CORNWALL'S biggest festival of food and drink fed more than £3 million into the local economy, according to organisers.
Cornwall Food & Drink said its analysis showed that the Great Cornish Food Festival more than doubled its estimated value to the county's economy in 2014, rising from just under £1.5 million in 2013 to more than £3 million this year.
About 40,000 people from as far afield as Canada, Australia and the US flocked to the three-day event on Truro's Lemon Quay in September, spending 20 per cent more this year than last.
But the organisers said this was "far outweighed" by the business the festival generated for shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants, markets and accommodation providers in and around Truro and across the county.
It cited the 8,500 holidaymakers and nearly 5,000 who had travelled to Cornwall specifically for the festival, either planning their holidays around it, or fixing up a day or weekend trip to make the most of it, as a key factor.
Analysis by Cornwall Food & Drink suggests that nearly 8,500 food professionals - including chefs, restaurant managers, retailers and other trade buyers from within and outside Cornwall - were among the festival visitors, many scouting for new products, meeting existing suppliers or discussing new business ventures.
Ruth Huxley, director of Cornwall Food & Drink, said: "We know that the festival has become one of the cornerstones of the food and drink industry and as such it must be far more than a well-loved showcase.
"We also know that we are at physical capacity on Lemon Quay so must find other ways in which it can act as a catalyst for boosting the county's vital food and drink sector and building Cornwall's wider economy and reputation."
A co-founder in 2004 of the event formerly known as the Cornwall Food & Drink Festival, in 2004, Steve Whittingham, of Fodders Restaurant and Espresso Bar in Truro, who still manages the demonstration theatre, said: "It's a remarkable achievement, and even more so considering that we have done this in the year when the festival has become almost entirely reliant on private sector backing. It's a reflection of the event's professionalism and the value the sponsors and other participants obtain from it that this has been possible."
Next year's Great Cornish Food Festival will run from September 25 to 27 on Lemon Quay.
Key findings on the 2104 festival, compiled by Cornwall Food & Drink:
-60 exhibitors, 40 professional masterclasses/tastings/demonstrations, approximately 40,000 visitors
-almost 1 in 5 visitors had been before, while 18 per cent heard by word of mouth
-more than 8,500 (more than 1 in 5) were on holiday
-more than 3,000 on holiday had come to Cornwall especially for the festival, about 2,000 of these not having been to the festival before
-a further 2,000 came especially to Cornwall for the festival but were not on holiday
-86 per cent (more than 33,500) came from outside Truro, some from as far away as Canada, the US and Australia
-almost 8,500 had a professional interest in food and drink
-more people than ever before had planned their visit
-only 1.5 per cent (less than 600 of the 40,000) were 'just passing'
-actual spend during festival was about £150,000, up nearly 24 per cent on 2013, with spend per head at £3.75, the highest recorded to date
-the festival's PR reached more than 55 million and stretched as far as Canada
-feedback suggested the Great Cornish Food Festival has become one of the most talked about events within the Cornish business community
-97 per cent of visitors rated overall experience either excellent or good (71 per cent said excellent)
-98 per cent rated the location as either excellent or good (73 per cent said excellent)
-the estimated overall value of the event to Cornwall was £3.1 million, up from £1.4 million in 2013
-the event has increased in value more than threefold since 2009 and is managed at no cost to the local authorities apart from the use of the site, made available by Truro City Council.
