Our mission is to empower women, shine a spotlight on what they are doing for the 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. Sharing stories, championing and celebrating women in the food industry is at the heart of what we do. This is a place for conversation, insight, stories, information and community support.
Join our community and together we can:
• 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 do all of this because we want to see a world in which the food industry treats women as equal, champions inclusion and diversity and actively supports young women to fulfil their dreams and ambitions to work in food.
Our co-founders are friends and food lovers, Janie Ash, Mex Ibrahim and Lynda Caine and our Ambassadors Irini Tzortzoglou, Antonia Lloyd, Shelley Sofier and Emma White. We all share the heart-felt belief that positive collaboration is a beautiful—and delicious—thing.
Join our community
You'll be in good companyStudent
If you’re a student or under 25, email us with proof of age or student ID and we’ll send you a discount code.
Support Us
If you like what we do, but you are not a woman in the food industry, you can still join our community for only £25 a year.
Events
Inspiring Urban Female Food Founders
On International Women’s Day 8th March 2020 discover how women with a love of hospitality have worked in London to bring their food and drink visions into a delicious reality. On a day when the world focuses on the achievements of women, you can hear from a number of women chefs, producers, writers, supper club hosts, drinks innovators and more.
Sunday, 8th March 2020
Fourpure Brewing Co
25 Bermondsey Trading Estate
Rotherhithe New Road
London
SE16 3LL
Sustainable Food Futures
Our event on Sustainable Gastronomy Day 2019 was one of our most popular. Building on this appetite we wanted to continue the conversation around the future of sustainable food with our hosts at Cookery School. So join us on the evening of the 6th March 2020, for another insightful and delicious night.
Friday, 6th March 2020
Cookery School at Little Portland Street,15b Little Portland Street, London, W1W 8BW
Women in FoodTech : Future of Food Meetup for International Women’s Day
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Women in the Food Industry and Forward Fooding are bringing you a new panel talk, Women in FoodTech. On the evening of 3rd March 2020 you’ll hear from an inspiring all female panel who will share their journeys, experiences and advice to give a great insight on what it means to be a woman in FoodTech.
Tuesday, 3rd March 2020
Huckletree West - Food Innovation Hub
The MediaWorks, White City Place,
191 Wood Lane,
Shepherd's Bush, London, W12 7TP
Gender Equality : The Future of the Food & Farming Industry
Join us at the Royal Society of Arts to discuss gender-specific barriers in the food and farming industry. When world is focusing on the contribution of women for International Women’s Day on March 8th and its theme of #EachForEqual, what can we do to help make the food & farming industry more equal for the whole year?
Tuesday, 3rd March 2020
The Steps, Rawthmells, RSA House, 8 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6EZ
Lancashire Female Food Entrepreneurs
We are delighted to announce that Women in the Food Industry’s first Northern event will be hosted by Lancaster University. Lancaster excels at understanding and teaching entrepreneurship and is currently ranked 4th out of 50 MBA programmes across the world for entrepreneurship.
Thursday, 30th January 2020
Lancaster University
The Politics of Food
As the December elections are currently front of mind, we’re holding an event at City Hall on the evening of 16th December on the politics of food. Our panel of women will cover subjects such as food poverty, slave-free food, food waste, gender politics in professional kitchens, sustainability and more.
Monday, 16th December 2019
City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, More London, London, SE1 2AA
Equality in the Hospitality Industry & WiFi (Women In the Food Industry) Networking
An evening to discuss equality within the food industry and why it is still such a hot topic even in the 21st century. We’ll discuss the moves that many restaurants and organisations are making to ensure parity with the hospitality industry and what we can all do to make working in the food industry a more balanced place in terms of gender.
Friday, 27th September 2019
Royal Society of Arts, 8 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6EZ
Sustainable Gastronomy Day Panel & Supper – Women In the Food Industry
We work with so many amazing women in the food industry who have sustainability at the core of their business models or have been making them as sustainable as possible and wanted to celebrate the efforts of the UN in creating Sustainable Gastronomy Day. On the evening of the 18th June 2019 you can join us for an insightful and delicious night.
Tuesday, 18th June 2019
Cookery School, 15 Little Portland St, Marylebone, London W1W 8BW
News
29/09/2023
Women in The Food Industry on Inclusivity at The Restaurant Show – Register for Free Tickets
The Restaurant Show showcases the best products, services and innovations in the market and returns to London’s Olympia from 2nd to the 4th October 2023. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, is delighted to be part of panel at Restaurant Live on 3rd October called Inclusive onboard: Retaining and welcoming fresh talent to the industry. Read on to find more about on the panel and how you can register for the session & for free tickets to The Restaurant Show.
23/09/2023
Listen to Lucianne Allen of Aubrey Allen : Podcast with Women In the Food Industry – WIFI Chats
WIFI Chats is a series of podcasts hosted by Janie Ash & Mex Ibrahim, co-founders of Women in the Food Industry. Join them as they chat to wonderful women across the food industry. These podcasts are part of our mission to give a voice to women and by sharing these stories we hope to inspire the next generation of women in the food industry. In this episode Mex chats to Lucianne Allen about how she made the move from being a barrister to running her family’s successful butchery business – Aubrey Allen. It has been in her family since 1933 and supplies meat to some of the nation’s best-known chefs.
05/09/2023
Meet Cathy Benwell – Co-founder of A Good Thing: Connecting Less to Landfill and More to Good Causes
A Good Thing is a new not-for-profit online platform that connects charities right across the UK with businesses of all types that have things to give away. We spoke to co-founder Cathy Benwell about the platform’s mission to reduce waste and to encourage reuse – meaning less to landfill and more to a good cause. Discover why the organisation has its sights set on the food industry.
22/08/2023
The Rise of Kitchen Gardens & the Women Who Run & Work in Them
Inspired by a great feature in the Observer Food Monthly, our co-founder Mex Ibrahim, decided to take a look at some of the women who are running kitchen gardens so they can supply the freshest products possible to their restaurants, cafes and schools.
16/08/2023
Speciality & Fine Food Fair, the UK’s leading showcase of artisanal food and drink, is returning from the 11th – 12th of September at Olympia, London. It’s a free industry event, designed as a food festival. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, is delighted to be chairing a session in the Trends Theatre on 11th September called Representing Diverse Food Cultures in Retail. Read on to find out about the esteemed women in the food industry on the panel and what you will takeaway from the panel and the event.
11/08/2023
The Barbican’s Eat The Screen Season : Films to Feed Conversations About Food – Review
If you’re interested in food, and love movies, film and cinema you must go to The Barbican’s new Eat The Screen season before it closes on August 24 2023. A hand-picked selection of short films, features and documentaries curated by Tamara Anderson, it is a fascinating season looking at important conversations around food sovereignty, meat consumption, farming, food waste, and the power of supermarkets.
11/08/2023
Listen to Nicola Matthews of Tony’s Chocolonely Podcast with Women In the Food Industry – WIFI Chats
WIFI Chats is a series of podcasts hosted by Janie Ash, co-founder of Women in the Food Industry. Join her as she chats to wonderful women across the food industry. These podcasts are part of our mission to give a voice to women and by sharing these stories we hope to inspire the next generation of women in the food industry. In this episode Janie chats to Nicola Matthews from Tony’s Chocolonley
01/08/2023
The new alcohol tax – we spoke to women in the drinks industry about what it means
The new Alcohol Tax came into force on 1st August 2023. We spoke to women in the drinks industry about the tax and what it means for their businesses, consumers and the industry as a whole.
Get in touch
Enquiries
Janie Ash
E: janie@womeninthefoodindustry.com
M: 07771764958
Mex Ibrahim
E: mex@womeninthefoodindustry.com
M: 07766083132