Tag Archives: Food & Drink

Charity & CSR, Food & Drink, News

Squeezy cheese donates six-figure sum to regional charities

Primula Cheese, which donates all its profits to good causes, has given £341,000 through Kavli Trust to help support people feeling the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

As the squeezy cheese brand is owned by the Kavli Trust, a charitable foundation, all profits from the sale of Primula products are shared with charities and good causes in the UK and around the world. The donation follows the rise in the number of consumers being impacted by the cost-of-living crisis as the brand continues to fund communities most in need and who may be feeling the biggest pinch.

With research* suggesting that more consumers are now favouring brands who seem to be giving a larger share of their profits to charities, Primula believes it’s more important than ever for retailers to back brands who are doing their bit to support local communities. Giving profits away to good causes is not new to Primula however, who have been doing it for the last 60 years.

Commenting on the recent donations, Gareth Watson, Brand Communications Manager at Primula Cheese, said: “This year has seen Primula launch new flavours to the market to engage new and existing customers, but we have also continued to donate all profits to good causes, which is something we’ve been doing for the last 60 years.

“Sharing is at the heart of everything we do here at Primula, and we focus on donating our profits to charities who are truly helping to make a difference.

“As part of the broader food industry, we have a responsibility and a potential to contribute to solutions that support responsible consumption and production of food.” These are central pillars to Primula’s success, longevity and continued growth. An approach supported by a unique business mission of sustainably sharing all profits generated by the group’s operation with good causes through its owner the Kavli Trust.

In 2021 £7.8 million was awarded to communities and good causes by Primula’s owner, Kavli Trust, through the sale of its products. Kavli Trust is the sole owner of the Kavli Group, which employs 840 people in four countries and has contributed a total of £62.7 million to good causes around the world since 2012.

Food & Drink, News, North of England

North Yorkshire brewery launches first carbon-neutral beer with pop-up pub stunt

To celebrate the launch of its new carbon-neutral cask beer this Earth Day, Black Sheep Brewery has opened the ‘freshest beer garden in Yorkshire’ – a pop-up pub in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

The Breathe Inn is located beneath Yorkshire’s iconic Ribblehead Viaduct, with only one beer on tap – Respire.

Like a breath of fresh air, Respire is a soft and pillowy Session IPA laced with juicy notes of citrus and tropical fruits.

Not only that, but Black Sheep’s new permanent addition to its cask range is also completely carbon neutral. The brewery has undergone a detailed carbon-footprinting of Respire before then offsetting the footprint through funding high impact bio-diversity projects via official carbon credits.

In addition, Black Sheep has also partnered with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust so that every pint of Respire contributes to the planting of trees across the Yorkshire Dales.

The unique pop-up pub offers hikers a moment of respite as they take on one of Yorkshire’s famous three-peaks routes, allowing punters to enjoy the fresh air and breath-taking views, washed down with a refreshing, eco-friendly beer.

The launch comes as Black Sheep marks its 30th birthday, by embarking on a mission to tackle the misconceptions that surround cask ale, helping reposition the drink and bring it to a new, younger and diverse demographic.

Charlene Lyons, Chief Executive at Black Sheep Brewery, said: “The Breathe Inn is the perfect pit-stop for those with a love for the great outdoors – and of course, for beer!

“We’ve always prided ourselves on going against the grain in this industry, which is exactly why we’ve launched Respire, our first carbon-neutral cask beer as part of our mission to become a more environmentally sustainable brewery – and we hope other breweries will follow suit.

“Respire is a light, refreshing pint with a purpose, and beyond being an environmentally-friendly cask beer, we hope its release will help us to combat the misconceptions that exist around the cask beer category. For too long, cask beer has found itself unfairly categorised as a drink for the older generation, losing ground to newer, on-trend drinks. But we know this just isn’t true – cask beer is a drink that everyone of all backgrounds, genders, cultures, and ages can enjoy (above 18 of course!).

Cask beer boasts a plethora of environmentally-friendly properties due to the repeated use of the container which has a life span of over 20 years. We hope that innovations like Respire will help us not only become more sustainable, but also help to shed light on the additional benefits that cask beer offers drinkers”

Respire will be exclusively available from Black Sheep’s pub estate from Earth Day – April 22nd before becoming available to pubs across the country from 24th April.

News

Hospitality businesses can prepare to safely welcome customers back inside with a new online training course

A new health and safety course from leading online training providers Virtual College has been designed to help hospitality businesses prepare to deliver safe indoor service once restrictions allow.

With pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes all set to open for indoor drinking and dining on May 17th, the Safe Return to Work: Seated Service training offers advice and guidance on how hospitality workers can keep themselves and their workplace safe to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

After the reintroduction of outdoor service at the start of April, many businesses will now be preparing to further open their doors or open for the first time since the lockdown restrictions that were put in place at the start of 2021. 

The up-to-date ‘Seated Service’ course provides an overview of the latest government guidance and suggestions for how employers and their employees can prepare for when groups of up to six people are allowed to meet at indoor venues for food and drink.

Included in these suggestions is a guide to carrying out a workplace risk assessment in light of current health and safety advice. Protective measures such as social distancing and wearing PPE are covered in this section, as well as advice on travelling to and from work safely and how to minimise the spread of infection between teams of employees.

Virtual College’s course also covers the new policies that need to be put in place when offering indoor seated service in a hospitality venue and the kind of training that employers might need to offer their staff before reopening. Actions such as frequent hand washing, regular cleaning of surfaces and keeping the workplace well-ventilated are all advised, along with insight on how this may affect service and the running of the business.

As restrictions continue to lift, it’s good news for the hospitality industry and those who can get back to work in bars and restaurants. The training course is a valuable resource for owners, managers and employees who will be providing a seated service option for indoor diners from the middle of May, helping to keep both workers and customers safe as the country eases out of the pandemic.