Organic showcase (From Western Telegraph)

Organic showcase

Organic milk, cheese and meat produced in Pembrokeshire were showcased in a unique promotion in London this week.

Award-winning cheeses produced by Sue Jones at Llanboidy Cheese were featured alongside Calon Wen dairy products and Cambrian Organics beef, lamb and pork on a Welsh Development Agency-funded trade stand at Natural Products Europe.

It was the first time that the WDA had supported a wholly organic Welsh stand at any trade event. Its Wales - The True Taste promotion represented an opportunity to raise the profile of Wales as an organic producer says Arwyn Davies, the WDAs Food Directorate development manager.

We feel that this show is important as it provides a unique opportunity for our organic companies to target their own specific market, he says.

Cambrian Organics, a co-operative of 26 Welsh organic livestock farmers including several Pembrokeshire producers, was launched last autumn. It specialises in supplying naturally reared, grass-fed organic beef, lamb and pork. It used the two-day exhibition, which began on Sunday, as an opportunity to test reaction to a new organic lamb burger.

The farmer-owned organic milk co-operative Calon Wen, again in its infancy after launching in June 2000, supplies milk for the production of organic yoghurts and cheeses including Llanboidy Cheeses Cilowen Organic.

Cilowen Organic cheese won the gold medal last year for the best organic cheese at the British Cheese Awards and was also awarded a trophy at the World Cheese Awards for the best new cheese marketed in the UK.

Natural Products Europe is the UKs main trade exhibition for the rapidly expanding natural and organic products industry and provides an opportunity for buyers to do business with over 450 manufacturers, distributors and suppliers worldwide.