A heartfelt thank you to all the businesses, individuals, and stakeholders who contributed to the South of Scotland Food & Drink Landscape Assessment — through completing the survey, attending the Growing the Local Food & Drink Economy events in March, and generously sharing your experiences and ideas. Your input has helped surface vital insights into the opportunities and barriers facing the sector. The findings show that while the region is home to an incredibly passionate and diverse network of producers, 73% of respondents said they don’t know where to access or aren’t aware of what is produced locally — a clear signal that improved visibility, signposting, and storytelling are urgently needed. The assessment also highlighted a strong appetite for collaboration, but a lack of formal structures to enable it; challenges around distribution and procurement; and a call for better access to support, training, and market opportunities.

In response, we’ve developed a practical interim toolkit — featuring an A–Z directory of producers, four detailed case studies from across the South of Scotland, and inspiration from other regions — to make it easier to connect, collaborate, and grow. Clear recommendations have now been made to South of Scotland Enterprise and the Scottish Government, focusing on improving local sourcing, developing food tourism and agritourism, unlocking funding pathways, and strengthening pride in the region’s food and drink identity. This is just the beginning. With your continued involvement, we can build a more connected, confident, and resilient food and drink economy across the South of Scotland.

The “Initial Toolkit” will be launched imminently.

Setting the Scene and Providing Context to This Work

In August 2024, the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) hosted a stakeholder engagement session with partners, including South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE), local councils, Scotland Food & Drink, and various local networks, businesses, and organisations.

Five key objectives were identified:

1. Increase the quality of our food and drink offering
2. Increase the local provenance of our food and drink offering
3. Build awareness and pride in our food and drink sector
4. Develop quality food and drink experiences
5. Establish a reputation as a top food and drink destination

A Collaborative Project for the South of Scotland

This initiative is a collaborative effort involving multiple organisations dedicated to supporting the region’s food and drink sector, which includes work being carried out for the Regional Local Food Growth Plan and Small Producers Scoping Studies.

Feedback gathered will be used to develop the landscape including:

• An Initial Directory – Showcasing producers, what they create, and their business details to connect local supply and demand
• Case Studies – Highlighting inspiring success stories from businesses in the region and beyond
• Consumer Insights – Understanding what matters to consumers when it comes to local food and drink
• Support & Signposting – A signposting guide to available resources, funding, and training opportunities 
• Future Roadmap – Insights from the survey will help shape future projects to drive forward industry support, whether in supply chain development, training, or product innovation

We will provide an update and key insights from this work in due course.