Food and drink producers and hospitality venues are set to open their doors as part of the fourth Provenance Festival.
Launched in 2021 by Opportunity North East to grow food tourism, this year’s Provenance Festival will take place from Friday, September 21 to Sunday, September 29. Visitors will meet the people behind the brands and hear fascinating stories of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire’s pioneering businesses.
Provenance Festival is led by VisitAberdeenshire in partnership with Opportunity North East, supporting food and drink, tourism and economic development across the region.
The aim is to draw on the strengths of North-east Scotland’s high-quality food and drink produce and the people who make it, to help extend the tourist season with experiences that align with trends in visitor interests. The festival will provide visitors with a behind-the-scenes insight into production and sustainability.
More than 40 business have already registered, with confirmed events including Royal Lochnagar Distillery tasting sessions in collaboration with Twisted Ankle Brewery and Wark Farm Pies, Mackie’s of Scotland ice cream tasting flight at Mackie’s 19.2 parlour and City of Aberdeen Distillery & Gin School offering tours and tastings, created for the Provenance Festival.
Ian Booth of Balmoral Game, Carole Short of Down on the Farm, Kevin Dalgleish of Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish, Christian Stolte of The Wee Scottish Cider Company, Chris Foy of VisitAberdeenshire, Loren McBey of The Lobster Shop, Leah Hodder, Provenance Festival Project Manager, Liz Phillips of Cowden Farm Holidays and Christine Mackintosh of Marshall’s Farm Shop
Chris Foy, CEO, VisitAberdeenshire, said; “The Provenance Festival is a brilliant opportunity for visitors and locals to explore deeper and find out more about food and drink offering in the region. I would encourage businesses to proudly open their doors and share the secrets of their success.”
Peter Cook, director of Food, Drink and Agriculture at Opportunity North East, said: “It’s great to see how Provenance Festival has expanded over the years. When the event started the ambition was to provide visitors to the region the opportunity to experience and access food and drink producers. It now involves much more, including food and drink producer collaborations with hospitality and tourism businesses, educational events, links back to farming and fishing and agriculture food technology. The programme provides more opportunities for a broader base of visitors and continues to strengthen the image of the North-east as a source of high-quality food and drink produced by passionate people.”
Angus Hayhow, head of Marketing, Mackie’s of Scotland said: “The Provenance Festival is an excellent opportunity for food and drink producers from the region to showcase their offering in a different and unique way, while giving customers the chance to experience something new and exclusive to the festival. This year, the festival will give consumers a chance to visit our ice cream parlour in Aberdeen, Mackie’s 19.2, and try out a combination of delicious flavours while learning about the process of ice cream making.”
Businesses who are interested in taking part still have to time to sign up. Any businesses interested in registering should contact Leah Hodder, Provenance Festival Project Manager, at festival@visitabdn.com
Find out more about Provenance Festival here: https://www.provenancefestival.co.uk/