There are lots of reasons to Invest in Lancashire

A sector that employs just under 14,000 people, we’re a diverse county that whets the appetite when it comes to food and drink. From the farmers in West Lancashire providing salad and vegetables to some of the country’s best dining establishments, to the large manufacturers

producing everything from ready-made meals, biscuits, crisps, functional foods and pet foods, we have attracted global brands and household names as well as nourishing home grown businesses.

Lancashire is home to some of the world’s leading household names – think PepsiCo, Dr Oetker, Fisherman’s Friend, Farmhouse Biscuits, Budweiser, Stella Artois and Budweiser. Food and drink hotspots like the Ribble Valley and Trough of Bowland, home to well-known products like Goosnargh chicken and duck, are now renowned for their stellar offer, with outstanding provenance and traceability to meet the growing consumer demand for high quality and locally sourced ingredients like cattle, sheep, lamb, poultry and game all reared locally.

We’re also home to many breweries and craft drink producers from industry giants like Budweiser, Stella Artois, Boddingtons and Thwaites to an increasing presence of multi award-winning micro-breweries and artisan products from the likes of gin distillers Batch Brew in Burnley, Cuckoo Gin in Brindle and Black Powder Gin in Weeton. All three have won awards that have placed them onto the world stage.

We also produce the technology and machinery that helps the food and drink industry flourish. Barrowford’s Sugdens Limited, leaders in hotplate goods technology, supply the hotplates and control systems for English muffins used in McDonalds outlets across the globe. Loynds International Ltd in Blackpool produce the machinery used by the confectionary industry, including Blackpool rock.

Myerscough College, a leading college in the field of land-based technologies and a University Centre for education, has recently established a Food & Farming Innovation & Technology Centre and Livestock Innovation Centre. The latter provides livestock production facilities with embedded technology to promote precision farming practices. The college also provides much valued training for food manufacturers as well as food safety in manufacturing.

And with most of the UK’s cities in a four-hour radius, Lancashire is an incredibly attractive proposition for food and drink producers.