Inverness entrepreneur Angus Forbes named as overall winner of farming union young person awards
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Angus Forbes from Inverness has lifted the NFU Mutual and Scotland Food and Drink inspirational young person prize for 2019.
The award, which is now in its second year, is designed to recognise the talent and dedication of Scotland’s young people within the food and drink sector.
Over the last decade Mr Forbes, of Forbes Farm Fresh, has turned a small scale meat firm into a business renowned for selling quality locally produced beef, pork and lamb.
He has also added a massively successful outside catering business, specialising in hog roasts, to his portfolio, making Forbes Farm Fresh a go-to catering business for weddings, birthdays and community events in the area.
Mr Forbes found a market for quality, locally sourced meat, delivered right to the customer's door, providing individual orders.
He butchers and packages the produce himself.
He said: "As much as I would like to take all the credit, the business wouldn’t be in the position it is today without the help of all the Forbes clan. We're quite literally the definition of a family-run business.
"I may be at forefront but my family, especially my mother and father, put in an endless amount of hours. At Forbes Farm Fresh, we take great pride in providing our customers with the knowledge of what they are buying with complete traceability and the highest standards of animal welfare.
"It's not every day that the farmer who feeds the livestock also delivers the final product to your door."
Martin Malone, NFU Mutual's regional manager Northern Ireland and Scotland, said: “This year saw more quality entries demonstrating diversity, excellence and customer focus. There are so many dedicated, hard-working and inspiring young people currently working in the food and drink industry and NFU Mutual is delighted to work closely with so many fantastic food and drink businesses across the sector."
James Withers, chief executive at Scotland Food and Drink, said: "Our farming, food and drink industry is full of talented youngsters who are going to be driving our sector forward in the coming years.
"Gus is a great example of this talent. He has shown how you can embrace innovation to unlock new opportunities. Livestock production in Scotland is a tough business but Gus has clearly seen the potential to embrace quality and drive a direct connection between the farm and customers. Not only does that help secure a future for his own business but it helps Scotland’s ongoing effort to strengthen our food and drink brand."
