Wednesday 31 August 2011

Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) serves up support to ten East Midlands firms

Ten East Midlands companies working in the food and drink sector have been given support worth £37,500 by the Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) to encourage investment in innovation.

The money, which the firms have match funded, is being used for a range of projects including new product development and improvements in production processes.

“It is crucial that companies continue to think and work innovatively, both for their own futures and to ensure that the food and drink sector in the East Midlands continues to develop and thrive,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall. “I am very pleased that the Food and Drink iNet has been able to support these ten forward-thinking firms, and wish them well with their projects.”

The Food and Drink iNet, which is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), aims to encourage innovation in the region’s food and drink sector through new ways of working, new product development and the introduction of new processes.

With advisors working across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, it links academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

Innovation Advice and Guidance has been granted to the following firms:

In Leicestershire –

Coffee company Shelton Imports, from Kibworth, has been awarded £5,600 to help develop, re-brand and launch its chocolate-coated coffee beans.

Yum Baby Ltd, from Leicester, has been awarded £3,250 to develop an ambient range of organic, halal baby foods to go alongside its frozen range.

In Nottinghamshire –

Ghar Ka Khana, of Edwalton, has been awarded £3,375 to help develop a branding and marketing strategy to enable the firm to access new markets.

Miss Will’s Pickles, from Nottingham, has been awarded £2,000 for new product development to extend the existing range.

Lindhurst Engineering, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, has been awarded £10,000 to develop further a compact design waste baler suitable for the food and drink sector, which crushes paper, plastic and cardboard, and uses less energy than existing models.

Food importer and wholesaler Asiana Ltd, from Nottingham, has been awarded £2,750 to develop a new drink for the UK market that’s popular in south east Asia.

In Derbyshire –

Potato and vegetable supplier AB Produce Ltd, based at Measham, has been awarded £1,900 to work with the University of Nottingham to reduce the number of additives in the firm’s production process.

Design, development and application engineering company Intelligent Distributed Controls (IDC), Derby, has been awarded £2,550 to help develop software for a hardware pouring system the company has invented that will reduce waste and loss of drinks in the food service and hospitality sector, and improve profits.

Meat netting manufacturer Trunature Holdings Ltd, from Measham, has been awarded £3,825 to introduce a data mapping system to measure the effectiveness of new, more efficient, production machinery to minimise waste.

Cake and cereal bar supplier Ashbourne Foods, from Ashbourne, has been awarded £2,250 to help with new product development in the healthy eating sector.

The Food and Drink iNet, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes. It is managed by a consortium, led by the Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food


Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Tuesday 30 August 2011

Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards 2011 call for entries

Organisers of this year’s Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) Innovation Awards are reminding firms, individuals and researchers connected to the East Midlands food and drink sector that entries close in a month.

Previous winners have gained a string of benefits after scooping an accolade in the annual awards including media exposure, raised profiles in the industry and the chance to network with those who work in the sector.

Food critic Jay Rayner, who is perhaps best known for his Observer food column, will be the guest speaker at the Innovation Awards ceremony, which will be held on November 17th at Nottingham Conference Centre, Burton Street, Nottingham.

Being held for the fourth year, the Innovation Awards aim to reward some of the most exciting innovations in the East Midlands food and drink industry.

Previous winners have included the development of a new material for food and drink packaging that featured non-leaching and antimicrobial properties, the invention of modified salt crystals to create a more intense flavour from less salt and thus allow a reduction in salt used in manufacturing, and the development of a sweet-tasting broccoli.

Now the hunt is on across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland for entries to the 2011 awards, which need to be in by September 30th.

The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards have three categories open to firms, organisations and individuals working across the food and drink sector. They are - Most Innovative Food and Drink Business, Most Innovative Business Supplying into the Food and Drink Sector and Most Innovative Research Project.

The Campden BRI Innovation Champion 2011 will be chosen from the winner of the three categories.

“In previous years we’ve had some really interesting winners, and we’re looking forward to this year’s entries,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall. “We want to celebrate the different ways that food and drink firms are innovating and the exciting research that’s being carried out in the region.”

Forms to enter the Innovation Awards are available to download from the iNet section of the Food and Drink Forum website www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. One of four iNets, it has developed an effective network to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge, and local food and drink business innovation needs.

It aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes.

The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by The Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Open days at Nottingham Language Academy

Nottingham Language Academy is staging a series of open days as the centre gears up for the start of a new term.

Running on Thursday 8th September, Monday 12th September and Wednesday 21st September between 2pm and 7pm, the sessions are the chance to discover more about the modern languages tuition and the English as a Foreign Language courses available at Nottingham Language Academy.

The centre, based at the Ropewalk, Nottingham, opened a year ago and offers classes in the modern languages of French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Greek, Mandarin and Arabic. It also provides tuition in English as a Foreign Language to individuals and to businesses.

“We’re looking forward to opening our doors to our latest students as we celebrate our first anniversary,” said Linda Walker, who runs the academy. “Since opening in September 2010, we’ve expanded the courses on offer, helped hundreds of people to either improve their English as a foreign language or to learn a modern foreign language, and we’ve also played host to dozens of students at our summer schools.

“The open days are a great chance to find out more about what we offer and our ethos of small class sizes and tailored lessons.”

Classes are run during the day, evenings and at weekends, and are designed for people who want to improve their job prospects, travel and see the world, live and work abroad, gain a place at university or learn something new for the fun of it.

Nottingham Language Academy also works with businesses to improve the language skills of staff. Linda Walker is a Business Language Champion in the East Midlands.

Modern foreign languages classes start a new term at the end of September. English as a Foreign Language tuition is on-going.

Nottingham Language Academy is based at 8 The Ropewalk, Nottingham. For more information visit www.nottinghamlanguageacademy.co.uk or call 0330 333 6192.

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk


Thursday 25 August 2011

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR retained to support Shanti Yoga School and the Full Movement Training School

Nottinghamshire-based Shanti Yoga School and the Full Movement Training School have retained the services of Perfect 10 PR to handle their public relations operations.

Perfect 10 PR will provide public relations advice and consultancy for both organisations…helping them to raise their profiles within the East Midlands and beyond.

Both organisations were founded by therapist and yoga teacher Andy Thomas, from West Bridgford, who died in March 2011. His family and students have vowed that Andy’s legacy will continue, and have re-launched both groups.

The Full Movement Training School, based at the premises of the PDW Group in Colwick, Nottingham, provides teaching in the Full Movement Method - a unique therapy devised by Andy, which resolves muscle and joint pains, immobility and malfunction.

Andy trained therapists locally, nationally and abroad to practise FMM, and students have gone on to open FMM clinics in Bournemouth, Sheffield and elsewhere.

Shanti Yoga School, with a new home at Shackerdale Farm, Car Colston, near Bingham, has trained dozens of yoga teachers in Hatha Yoga. The core postures in yoga are at the heart of initial diagnosis for FMM.

Liz Thomas, Andy’s wife and a director of both organisations, said: “Perfect 10 PR provided PR support to both Shanti Yoga School and the Full Movement Training School previously, and we are very pleased to have retained their services as we go forward in the next chapter of the lives of both organisations following the loss of Andy.

“Andy was an inspirational teacher, both of yoga teachers and of his unique therapy FMM, and we value the support that Perfect 10 PR can give us as we build on Andy’s legacy and continue to teach yoga teachers and FMM practitioners.”

Louise Duffield, who runs West Bridgford-based Perfect 10 PR, said: “I am delighted to once again work with Shanti Yoga School and the Full Movement Method Training School.”

www.shantiyogaschool.co.uk

www.fullmovementmethod.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Thursday 18 August 2011

De Montfort University textile graduates add zest to Orange Tree festival marquees

East Midlands pub group The Orange Tree has teamed up with two textile design graduates to create beer tents with a unique look and feel at two of Leicestershire’s most popular music festivals.

The group approached De Montfort University (DMU) textile design graduates Carly Barton, 23, and Nicola Roffe, 22, and asked them to design textile installations and soft furnishings to transform the festival beer tents at Summer Sundae and Strawberry Fields.

Their creations, using lace, silks, vintage fabrics and beads, turned the Orange Tree’s bars at the Summer Sundae festival in Leicester earlier this month into a vintage circus-inspired main bar and a ‘utility chic’ real ale and cocktail bar.

Now their designs are being used for a second time at the festival beer tents at the three-day Strawberry Fields festival, at Cattows Farm, Heather near Coalville, which starts on August 26th.

Suzi Corker from the Orange Tree Group said: “We were inspired by the work we saw at DMU’s end of term degree show and asked if any of the students would be interested in working with us.

“What we wanted was a look that was unique and quirky and that captured the personality of our bars.

“Nicola and Carly have risen to the challenge and have come up with a range of ideas that will turn plain old tents into fun and stylish festival bars.

“We’ve been delighted with their creative approach to problem-solving and the way they’ve interpreted our brief for a funky yet vintage look.”

The graduates worked with donations from Low Woods Furnishings, Belton, near Loughborough.

“We would like to thank Low Woods Furnishings for the generous donation of fabrics for Nicola and Carly to work with,” added Suzi.

Leicester-born Nicola said: “It was a mammoth task, but it was such a great commission to get so soon after graduating that we didn’t want to let the Orange Tree down.

“We’ve been working round the clock to make more than 200 metres of bunting, but it’s all been worth it because the tents are going to look fabulous!”

Carly, from Market Harborough, has been busy scouring Leicester charity shops for the silk scarves and vintage fabrics needed for their decorations.

“Local charity shops have been great for the vintage items we needed – and we’ve also had fabrics donated to us by local businesses,” she said. “But what we’re most proud of is the fact that everything we’re using has been sourced from small independent retailers in Leicester.”

The independent Orange Tree Group has six bars across the East Midlands, with four venues in Leicester – the newest addition being The Basement in Wellington Street. The bars have a reputation for their laid-back feel and quirky retro styling.

www.orangetree.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Wednesday 17 August 2011

New oven and prover as Luke Evans Bakery in Derbyshire continues to invest for the future


Derbyshire’s Luke Evans Bakery has invested £36,000 in new equipment as part of its on-going modernisation programme.

In a deal with Manchester-based, commercial bakery supplier Tom Chandley, a new 24-tray electric deck oven and a separate multi-rack proving unit have been installed at Luke Evans Bakery’s base in Riddings, near Alfreton.

The oven, which has the capacity to bake more than 260 standard loaves in about 40 minutes, sits alongside a similar oven installed five years ago and replaces another Tom Chandley Oven first installed in 1981.

Proprietor David Yates said: “The new oven and prover were bought as a package from Tom Chandley’s, with the provers being built on site by a company called Proven Limited.

“We are delighted to trade with a company like Tom Chandley, both by investing in our own country’s manufacturing industry, and by trading with a company with a rich pedigree in the bakery industry. Tom Chandley has been producing bakery ovens for more than 60 years.

“The increased capacity of the new provers, and the efficiencies gained by using more technically advanced ovens with improved insulation, will enable us to produce a more consistent product with a more even bake, to help us to demonstrate to our consumers the increasing advantages of buying traditional bakery products from their local craft baker.

“Obviously it is important for craft bakers like Luke Evans Bakery, which concentrates on craft baking, to strive for greater efficiency by improving products and productivity. This will enable us to share the advantages of these improvements with our stockists and our consumers.”

The acquisition of the bakery equipment follows investment in the office-based side of the business earlier in the year.

Set up in 1804, Luke Evans Bakery can call on eight generations of Evans family baking experience. Mr Yates’ daughter Sarah, 19, joined the business last year.

While proud of its heritage, Luke Evans is also embracing the future with a new website, online marketing tools and a bakery management software package together with the supporting hardware to drive it.

Luke Evans Bakery employs 50 staff and supplies around 300 wholesale and trade customers in Derbyshire, East Staffordshire, and Nottinghamshire including shops, schools and delis, as well as Pride Park – the home of Derby County.

Craft bakers work a shift pattern across 24 hours at its base in Green Hill Lane, Riddings, producing breads, cakes and savoury products. They also produce custom-made cakes for weddings, anniversaries and other special occasions.

Earlier this year, Mr Yates became a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Bakers, one of the oldest guilds in the City of London.

The Company of Bakers has more than 350 members and many are master bakers or work in allied trades. It provides scholarships and prizes for young people in the baking industry and is committed to upholding the traditions and history of baking.

www.lukeevans.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards 2011 speaker announced

Food critic Jay Rayner has been unveiled as the speaker for this year’s Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) Innovation Awards.

The journalist, broadcaster and TV presenter, who is perhaps best known for his Observer food column, will be the guest speaker at the event in November.

Being held for the fourth year, the Innovation Awards aim to reward some of the most exciting innovations in the East Midlands food and drink industry.

Previous winners have included the development of a new material for food and drink packaging that featured non-leaching and antimicrobial properties, the invention of modified salt crystals to create a more intense flavour from less salt and thus allow a reduction in salt used in manufacturing, and the development of a sweet-tasting broccoli.

Now the hunt has just begun across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland for entries to the 2011 awards.

The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards have three categories open to firms, organisations and individuals working across the food and drink sector. They are - Most Innovative Food and Drink Business, Most Innovative Business Supplying into the Food and Drink Sector and Most Innovative Research Project.

The Campden BRI Innovation Champion 2011 will be chosen from the winner of the three categories.

“We are delighted to have secured Jay Rayner as our guest speaker at the 2011 Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards, “ said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall. “Jay regularly pops up on Masterchef, is on the daytime cookery show Eating with the Enemy and sits on the panel of judges for American show Top Chef Masters.

“I am sure he will be a very interesting and insightful after dinner speaker at our event.”

It has also been announced that this year’s awards ceremony will take place on November 17th at Nottingham Conference Centre, Burton Street, Nottingham.

Last year’s ceremony attracted guests from across the sector – representing manufacturers, distributors, retailers and those involved in teaching, research and development in the food and drink industry.
Forms to enter the Innovation Awards are available to download from the iNet section of the Food and Drink Forum website www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk.

“We have had some exciting innovations and inventions put forward for the awards in previous years, and are looking forward to hearing details about the latest developments,” added Richard Worrall.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. One of four iNets, it has developed an effective network to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge, and local food and drink business innovation needs.

It aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes.

The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by The Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food


Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Monday 15 August 2011

Coffee specialist Cherizena has launched a range of festive gifts for coffee lovers

Cherizena Coffee has unveiled a Christmas cracker with its selection of gifts for coffee lovers.

The perfect present for connoisseurs, a range of products has been put together to suit all budgets with prices starting at £2.50 for a gift box of chocolate-coated beans and rising to £10 for a luxury Christmas Selection.

At the heart of the range is Cherizena’s limited edition Christmas Coffee - created by flavouring Colombian Excelsior medium beans with a delicious combination of rum, hazelnut, cinnamon, vanilla, orange and pecan nut flavours.

“Last year’s Christmas gift sets proved very popular,” said Kate Jones, who runs Cherizena, based at Wartnaby, near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. “They make great presents for anyone who loves coffee….from grandmas and granddads, aunties and uncles through to husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters.

“The festive blend adds a fabulous seasonal touch to our gift packages and is sure to put a smile on the most discerning of coffee lovers on Christmas morning.”

The seasonal range features:
• Christmas Coffee – a 125g pack of whole beans or grounds priced at £3
• Christmas Treat – a gold linen-effect pack containing either 60g of Italian roast, plus Christmas Coffee or 60g of Decaff High Roast and Decaff Christmas Coffee for cafetieres costing £4.50
• Christmas Selection – a presentation box containing 60g packs of Blue Mountain Blend, Costa Rica, Espresso Blend and Christmas Coffee (available as beans or ground coffee) plus a 50g gift box of assorted Chocolate Coated Coffee Beans costing £10
• Chocolate Coated Coffee Beans – a 50g gift box containing delicious milk, white and dark chocolate-coated beans priced at £2.50
• Christmas Delight – a presentation set of two 125g packs of coffee beans plus a 50g bag of chocolate-coated beans selling for £8. The coffees available are either Italian Roast and Christmas Coffee or Decaff High Roast and Decaff Christmas Coffee.

The family firm has around 30 single-origin coffees and blends, and 20 flavoured varieties, which are available in shops across the country as well as pubs and cafes.

It is a leading UK specialist producer of coffee and sources premium, rare and speciality coffees, as well as creating its own range of superb flavoured coffees.

The gift sets are available from www.cherizena.co.uk or by calling 01664 820111 from the beginning of October 2011.

*Colours on the festive packaging may vary from those pictured.

www.cherizena.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk



Thursday 11 August 2011

Vintage and Classic Car Day and Beer Festival at Croots Farm Shop, Derbyshire


Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire is staging a Vintage and Classic Car Day and Beer Festival on Saturday August 27th.

The bank holiday weekend event at the farm shop in Wirksworth Road, near Duffield, will also feature bird of prey displays, a barbecue and a bouncy castle.

Around 25 vintage and classic cars are expected to be on show at the event, which is free to enter and runs from 10am to 5pm.

It will also be the chance to try Croots ales on draught in the beer tent manned by Nutbrook Brewery.

“We held a similar event last year for the first time and it went down very well, so we decided to hold it again this year and include additional attractions, like the static and flying bird of prey displays,” said Steve Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop.

“We’re expecting around 25 different cars of varying makes and models, plus there’ll be the added attractions of the beer tent, the bouncy castle and the barbecue.”

The event will be held in fields in front of the farm shop, which sells award-winning sausages and pies, has an extensive meat, cheese and deli counter, and offers a wide range of quality food and drink.

A representative from Real Honey Apiaries at Somercotes will be running tasting sessions of Beryl’s Honey in the store during the day.

Croots Farm Shop opened a plant nursery to the public earlier this year, has a play area for young children, and also serves teas, coffees, breakfasts and lunches in its café overlooking the Ecclesbourne Valley.

Based at Farnah House Farm, last year it was a runner-up in the Best UK Independent Food Retailer 2010 category of the Observer Food Monthly Awards. The year before, it was named in The Independent’s top 50 best food shops.

Croots Farm Shop and Kitchen is open Sundays from 10am to 4pm (café until 3.45pm), and from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (café until 4.30pm). It is closed on Mondays.

For more information visit www.croots.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Wednesday 10 August 2011

New framework agreement for East Midlands civil and structural engineering company BSP Consulting

Civil and structural engineering firm BSP Consulting has been appointed onto a new framework agreement.

The appointment to the Cross Keys Framework marks the eighth framework agreement achieved by the company, which is based in Nottingham and has offices in Derby, Leicester and Sheffield.

It means that BSP is now one of the approved consulting engineers for the Cross Keys group, a social housing provider with plans to build around 700 new homes over the next four years.

The group covers an area around Peterborough, and under the framework agreement, BSP will now be able to bid for consultant engineering work for any new social housing schemes that the group builds.

“This is excellent news for BSP Consulting,” said BSP business development director Jef Todd. “Being appointed to a framework agreement is very often the first step in being able to win work with a group or an organisation, so it means that BSP is well placed to tender for potential new schemes that the Cross Keys group may have in the future.”

BSP provides a comprehensive range of consultancy services to all sectors of the construction community, from architects, project managers and contractors to developers and estate agents.

The company was launched in Nottingham in 1999 and now has offices in Oxford Street, Nottingham, Pride Park, Derby, De Montfort Street, Leicester and Vincent House, Solly Street, Sheffield.

Previous framework agreements BSP has been appointed to include the Keepmoat Homes Framework, the Cambridgeshire Partnerships Framework, the University of Leicester’s Consultancy Framework and NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland. The firm now has framework agreements in three sectors – social housing, health and education.

www.bsp-consulting.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Tuesday 9 August 2011

Lower fat snack Crips 99Cals now on sale in Holland & Barrett

Tasty lower fat snacks Crips 99Cals are now on sale in 600 Holland & Barrett stores nationwide.

The award-winning crunchy oven-baked wheat and potato snacks, which have 70% less fat than traditional fried potato crisps and just 99 calories per pack, are available in three flavours – Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar, Mature Cheddar Cheese & Spring Onion, and Thai Sweet Chilli.

The deal means that Crips 99Cals are now on sale on a high street in virtually every town and city across the country.

Priced at 70 pence per pack, with a number of promotional offers expected over coming weeks and months, the 22.5g pack snacks have no GM ingredients, no monosodium glutamate, are trans-fat free, have no artificial colours or preservatives, contain heaps of natural flavour, and are suitable for vegetarians.

The contract comes just a few weeks after Crips began selling in Morrisons’ top 300 stores.

“Having our Crips 99Cals on the shelves of Holland & Barrett makes it easier for our customers to buy our tasty snacks,” said Crips managing director Gareth Smith.

Crips is based at Ingleby, near Derby. As well as coming top in independently conducted blind taste tests, beating five leading-brand healthy option snacks on taste, texture and appearance, Crips have also scooped an innovation award from The Food & Drink Forum and an Enterprise Award from the Home-Grown Cereals Authority.

Visit www.cripsnacks.com for information.


Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Monday 8 August 2011

Orange Tree music festival raises cash for LOROS

Glastontree, the mini music festival organised by Leicester’s Orange Tree bar, has raised almost £1,300 for hospice care charity LOROS.

It was the seventh year the event had been held at the High Street pub, and takes the total collected for the charity to more than £11,000.

“More than 200 people came along to Glastontree over the course of several hours to hear some great music from local bands,” said Orange Tree general manager Jonny Glover. “We’re delighted to have raised so much money for LOROS, and would like to thank customers for attending, the musicians for taking part and all the local businesses that donated to the raffle, which made around £300.”

Part of the Leicester Fringe Festival, Glastontree featured a number of local acts including singer/guitarist Grace Petrie, Chris Warner, Gallery 47, who recently played at Scotland’s T in the Park, Produkty, Hell’s Addiction, Move and Cousin Avi.

Customers paying £5 for a wristband, plus the total raised from the raffle, which included prizes of two Strawberry Fields Festival weekend tickets, two day tickets to Leicester Racecourse, a meal for two at Ask restaurant and many other locally donated prizes, pushed the total raised to £1287.30.

www.orangetree.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk



Friday 5 August 2011

Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) serves up the ingredients to inspire firms to innovate

Businesses linked to the food and drink sector in the East Midlands are being invited to an event that aims to encourage the introduction of new ideas, new products and new ways of working in the industry.

The iThrive event is being run by the Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network), which stimulates innovation in the sector.

Strategic advisor and business book author Max McKeown will be the key speaker at the free event, which takes place on September 21st at the National Space Centre, Leicester, from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

He will present an interactive workshop that will provide food for thought on ways of creating an innovation culture within a business – aiming to stimulate creativity and arm companies with the courage and know-how to weigh up decision-making and risk-taking in order to innovate.

“The iThrive 2011: Creating an Innovation Culture event provides food and drink business owners and managing directors with the chance to take a step back from day-to-day business operations, and explore ways of creating a cultural change towards innovation,” said Richard Worrall, Food and Drink iNet director.

“Max McKeown is a strategic advisor for some of the most admired companies in the world, and will, I am sure, provide much food for thought to delegates who attend the event.”

The Food and Drink iNet, which is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is one of four regional iNets developed to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

It aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes. It is managed by a consortium, led by the Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

For more information about the event, which is aimed at those working in food and drink manufacturing and across the food and drink supply chain in the East Midlands, email enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Thursday 4 August 2011

Christmas coffee unveiled by specialist supplier Cherizena Coffee


Specialist coffee supplier Cherizena has launched a Christmas cracker with this year’s festive flavour.

Available to café, restaurant, pub, retail and food service trade customers now, and later in the year by mail order to consumers, the Christmas Coffee has an aroma reminiscent of Christmas pudding.

The limited edition Christmas Coffee has been created by flavouring the Colombian Excelsior medium bean with a delicious combination of rum, hazelnut, cinnamon, vanilla, orange and pecan nut flavours.

Last year, the Leicestershire-based company sold around three quarters of a tonne of its Christmas Coffee to food service customers, to retailers and to its customers in the UK and abroad.

“Last year’s blend was so popular that we’ve kept to a similar recipe for the Cherizena Christmas Coffee 2011, but have just added a little bit of hazelnut and a touch of pecan nut,” said Kate Jones, who runs Cherizena, based at Wartnaby, near Melton Mowbray.

Offering up to 30 single origin coffees and blends, and 20 different flavoured varieties, Cherizena has coffees to suit all tastes. It is a leading UK specialist producer of coffee, and sources premium, rare and speciality coffees, as well as creating its own range of superb flavoured coffees.

The Christmas Coffee is one of its limited edition flavours. It can be branded for trade customers, and is available in packs up to a kilo in size. It can also be teamed up with Cherizena’s “snip and pour” packs for filter machines, which are available in boxes of 50, including filter papers.

Orders are now being taken for trade customers, with a 10% discount given on trade orders placed before the end of September 2011.

The Christmas Coffee will be available on its own or as part of festive gift sets online to consumers from the end of September 2011 at www.cherizena.co.uk

For further details call 01664 820111 or visit www.cherizena.co.uk.

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Derby Young Farmers raise cash for charity at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire

Derby Young Farmers’ Club collected just over £250 by staging a charity car wash in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support at Croots Farm Shop, Wirksworth Road, near Duffield.

“We were pleased to help out and offer a venue for this year’s charity car wash by Derby Young Farmers’ Club, and would like to thank our customers for supporting the effort,” said Steve Croot, who runs the farm shop.

The club is part of the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs (NFYFC), which is made up of more than 650 clubs and has more than 23,000 members across England and Wales. Membership is open to anyone aged between 10 and 26.

www.croots.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Sherwood Truck and Van appoints Bob McGarry as regional sales manager

Sherwood Truck and Van, the East Midlands commercial vehicle group, has appointed Bob McGarry to a new role of regional sales manager.

Bob, from Killamarsh, North East Derbyshire, will be based at the company’s Sheffield site in Highfield Lane, working directly for group sales director Robin Hulse.

The 53-year-old, who enjoys golf and fishing in his spare time, has spent all his working life in the truck industry and his appointment brings him back to Sherwood after leaving in 2006 – for a spell selling refuse lorries to local authorities.

He started work as a mechanic for his first employer, working his way up to be branch manager before joining a contract hire and rental company.

His first period with Sherwood began in 1991 when he worked as a truck salesman, covering South Yorkshire, before becoming group fleet sales manager in 2002.

Although based in Sheffield, he is hoping to be on the road as often as possible.

“Face-to-face contact with the customer is a fundamental sales tool and I will be expecting me and my team to be out there as much as possible,” said Bob.

“It’s a new role, but taking on some existing responsibilities. I will concentrate on growing the business while giving good leadership.

“Both my staff and Sherwood Truck and Van customers can expect honesty, integrity and a professional response to any challenges as they arise. I firmly believe in the phrase ‘if you snooze, you lose’ and I will be instilling this in all my staff.”

Sherwood Truck and Van, with its headquarters in South Normanton, Derbyshire, is part of West Bromwich-based Ian Guest Holdings, one of the UK’s largest independently owned commercial vehicle dealers.

The group covers an area that includes the West Midlands, North Wales, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire.

Regional director responsible for the four Sherwood locations, Helen Waterfall, said: “It’s good to have Bob back on board.

“His working life has been spent in the truck business so he brings a wealth of experience, good contacts and a strong reputation to the team.”

Sherwood is a leading supplier of new and used commercial vehicles, established in 1978. As well as its headquarters in South Normanton and a branch in Sheffield, the group also has branches in Lenton, Nottingham, and in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent. The company also maintains, services and repairs commercial vehicles across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire and most of Cheshire.

www.sherwoodtruckandvan.com

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk


Monday 1 August 2011

Cherizena Coffee's first permanent coffee shop...in Clacton-on-Sea


We're hearing great reports that Cherizena Coffee's first branded coffee shop - in Clacton-on-Sea - is proving popular in its first week.

Congratulations to Cherizena agents Sue and Len Lane, who have opened the outlet in High Street.

It looks really smart!

Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards 2011 launched

The search for the most exciting developments in the East Midlands food and drink sector has begun with the announcement of the launch of the 2011 Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) Innovation Awards.

Being held for the fourth year, the awards recognise and reward the use of innovation in the food and drink sector in the region as a way of boosting development, profitability or growth.

They will turn the spotlight on outstanding inventions or products, exceptional creativity, and innovative working practices in the industry across the East Midlands.

Last year’s category winners included a company that modified salt crystals to create a more intense flavour from less salt and thus allow a reduction in salt used in manufacturing, a firm that developed a range of fruit-based salsas, a brewery that created a centrifuge process more commonly used in the wine industry to manufacture fresh beer in a bottle, which is neither filtered nor pasteurised, and a food and drink distributor that developed the UK’s first overnight temperature controlled parcel delivery network aimed at small, niche producers.

The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Champion – chosen from all the category winners - was fish and chip shop Fairfield Plaice in Buxton, Derbyshire, which won the award for the way in which it had introduced the latest environmentally friendly techniques to a traditional business. Its efforts included installing a dramatically more efficient frying range, using recyclable packaging and buying fish from sustainable sources and chips from a firm that uses recycled waste water.

Success at the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards has helped the firm to grow, said owner Carl Heery.

“After winning at the Innovation Awards in 2010 we went on to also win a fish and chip industry award in January,” he said. “The awards all generated publicity for us and show people we are doing our bit for the environment. People come in and say ‘we have seen you in the paper’.

“A lot of industries are struggling because of the recession but we are significantly up on this time last year and the awards have played a factor in that.”

Now the hunt has begun for this year’s worthy winners across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall said: “Over the past few years we have seen some very exciting developments in the food and drink sector that have been put forward for our annual innovation awards. They represent the vibrant nature of the industry that we have in the region, and I am sure this year’s entries will be just as interesting.

“I am delighted to announce that the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards will be held again this year. They have become an important date on the sector’s calendar and an excellent opportunity to recognise and reward the innovative work that’s being carried out in the East Midlands.

“I would urge eligible firms and organisations to put themselves forward, and they too could receive similar benefits to those gained by last year’s champion Fairfield Plaice.”

The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards have three categories open to firms, organisations and individuals working across the food and drink sector. Entries are now being invited for Most Innovative Food and Drink Business, Most Innovative Business Supplying into the Food and Drink Sector and Most Innovative Research Project.

The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Champion 2011 will be chosen from the winner of the three categories.

The Innovation Awards will culminate in an award ceremony in November, where the winners will be crowned in front of their industry peers.

Forms will be available to download from the iNet section of the Food and Drink Forum website www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. One of four iNets, it has developed an effective network to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge, and local food and drink business innovation needs.

It aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes.

The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by The Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food



Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk