Our mission is to empower women, shine a spotlight on what they are doing for the UK food industry and build a community of women who give each other support, confidence and strength.
About
We believe you can’t be what you can’t see. Championing and celebrating women in the UK food industry is at the heart of what we do. This is THE place for conversation, insight, news, events, podcasts, stories, networking and community support across all sectors of the food industry.
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With your help we aim to:
• Increase the awareness of all the roles women play in the industry
• Show the wide range of roles and opportunities for women
• Connect women across all sectors for conversation and support
• Be a resource and a place where women can get the help they need
We want to see a world in which the food industry treats women as equal, champions inclusion and diversity and actively helps women of all ages and backgrounds fulfil their dreams and ambitions to work in food. We also want to help move women up the ranks and become strong leaders and role models in the industry.
Led by co-founder, Mex Ibrahim with the valuable help of Ambassadors: Irini Tzortzoglou, Antonia Lloyd, Shelley Sofier and Emma White, we all share the heart-felt belief that collaboration is better than competition and we welcome the support of both men and women to help our aims.
Women in the Food Industry became a Community Interest Company (CIC) on 18th July 2023 and doesn’t exist to make a profit – we work towards a purpose, reinvesting any surplus money into achieving our goal.
Events
Why Women Led Food Businesses Work – The Future of Food is Female – IFE – International Food & Drink Event
IFE- International Food & Drink Event, is the UK’s largest and most successful event for product sourcing for buyers from across the retail, foodservice, hospitality, wholesale, distribution, import and export sectors. It returns to Excel from 25-27th March. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, is delighted to be chairing a session in the Future Food Stage on 27th March called Why Women-Led Food Businesses Work – The Future of Food is Female.
Wednesday, 27th March 2024
Future Food Stage
IFE - International Food & Drink Event
ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL
The Future for Vegan & Plant-Based Diets – Has The Bubble Burst? – IFE Manufacturing 2024
IFE Manufacturing is the ultimate product sourcing platform for food & drink manufacturers to do business. It is part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week at Excel. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, is delighted to be chairing a session at the Trends & Innovation Platform on 27th March called Why Women-Led What’s the Future for Vegan & Plant Based Diets – Has the Bubble Burst? Read on to find out about the women in the plant-based food industry who are on the panel and what you will takeaway from the panel and the event.
Wednesday, 27th March 2024
Trends & Innovation Platform
IFE Manufacturing
ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL
Chocolate – The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly – Conversations Around The Cookery School Table
We have teamed up with our friends at Cookery School at Little Portland Street to bring you discounted tickets to their brand new series of monthly events. Their next event takes place on 25th March 2024 from 6pm-8.30pm and will explore important issues around sustainability in chocolate. Find out more and discover how to get discounted tickets.
Monday, 25th March 2024
Cookery School at Little Portland Street
15b Little Portland Street
London
W1W 8BW
Better Hospitality Conference 2024 (18th – 19th March)
Our co-founder Mex Ibrahim is speaking at The Better Hospitality Conference on 19th March (the second day of the two day conference) at 11:30am-12:30pm on the following panel “Do we need to do more to address media portrayals of gender roles in hospitality?”
Tuesday, 19th March 2024
Mercato Mayfair
North Audley Street
London W1K 6ZA
International Women’s Day 2024 Celebration of Healthy, Sustainable, and Ethical Breakfast Options
Women in the Food Industry and The Ethical Deli Market from Todelli are bringing you a sustainable and healthy breakfast club event! Enjoy a breakfast menu of healthy nibbles along with a dynamic morning discussion featuring esteemed nutritionists, chefs, and cookbook authors who bring a wealth of expertise from diverse culinary backgrounds, dietary philosophies, and cultural perspectives.
Friday, 8th March 2024
The Conduit, 6 Langley Street, London, WC2H 9JA
Social Media Mix – What’s The Recipe for Success? An event for International Women’s Day 2024
Kitch and Women in the Food Industry are bringing you an inspirational panel event, pizza, & award-winning drinks in celebration of International Women’s Day! An impressive all-female panel of marketers, chefs, cook book writers and leaders discuss what social media strategies have proven successful for their hospitality, food and drink brands.
Tuesday, 5th March 2024
Divertimenti Cookery School
227-229 Brompton Road London SW3 2EP
Celebrate International Women’s Day 2024 with Reel Empowerment
Celebrate International Women’s Day with Reel Empowerment!
Join our exclusive in person workshop designed to honour and uplift women in the food industry. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we invite food producers, chefs, caterers, restaurateurs, and all food enthusiasts to participate in a dynamic Instagram Reels workshop.
Monday, 4th March 2024
SHOLA Karachi Kitchen
Unit 6 Media Works, Wood Lane, London W12 7FP
Magic Beans – Have you got your finger on the pulse? – Conversations Around The Cookery School Table
We have teamed up with our friends at Cookery School at Little Portland Street to bring you discounted tickets to their brand new series of monthly events. Their first event takes place on January 29th 2024 from 6pm-8.30pm and will explore the rise of British beans and pulses as an alternative protein source. Find out more and discover how to get discounted tickets.
Monday, 29th January 2024
Cookery School at Little Portland Street
15b Little Portland Street
London
W1W 8BW
News
15/03/2024
Wine Industry’s #MeToo Moment? Curious Vine’s Queena Wong Responds
Queena Wong, founder of Curious Vines, the supportive community that connects women in wine, has commented on the article that appeared in The Times T2 on, March 14th 2024. With a headline: Is the wine industry about to have its own MeToo moment? journalist Kate Spicer shared experiences of women who work in the wine trade. Queena Wong had conducted a recent survey of women who work in the wine trade, where one in three described experiencing harassment.
10/03/2024
At Women in the Food Industry we are interviewing the strong female line-up of chefs from across Britain competing to serve their dish at the final banquet. To continue our series, our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed Elly Wentworth Head Chef at The Angel in Dartmouth, Devon.
07/03/2024
Baking a Difference : Kim Innes and the Crumble Revolution
In the heart of London’s vibrant food scene, a culinary revolution quietly simmers, led by the indomitable Kim Innes and her ground-breaking venture, Humble Crumble. From modest inception as a Primrose Hill farmers’ market stall to its current status as the world’s first crumble bakery, Humble Crumble has baked itself into the fabric of the City’s culinary culture, serving over half a million crumbles in just three years. We delve deeper into how its visionary founder transformed a quintessentially British dessert from everyday edible to gastronomic sensation, whilst cooking up a multimillion-pound business with an ever-expanding following.
06/03/2024
At Women in the Food Industry we are continuing our series of interviews with the strong female line-up of chefs from across Britain competing to serve their dish at the final banquet. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed Melissa McCabe who runs her own food truck Street FEAST based out of Camlough.
04/03/2024
Great British Menu (GBM) returned to our screens on January 23rd for season 19. The BBC2 show puts the nation’s most talented chefs to the test. At Women in the Food Industry we are continuing our series of interviews with the strong female line-up of chefs from across Britain competing to serve their dish at the final banquet. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed Lottie Noren Chef Patron of EDŌ Restaurant, Belfast.
02/03/2024
French Females of Fromage offer wise words for International Women’s Day 2024
Back in November, our co-founder Mex Ibrahim attended a fun and beautifully put together immersive dinner experience at the O’Meara Theatre in London. Guests at the six course dinner were entertained by actors representing the characteristics of six very different French cheeses: Époisses, Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage, Neufchâtel, Saint-Nectaire, Brillat-Savarin, and Bleu d’Auvergne. For International Women’s Day we look across the Channel to four inspirational women who are responsible for making, training, presenting and promoting in the wonderful world of French cheese.
27/02/2024
Great British Menu (GBM) puts the nation’s most talented chefs to the test. At Women in the Food Industry we are continuing our series of interviews with the strong female line-up of chefs from across Britain competing to serve their dish at the final banquet. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed Nina Matsunaga Head Chef of The Black Bull, in Sedburgh Cumbria.
25/02/2024
Meet the Women Roux Scholarship Regional Finalists for 2024
There are three female chefs competing in the Roux Scholarship regional finals in 2024, all of whom are new to the competition. They are: Evelina Stripeikyte, Megan Montibert and Rebecca Tough. Discover more about them ahead of the regional finals.
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