National centre for England's newest food and drink initiative set for opening in Banbury

England's newest food and drink initiative is set to launch its opening next month at Banbury's Castle Quay Shopping Centre.
An artist impression of Happerley England in Lock29 Banbury set to open next monthAn artist impression of Happerley England in Lock29 Banbury set to open next month
An artist impression of Happerley England in Lock29 Banbury set to open next month

Farmer-led food provenance champion, Happerley, has taken an unprecedented step towards delivering transparency across England’s food and drink industry with the opening of the country’s first national centre for provenance.

Situated at Lock29, a ground-breaking independent food and leisure destination located in Banbury’s Castle Quay, Happerley England will give farmers, suppliers and producers a platform to champion their ‘Gold Standard’ produce.

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TV presenter and farmer Adam Henson will be on hand for the grand opening on Saturday August 29.

The 'Gold Standard' tag will only be accorded to food and drink producers able to name the exact sources of their core ingredients back to the primary producers. Every core ingredient must be instantly traceable back to farms (or fishing boats), from coffee to cheese to bread and jam to beer.

The new concept has been developed in the context of the growing phenomenon of interest in food and drink and demand for transparency that is sweeping the UK and will fill the 30,000 square foot former BHS store in Castle Quay.

The Happerley England Banbury location at Lock29 will complement the forthcoming Castle Quay Waterfront development.

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There will only be three national centres in the UK, with the other two opening in Wales and Scotland.

Logo for Happerley England in Lock29 Banbury set to open next monthLogo for Happerley England in Lock29 Banbury set to open next month
Logo for Happerley England in Lock29 Banbury set to open next month

Matthew Rymer, CEO and founder of Happerley, said:

“We're really excited this is taking place at Lock29 in Banbury. I believe very strongly it'll be a catalyst for Banbury.

"People are valuing food and drink and the importance of sustainability more than ever before due to COVID-19."

The Happerley England Banbury location at Lock29 will include a dedicated cheese counter, a butchery, a fish mongers, a bar with large variety of craft beer and more.

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When customers download the Happerley England App they will be able to see where all the ingredients of any of the items sold.

Matthew added: "Banbury is ideally located to showcase the best of English provenance. We want to become an education zone and tourist attraction.

"The ethos is we've become very aware the provenance of food and drink can get very lost to the consumer. We're just delivering a transparency and a truth to the consumer about their food.

"Everyone should know where their food is from that's the driving mission behind Happerley. At Happerley England you'll know the exact farm where your chicken came from.

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"There is such a story in delivering the journey of your food. We don't want any customer or shopper to leave Happerley England and Lock29 without learning something.

Recruiting

Happerley England is looking to hire 20 full-time and 20 part-time staff members to be ready for their grand opening next month.

They are looking for retail assistants for number of retail outlets that offer the finest of produce, from meat, cheese, artisan breads, vegetables and craft drinks.

They are also looking for retail managers and sous chefs.

Flexible working hours will be available, and no experience necessary as full training will be provided.

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For more information regarding the Happerley England project and job opportunities available Happerley will be hosting a live webinar on Thursday July 30 at 11am.

For more information about the job opportunities, including the link to the webinar through Zoom see the following web link: https://happerleyengland.co.uk/job-opportunities

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