Learning our business
TEACHERS can now tap into a small fund to help their pupils learn more about local food production.
Above: Hairy Bikers Simon King and Dave Myers meet Cumbrian Food Direct’s Colin the Carrot
It’s thanks to Maryport-based Cumbrian Food Direct, who deliver locally-produced food directly to your door.
Marketing manager, Kerry McPhee, explained: “Because we are Lottery-funded we have a small budget to enable us to either visit schools and to tell them particularly about local producers, the importance of knowing where our food comes from and of supporting the local economy. We also want to explain issues like ethical food, and green miles and hope to be able to visit 30 schools a year,” said Kerry.
And Cumbria Food Direct’s message is also to be backed up by celebrity chef John Crouch, from Wigton, who has pledged his support for their aims. BBC chef and national magazine columnist John came to Cumbria in 1981, having worked for Vogue magazine for 10 years and his great love of Cumbrian food and freewheeling style seems certain to help ensure that Cumbrian Food Direct’s message gets across to the youngsters.
Cumbria Food Direct is also in the happy position of being able to offer financial help to schools to fund visits related to local food production. “For instance, to see where and how producers work,” Kerry said. “So we’d like interested schools to contact us about helping them.”
As Cumbria Food Direct expands its operations, which already extend from Longtown in the north to the Muncaster / Ravenglass area in the south, and inland to Penrith and the A66 corridor east and west, they are offering their services to holiday cottage; campsite and caravan park owners so visitors too can get a true taste of Cumbria and help support other aspects of the local economy. Two local letting agencies, at Bassenthwaite and Keswick, have already come on board.
Live Local. Buy Local. Love Local
LOCALLY produced food, ordered online and delivered directly to your door, makes the new Cumbrian Food Direct service an online weekly shopping service with a difference.
Nigel Ellis and Kerry McPhee, winner of Best at Show at Skelton Agricultural Show 2011
As far as is possible, whatever you buy is grown or made within Cumbria and if it can’t be sourced locally, it will be bought in from environmentally-aware suppliers, such as organic producers and fair trade organisations. Customers will get a fantastic (and growing) choice of first-class locally grown foodstuffs and know exactly where they come from - as well as being able to their bit for the environment.
The website allows you to browse products (and producers) and place your order on-line (or by telephone) from the comfort of your own home or office. The goods are delivered into a ‘hub’ by the producers and orders are then delivered fresh and to your door, wherever you are, on a weekly basis.
Cumbrian Food Direct is based in Maryport with a “sub hub” in Penrith and it aims to provide a delivery service to customers throughout Cumbria. The project has been generously supported by The Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Scheme, The Rural Development Programme for England and Allerdale Borough Council.
Cumbrian Food Direct is already delivering on a weekly basis to an increasing number of homes and offices and, this year will extend its network to schools, holiday cottages, and campsites/caravan parks throughout the county – especially in the National Park. Deliveries can also be made to groups of customers at centralised delivery points in order to reduce food miles.
Nigel Ellis, General Manager, said: “This is a very exciting new business to be involved in. People are interested – more now than ever before – about where their food comes from. Cumbrian Food Direct offers you the choice of buying good quality healthy food, while at the same time supporting Cumbrian businesses. We are working in partnership with over 50 Cumbrian food producers, helping us to deliver the best fresh food on-line shopping service in the region. Our pricing strategy will be a key issue, but we are offering quality products which we believe represent great value for money and we are pleased to note that on a growing number of items, we can match (and even beat) some of our local supermarkets on price.
“We are committed to creating training placements and providing work experience for young people and we will be creating and developing links between our suppliers and Cumbrian schools throughout 2012. We have money available to subsidise visits of school pupils to suppliers and we look forward to working with schools to raise food awareness issues with our young people.”
If you would like to set up a local delivery group – and at the same time benefit from a regular discount on your shopping – or if you would just like more information, then please contact Kerry McPhee on 01900 818028.
For every £ spent with a national business, only 9p remains in the local economy
For every £ spent with a local business, 85p remains in the local economy
