FOOD & DRINK

St Austell Brewery’s flagship lager brand, korev, has become an official event partner of SkyBar.

The new three-year sponsorship deal will see the brand take centre stage at SkyBar events throughout the summer - from the Cornish coastal havens of Watergate Bay, Polzeath, and St Agnes, to locations across the wider south west including Croyde, Wells, and Chew Magna.

The brewery will also exclusively supply all SkyBar events with beers, wines, spirits, and soft drinks.

SkyBar is a ‘pop-up bar event’, which appears at locations throughout the summer months, featuring a mixture of food and drink, DJs and live music.

KOREV RAISES THE BAR

RECORDSALES

Cornish Premier Pasties is reporting a record start to the year, with sales up 54% at the end of the first quarter and turnover predicted to reach £7 million in 2022.

The company was acquired by Mark Norton in 2020 and combined with its sister business, Prima Bakeries Ltd, the group is the fourth largest manufacturer of Cornish Pasties in the world, employing over 60 people.

Thanks to the rising demand in savoury baked goods, Cornish Premier Pasties’ sales are predicted to reach year-on-year growth of 19% by the end of 2022. To support the forecast growth, Cornish Premier Pasties has committed to investing over £100k in the next 12 months on bakery production equipment and vehicles.

Norton: “Whilst our plans to grow are incredibly exciting, our priority is that this does not come at a cost of quality or customer service – something we are well known for. As well as ensuring this highquality product and service, we will continue to respond to the consumer market with relevant and exciting new products in line with the demand for vegan and alternative options, as well as looking at all aspects of reducing food miles and energy usage.” A Cornish vegan chocolate brand has had a funding boost to support its market launch following a rebranding exercise.

The five-figure loan from SWIG Finance, with the backing of British Business Bank’s Recovery Loan Scheme, will be used to support the PR and photography for Push Chocolate’s market launch and an ongoing marketing campaign which will be undertaken by a digital marketing agency.

Mark Stephens, head of regional sales at St Austell Brewery, said: “We’re delighted to be signing an exclusive three-year deal with SkyBar,” said Mark Stephens, head of regional sales at St Austell Brewery. “We can’t wait for the long-awaited festival season.” BACK TO SCHOOL

Cornwall’s only single estate distillery has launched what it claims will be the UK’s first plough-to-bottle Vodka School.

Colwith Farm Distillery makes award-winning spirits distilled from Cornish potatoes grown on its fifth-generation family farm in south Cornwall.

The new vodka school, which got underway last month, offers the “ultimate introduction” into the world of botanicals, flavour profiles and the art of vodka rectification.

SWEET SUCCESS

Based in St Austell, Push Chocolate is led by entrepreneur Ant Wilson, whose love affair with chocolate began when he was a child, but as he became more health conscious he knew he needed to do something to combat his sugar fix in a healthier way.

He decided to try making his own chocolate using vegan ingredients and the resounding positive feedback he received led him to begin his business journey.

Wilson said: “Without this funding I would have needed to go down other finance routes, such as crowdfunding or equity finance, both routes take a long time to execute. With this funding in place, I can roll out our rebrand at a quicker pace and subsequently I can sell my products faster.”