Macdonald Hotels has renewed its commitment to local ingredients by hosting around 40 Scottish producers at two ‘meet the buyers’ events.
Over 40 small-scale producers attended the events and were given the opportunity to showcase their produce and pitch them to the Hotel group’s key decision-makers.
Macdonald Hotels actively supports small-scale suppliers to develop their business, helping to secure partnerships and a reliable stream of the highest quality seasonal produce.
Macdonald Group sales director & chief executive of Macdonald Resorts, Simon Jackson, said, “We pride ourselves in ensuring that each hotel has some representation of their region; being headquartered in Scotland, means that we are at the heart of some of the very best food and drink; Scotland has a bountiful larder and we are keen to buy locally and champion Scottish brands.'
Head of purchasing, Marta Miguel Sanz said, “We already have established links with some world-class producers which sees our hotel guests enjoy only the very best Scotch beef, lamb, smoked fish and dairy. These meet the buyer events are a fantastic opportunity to meet Scotland’s smaller producers and suppliers and have worked very well for us in the past. We support these smaller businesses either directly, or by encouraging collaborations to ensure that we are able to support more businesses by supporting them with their distribution routes.”
One such partnership that has flourished is with artisan ice cream makers, Arran Dairies, part of the Taste of Arran brand, who now supply the entire group of 45 hotels and resorts.
Alastair Dobson managing Director at Taste of Arran, said, “It’s a real privilege to be working with Macdonald Hotels. Not only are they a major customer, but their assistance to promote our brand has been invaluable.
“For businesses of our size, it is often difficult to secure contracts with national restaurant and hotel groups. Macdonald’s commitment to working with smaller-scale suppliers, helping them to improve their business makes a massive difference.”