So you’re not a farmer, grower or producer, a retail or distributor business or a restaurant. So why should you join Bristol Food Producers as a supporter member? We’ve put together five really great reasons why you should support our work!
1 ) You want to see a more sustainable and resilient food system
Our industrial food system is broken; we are not paying the true price for our food, farmers are treated poorly by supermarkets, and our soil and biodiversity is suffering. We are working hard to try and create a new, local food system that can feed us and Bristol in the future. Your support will help us working towards a better food future for our city.
2 ) You want to support local producers
There are a perfect storm of obstacles facing producers, such as competing in markets dominated by cheap supermarket food, finding secure tenancies, and overheads for seeds and packaging that erode their small profit margins. This is especially true for starter producers. We’re helping producers by identifying new routes to market, helping them access land through our landseekers’ survey, up-skilling and training them through masterclasses and subsidised training courses, and raising the profile of the food produced in and around the city wherever we can.
3 ) You want to discover new producers
We are here to help raise the profile of local producers, and connect them with consumers, retailers, distributors and restaurants. Whether that’s through social media, attending events, writing articles or simply talking about the great producers we have at every opportunity. In addition we’ll be showcasing some of the brilliant producers in the region through a series of short films, hitting your screens in the autumn!
4 ) You want see more access to training and opportunities
Producing food is about more than just growing vegetables, and we’re keen to see courses in marketing and business skills running to help promote viable businesses. This year we’ve run a series of subsidised masterclasses over the next year to train and up-skill our members and we’re currently busy supporting other people to run their courses, shouting about all the amazing opportunities out there as well as keeping an eye out for what provision is missing in the region.
5) You want to benefit from the opportunities and discounts that BFP bringsWe work hard to offer benefits to our members. From invitations to our quarterly networking events to subsidised rates for courses, we’re always coming up with ways to say thank you to the people who support us.
We’ve got some really exciting plans for the year ahead and are busy working away on tackling some of the biggest problems facing local food production in the area. We’d really appreciate your support in this. Supporter membership costs just £15 per year and you can sign up here.