Scottish Government and Scottish Bakers have announced a new scheme to provide grant funding to help bakers across Scotland to buy or modernize their equipment. The GBP125k Scottish Bakers Grant Scheme is now available to small family-run or independent businesses.
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “We want to enable businesses to become more efficient in their use of energy and resources, which should reduce costs whilst contributing towards our ambitious climate change reduction targets. This is part of our wider efforts to continue the success of Scotland’s Food and Drink sector – helping it to double in value by 2030. We want more food to be sourced and produced locally, including Scotland’s delicious baked goods, which is good news for producer and consumer alike.”
Scottish Bakers Chief Executive Alasdair Smith commented: “This fund will provide vital funding to support bakers allowing them to invest in their businesses for the future helping them to meet the needs of the changing modern high-street. Scottish bakers are skilled craftspeople baking fresh goods daily and many of our members are stalwarts of our high streets and communities. And of course, a strong bakery sector is also good for Scotland Plc supporting 12,000 jobs securing the future of our much loved daily bread, savoury snacks and sweet treats.”
The grant program aims to support and encourage the economic growth of independent Scottish bakers and their capacity to innovate and respond to changing customer demands through the following:
A maximum grant of GBP5,000 is available per business. Applicants must provide at least 25% of the total project costs. Businesses may contribute more than 25% of the total but the maximum grant remains fixed at GBP5,000.
