Welcome
The Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards are back for 2024. Now in its 19th year, the Awards encourage food and drink businesses to be innovative, forward thinking and collaborative and celebrate their excellence and achievement.
Food and drink businesses from the region produce a wide range of high-quality products, which have a strong competitive advantage associated to place, people and provenance.
These awards are an established firm favourite in the industry calendar and there is a real opportunity to capitalise on this event and engage with a wider range of producers and operators in the sector.
Sponsorship opportunities are now open for the 2024 Awards.
Investing your support in the Awards offers you a number of opportunities for:
- connecting with businesses and producers
- raising the profile of your organisation and/or brand
- the chance to meet and network with a targeted food and drink audience of 300 at the Awards dinner.
Please see the HIE website for more details.
Key Dates*
Launch | Thursday 11 April 2024 |
Entry Deadline | Monday 24 June 2024 |
Judging Day | Tuesday 13 August 2024 |
Shortlist Announcement | end of August 2024 |
Tickets on sale | end of August 2024 |
Awards Ceremony | Friday 1 November 2024, Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness |
*subject to change
Categories (currently under review)
Best Drink
The judges will be looking for a business, big or small, that can demonstrate success in the alcoholic (brewed, distilled, whisky) or non alcoholic (soft drinks, coffee) market.
Best Food: Retail
This award is for the best retail product (food and non-alcoholic drinks) launched between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2023. Excludes brewed and distilled products.
Best Food: Foodservice
This award is for the best foodservice product launched between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2023. Excludes products that are brewed/distilled.
Best Food: Street Food
Launched in 2023, this award is for Street Food vendors based in the region with a commitment to local provenance, great relationships with local producers and suppliers and a strong USP.
Best E-Commerce
For a business that best demonstrates success through growth and innovation in developing a digital route to market and the impact this has made to the business.
Best Food & Drink Tourism Experience
This award will recognise the best food or drink tourism experience in the region. The successful business will demonstrate excellence in customer engagement, attracting visitors from both the Highlands and Islands and further afield.
Best Start up
Sponsored by Be Personnel
This award is for a new business, started since 1st January 2021. You may be a producer, a retailer or foodservice outlet displaying excellence in the use of local food and drink products or a service provider contributing significantly to the success of the sector.
Independent Retailer of the Year
This category is open to all food and drink retailers within the region, both those with a shop front, those solely trading online and those who do both. Examples include farm shops, delis, fruit farms, butchers, corner shops.
Primary Producer Award
Sponsored by Salmon Scotland
This award is open to all primary producers who have developed a food or drink product from farm to fork.
Sustainability Award
This award will recognise businesses or organisations who have taken their environmental, social and financial responsibilities to the next level -showcasing best practice in the production and distribution of food and drink products or services.
Supply Chain Business Award
Sponsored by Wester Ross Fisheries
This new award is open to any business who is operating in any part of the Highlands and Islands food and drink supply chain. Food supply chain businesses include those in food and drink preparation, processing, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, wholesaling and retailing.
Best Eatery
Sponsored by Highland News & Media
This award has been created specifically to include those eateries, e.g. a café, bistro, deli, pub, takeaway or visitor attraction serving food, etc, who deserve to be recognised but not against those who class themselves solely as ‘restaurants’.
Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by Williamson Foodservice
This award is given to the restaurant that can demonstrate the most innovative and consistent use of produce from food or drink suppliers in the region, great tasting food, outstanding service levels and a pleasant environment.
Young Ambassador of the Year
Sponsored by Scotland Food & Drink
This award recognises a young person’s outstanding contribution and achievement in the Highlands and Islands food and drink sector, celebrating their commitment, passion and work to develop the industry in the region, their outstanding qualities and potential.
Ambassador of the Year
Sponsored by Saffery Champness
This special award recognises the outstanding contribution in the Highlands & Islands food and drink industry, be they male or female, young or old. The award celebrates and pays tribute to the hard work, commitment, dedication, passion and innovation demonstrated within the sector.
2023 winners now released!
Venue Partner
Digital Media Partner
Supported by