How do you go about ensuring you have the very best ingredients from the very best local or authentic suppliers? We asked Farm Shop & Deli Show 2017 exhibitors to share their wisdom and experience when it comes to sourcing the best ingredients and suppliers. How do they do it?

Here’s what they said: 

We source directly from farmers and producers and have done for the last 25 years. These relationships mean we know exactly what goes into the finished product and we visit our olive suppliers in Greece, Spain and Italy several times throughout the year – sounds tough doesn’t it?
Olives Et Al. Stand L41.

 

Sourcing local ingredients is key to any brand nowadays, it's really important to research and also ask other local producers to help, after all they may have been producing for a while and will have a good local knowledge of possible ingredient suppliers. It is really important that quality meets your expectations, if your local producer doesn’t have the right quality, work with them to develop the quality you need, if not you will need to offset this against possibly moving out of the area until you can source the required level.
Great British Biscotti. Stand J60.

 

Sourcing the best ingredients is what we’re all about – and also what makes our brand unique. We are the only brand to use completely Indian grown ingredients in our products because we believe that only by developing, sourcing and producing right in the heart of India can we bring our customers a truly authentic taste. So, our onions, tomatoes and vegetables come fresh from the market in Lasalgon while our ginger, garlic and spices are sourced from the best of the region’s farmers. As well as sourcing our ingredients in India, our products are both developed in conjunction with expert Indian chefs and also made in our Indian factory. Our fans say DESI is as good as going for a meal in an Indian restaurant and we reckon DESI is the healthiest and most authentic Indian product on the market today.
DESI Authentic Indian Food Meal Kits. Stand D69.

 

Wherever possible we source ingredients locally to make our treats. Cornwall has some fantastic producers so we work with them collaboratively. Most recently we developed an Earl Grey fudge with Tregothnan Tea and a Gin fudge with Tarquin’s gin. We use Cornish Sea Salt in our best-selling Caramel Sea Salt fudge and Trewithen clotted cream in our classic Clotted Cream fudge. Consumers love to know what is in the products they buy, and focusing on ingredients has proved popular.
Buttermilk Artisan Confectionery. Stand H73.

 

Raisthorpe has an emphasis on using only the best ingredients, traditional methods and recipes which have stood the test of time to produce our award-winning liqueurs. To match our standards we always look for the very best quality ingredients from professional, friendly and responsive suppliers who understand our ethos of creating traditional products with a twist for our discerning customers.
Raisthorpe Manor Fine Foods. Stand D46.

 

See the full list of Farm Shop & Deli Show exhibitors here.