Nairn’s Oatcakes has been nominated for Exporter of the Year, alongside Belvoir Farm Drinks, British Corner Shop, Nasco UK, Ramsden International and Symington’s.
The other two Scottish concerns to make the grade include Blackthorn Salt for Emerging Business; and Sutherlands of Portsoy, shortlisted for two awards: Product Innovation for its coffee-smoked salmon, and Sustainable Packaging Initiative for its QuadFresH.
“I am delighted to see iconic Scottish food and drink brands shortlisted for these important awards,” said David Thomson, CEO of FDF Scotland.
“Nairn’s has seen a strong increase in their export sales over the last 10 years with exports a key part of their long-term growth strategy.
“While small business, Sutherlands of Portsoy is finding innovative ways to become more sustainable such as using coffee waste to smoke their salmon and looking at different packaging options for their products. It is encouraging to see Blackthorn Salt, which was set up in 2020, already experiencing strong growth.
“This shows the ambition of Scotland’s food and drink businesses and the fact we punch well above our weight for such a small nation.”
Bakery and snack finalists
This year’s nominees range from emerging SMEs to companies pursuing groundbreaking initiatives and include a number of players in the bakery and snacks sectors.
Brand Launch of the Year:
- Calbee Group UK for its Harvest Snaps plant-based snacks
- Walkers for Walkers MAX x KFC
For Business Resilience and Product Innovation:
- Simply Doughnuts - Development of fresh, long shelf-life doughnuts for retailers and wholesalers
Campaign of the Year:
- KP Snacks - Everyone In (KP Snacks & The Hundred Partnership)
- Walkers - #crispIN or #crispOUT
- Walkers - Walkers MAX x KFC – “It Makes Perfect Sense”
- Weetabix Food Company - Any Which Way A Bix
Diet and Health:
- Brusco Food Group - Effective Sodium Reduction: Smart Salt
- Calbee Group UK - Harvest Snaps
- Goodfella’s Pizza - Non-HFSS Pizza Portfolio
HR Initiative
- PepsiCo UK - Frontline Home Grown Accelerated Development Programme
Sustainable Packaging Initiative:
- Kingsmill - Bread bags recycled content trial
- PepsiCo UK&I - Multi-pack Crisps Direct to carton
- Sutherlands of Portsoy - QuadFresH
“This year’s awards bring together over 200 nominees across 19 categories, showcasing the very best of our industry,” said Karen Betts OBE, CEO of FDF.
“The judges had an invidious task in choosing winners from an extremely strong field – from companies driving new sustainability initiatives to championing employee wellbeing, as well as embracing new technologies and supporting cutting-edge skills development in their teams.
“The food and drink sector is based within communities right across the UK’s nations and regions, and these awards really demonstrate how our great companies continue to bring great products to consumers in challenging times.”
The winners will be announced on 15 September 2022 in London, hosted by celebrity restaurant critic Jay Rayner.
