New market place for selling Tassie produce

Tasmanian food and beverage producers have a new market place to meet hospitality professionals and pitch their wares.

Brand Tasmania and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association are teaming up to host three 'meet the producers' forums in Burnie, Launceston and Hobart this year.

This week's Launceston event created a real buzz when buyers met sellers with a cornucopia of fresh, local food and drinks.

Click on the audio to hear about from some of the producers and buyers from restaurant and hotel venues sampling everything from ANZAC biscuits and cheese and cider to seafood, wallaby and wines.

Brand Tasmania executive director Robert Heazlewood, says the events allow outstanding producers to meet chefs and other hospitality professionals for networking, sampling and tasting, and sharing their stories and the origin of their wares.

"I'd like to think there were tangible sales, because that's always the critical measure," Robert Hazelwood said.

"Already today, people who are on display say they have had tangible sales, and a lady came to me and said she got three accounts as a result of the [previous] Burnie operation.

"We've just got to learn to talk to one another," he said.

The next Brand Tasmania and Tasmanian Hospitality Association 'Meet the Producer' event is on 15th August 2013 in Hobart.

Brand Tasmania and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association team up with a cornucopia of fresh local food and drinks

Food and beverage producers and hospitality professionals network over Tasmanian fare

Source: ABC Rural News, 21 June 2013