Food and Drink

Home to award-winning brands, North Somerset is where food and drink innovation meets rich agricultural heritage and exceptional connectivity.

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Why North Somerset for Food & Drink?

North Somerset is home to a thriving and diverse food and drink sector, recognised as a key strength within the wider West of England economy. The area benefits from a strong regional agricultural base, strategic investment in innovation infrastructure, excellent transport connectivity – all of which make it an ideal location for food and drink businesses to start, grow and export.

Food and drink manufacturing in North Somerset is a designated growth sector in North Somerset and is impressively diverse, ranging from early-stage startups, artisan producers to highly innovative and large-scale exporters.

In 2021 the South West region, including North Somerset, exported £800 million worth of food and drink products showcasing the sectors strength in international markets.

North Somerset offers a competitive edge for food and drink businesses through:

High concentration of innovative and growing companies across dairy, bakery, beverages, and flavour manufacturing.
Access to high-quality agricultural resources, supporting local sourcing and sustainability.
Strategic location near the M5, Bristol Airport, and Avonmouth Port — ideal for distribution and export.
The Food WorksSW – a state-of-the-art food and drink innovation centre in Weston-super-Mare, providing technical support, product development facilities, and flexible business space.
The Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ) – one of only 17 in England, designed to support clustering, supply chain development, and sector collaboration.
Proximity to leading universities – including the University of Bristol, UWE Bristol, Bath Spa University, and the University of Bath — offering access to cutting-edge R&D, innovation partnerships, and skilled talent.

Whether you’re a startup developing plant-based products, a mid-sized bakery scaling up production, or a global brand exporting organic dairy or craft cider, North Somerset provides the ecosystem, expertise, and infrastructure to support your journey.

Yeo Valley
Thatchers
Lye Cross Farm
Butcombe Brewery
Create Flavours
Aldwick Vineyard

Free Support Through the West of England Food & Drink Support Initiative (FDSI)

If you’re a food producer, manufacturer, hospitality, or foodservice business in North Somerset, you can access fully-funded expert support to overcome technical and product development challenges.

What’s Included:

Up to 8 hours of one-to-one technical and business guidance
Up to 2 days of hands-on kitchen support and product development
Food safety plans including HACCP development
Nutritional and labelling advice
Recipe development and reformulation support
Support with SALSA certification to get retail-ready
Equipment and process layout advice
Themed workshops and networking events

Found out about FDSI

The Food WorksSW: Innovation at Your Fingertips

The West of England’s only dedicated food and drink innovation centre—everything you need to develop, test, and scale your products under one roof.

Product Development Kitchens – Four fully-equipped rooms with dairy, bakery, drinks, and commercial-scale equipment for daily or regular hire.

Food-Grade Business Units – Modern units (1,000 & 1,500 sq ft) built to BRC Grade AA standards for start-ups and established businesses.

Technical Expertise – On-site support for product development, recipe nutritional analysis, shelf-life assessment, HACCP, SALSA, and BRC accreditation.

Collaboration Hub – Meeting rooms, business lounge, café, and networking events connecting you with industry partners.

Latest Equipment – Cutting-edge facilities including canning line, homogeniser, and food photography suite.

Visit FoodWorks

The Food Enterprise Zone

North Somerset is home to a Defra-designated Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ) designed to establish a complete food and drink supply chain cluster. The FEZ connects producers to distributors with strategically planned zones for innovation, grow-on space, and design-and-build options.

Read more about the Food Enterprise Zone

Case Studies: Success Stories from North Somerset

See how local food and drink businesses are thriving with support from The Food Worksˢʷ and our regional innovation ecosystem.

Hullabaloos Drinks

From a Somerset food festival lemonade stand to a successful natural soft drinks brand with eight flavours and national distribution. Randa and Leigh grew their festival side-hustle with crucial support including SALSA certification, professional photography, and technical advice.
Read their full story here

Nutricare

Born from personal experience with Crohn’s Disease, solo founder Pawel Sternik transformed his functional wellness concept into early-stage prototypes. With access to professional kitchens, expert guidance on compliance and formulation, and IP-protected facilities – all free of charge.
Read their full story here

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