Welsh Food & Drink Producers Gain Marketing Insight With Tuck in Masterclasses

Welsh food and drink producers are enjoying a cornucopia of expert advice as the latest series of TUCK IN marketing masterclasses gets underway.

The first of the 2021 masterclasses were held on April 14th, with the second session due to take place this week (April 21st) and focus on the benefits of agile marketing to achieve business growth in the Welsh and UK market.

The latest masterclasses build on the achievements of last year’s events, which were delivered via expert webinars and attracted more than 250 attendees.

Organised by the Food & Drink Wales Industry Board and the Cywain Fine Food Cluster, the ‘TUCK IN’ masterclasses have always brought together a wealth of expertise and experience from across the marketing spectrum – and this year is no different.

A speaker at last year’s TUCK IN, Scott James – founder and sales director of Coaltown Coffee Roasters – has stepped up to the role of Master of Ceremonies for the 2021 sessions.

Scott said,

“It is a huge honour to be given this position, and it is exciting to hear people’s stories.”

Inspired by his family’s cafe and a love of good coffee, Scott created Coaltown as a passion project. He began using a homemade roaster in his parents’ garage in Ammanford and now has a purpose-built roastery and a worldwide customer list.

The award-winning brand harks back to Scott’s home town’s coal-mining heritage with evocatively-named coffees such as Anthracite No2, Pit Prop No1, and Black Gold No3.

Scott said,

“It is essential to be honest to your brand and yourself. You have to be passionate about your product and be purpose-driven – there has to be heart, soul and integrity. Coaltown is our town, and so all our marketing reflects our passion for our coffee and home.”

Former BrewDog marketing director Sophie More, who has worked for several disruptive consumer brands, shared her own agile marketing experience.

Tee Sandhu, operations director at Samosa Co., focussed on ‘Plant Powered Marketing’. Samosaco’s new design highlights their vegetarian and plant-based USPs, coinciding with a new communications plan.

Marketing a brand with purpose has been the focus of Ben Greensmith, the UK and Ireland country manager for ethical and slave-free campaigning chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely.

At the second TUCK IN session, identifying digital shopper groups and what drives them will be under discussion led by Megan Butler, chief strategy officer at Four Communications.

While Scott Davies, founder and managing director of Hilltop Honey, will examine trade marketing for fast growth.

Also, Jon Marchant, marketing director of MOJU will be speaking about building a new functional shots category for their healthy and natural drink brand.

The Fine Food Cluster is a business-led development programme supported by the Welsh Government and facilitated by Cywain.

Fine Food Cluster Lead Sioned Best said,

“The TUCK IN masterclasses are now in their fourth year and have gone from strength to strength.

“Due to the advent of Covid-19, last year’s TUCK IN switched from a physical to an online event. It was a great success, and we were delighted that so many Welsh food and drink producers came on board, and we had some excellent feedback.

“Indeed, for some producers previously unable to attend a venue-based event, delivering the masterclasses via webinars has provided the opportunity to tap into a wealth of expert marketing advice and support.”

Andy Richardson, chair of the Food Drink Industry Board for Wales, said,

“The aim of the Welsh Food & Drink Sector was to grow by 30% to £7 billion by 2020, and we’ve achieved that target.

“We are moving to a new strategy, and crucial to our success will be how industry and government work together. It is about how we take advantage of not just our Welsh market but those throughout the UK, the European Union, and the rest of the world.

“Wales is on the map, we punch about our weight, and we know how to collaborate and produce world-leading products. Our food and drink industry is exciting, leading and agile. But we won’t achieve our true potential if we don’t present our products in a compelling, relevant and engaging way, which means getting the marketing right.”