THE Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards has published the shortlist of the food and drink businesses that have been named as finalists in 2023.
The 75 businesses shortlisted represent the range of Scottish food and drink production which drive value and consumer choice in the market, such as quality shellfish, craft beer, dairy, tea, confectionery and Scotch beef.
The categories have all been tasted and judged on innovation, enterprise and excellence by an expert panel of industry buyers, chefs, hospitality leaders, and food and drink writers.
This year, winners of the Excellence Awards will be announced at the industry favourite black tie award night by foodie TV personality Fred Sirieix on 7 September at the EICC.
The businesses shortlisted include major producers like Graham’s, the Family Dairy, Bakkafrost, and Mackie’s, as well as smaller artisanal producers like Chocolatia, Scottish Honeyberry Growers, and The Wee Scottish Cider Company.
Iain Baxter, Chief Executive at Scotland Food & Drink, says: “Every year the Excellence Awards attract an incredibly diverse range of entries of seriously impressive quality.
“While tasting each of the products entered into the awards sounds like a dream, in reality, selecting the very best of the best has been extremely difficult for our expert judging panel.
“This year, judges remarked on the exceptional quality, innovation, and diversity of products on show.
“The industry has been through a lot of challenges in recent years but it’s fantastic to see our food and drink businesses continue to pursue excellence in terms of their production and their broader business practices.
“Congratulations and good luck to all those shortlisted.”
Tickets for awards ceremony and dinner are available from Scotland Food & Drink priced at £150+VAT for Scotland Food & Drink members or £250+VAT for non-members.
Tickets can be purchased from Scotland Food & Drink here.
