by Arwyn Davies, Corporate Manager for Growth and Enterprise.  Followed by an overview of the local Food and Drink manufacturing industry. The four key Special Interest Groups (SIG) were also identified.

The evening held valuable discussions, with the group identifying some key areas of focus and went on to plan future events - the upcoming cluster programme will include networking opportunities, workshops and mentoring.

The next meeting will take place early in the new year with a theme of ‘Environmental credentials’.