Abergavenny Food Festival has chosen Triodos Bank as one of this year’s key partners, underlining how a sustainable food and farming system is essential to a healthy food culture in the UK. As the UK’s leading sustainable bank, Triodos is uniquely positioned to support the festival’s mission to draw people from all walks of life to explore and learn about great food and drink.
Chief Executive of Abergavenny Food Festival, Aine Morris says of Triodos’ support for the festival: “This year’s festival is predominantly about real food, real farmers, and real chefs; banks need to support our producers if we’re going to have a sustainable food system in the UK. Triodos is leading the way by helping support farmers and producers right at the beginning of the supply chain and furthering the dialogue about how British farming can and is being supported: they are undoubtedly a great fit for the festival.”
Triodos Bank’s mission is to make money work for positive social, environmental and cultural change. Over the festival weekend, scheduled for the 16th and 17th of September, Triodos will promote a sustainable food and farming agenda through various initiatives, including:
- Triodos’ food and farming expert Simon Crichton will be speaking on Saturday at 1:15pm in The Farmyard about how the conscious use of money can have a positive impact on our food systems;
- Sponsoring Friday night’s keynote talk from food writer and advocate Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at 7:30pm in the Borough Theatre; and
- Championing and promoting recycling schemes around the festival.
Simon Crichton, food farming and trade team manager at Triodos Bank says: “Food is the biological currency of our day-to-day lives, which is why Triodos Bank is passionate about financing sustainable and healthy food systems. We support more than 330 food and farming businesses across the UK which together produce the equivalent of almost 16 million organic meals annually. The Abergavenny Food Festival is a wonderful opportunity to bring together producers and food lovers to nurture a love for our good food and a sustainable food and farming system.”
Triodos Bank only lends money to organisations that are making a positive difference to society and are delivering social, cultural or environmental benefits. Last year alone, Triodos loans to the organic food sector throughout Europe created the equivalent of 32 million organic meals—enough for 29,000 people to eat organically for the year. In addition to the organic agricultural sector, Triodos also lends to organisations and projects ranging from renewable energy, charities, community schemes, social housing providers and homelessness programmes. In the UK, the bank’s total positive impact lending exceeded £700 million in 2016.
2017 is Abergavenny Food Festival’s 19th year running and reaches 35,000 people over what is primarily a 2-day festival weekend.