The BIG Buyers Brunch: A Taste of East Staffordshire

May 13, 2026

Burton Rugby Football Club, Battlestead Croft, Branston Rd, Tatenhill, Burton-on-Trent, East Staffordshire, DE13 9FF

9:00am - 12:00pm

Join FinditinStokeandStaffs and the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub for a BIG Buyers Brunch Special, bringing together the best of Staffordshire’s producers and food and drink manufacturers and wholesalers.

Connect with hospitality, leisure and retail buyers – plus key customers from some of the region’s largest buying organisations, for a focused morning of insight, connections and opportunity.

This interactive event is designed to strengthen Staffordshire’s supply chains and champion sustainable local procurement – connecting ambitious local suppliers with major regional buyers.

Connecting Producers to Possibility

What’s in Store?

MEET OUR BUYERS

Peter Russell, COO for the Russell Partnership Collection – A world leading food consultancy business, founded in 1989, which has delivered the food strategy for hundreds of global organisations and major events, including the London 2012 Olympic Games, and LIV Golf – a disruptive global professional league and rival to the PGA Tour, which will be holding a major tournament at JCB in Staffordshire in 2026.

Jean-Paul Larose, Head of Procurement, Ornua Foods UK in Leek A key player in the UK dairy supply chain, Ornua Foods UK is the country’s largest supplier of pre-packed hard cheese, serving all major UK retailers as well as wholesale, convenience and foodservice markets. Operating from a state-of-the-art cheese packing facility in Leek, Staffordshire, it is responsible for the sales and marketing of well-known brands such as Pilgrims Choice and Kerrygold, offering a range of cheese, butter and spreads.

Avtar (Avi) Sandhu, Senior Buyer, The Pentagon Food Group Hear about Pentagon’s expansion plans, including a new manufacturing facility, how local businesses can connect as suppliers, and how their new product development function (working with Unico Food Group) can open doors for unique local products.

Liz Salter, Head of Procurement, University of Staffordshire Find out about the university’s public sector procurement and framework agreements – and what SMEs can do to be “tender-ready” and well-positioned for success.

A short programme of presentations will be followed by expo-style networking and a relaxed brunch, giving you plenty of time to talk to the buyers.

This event is for producers, including field-to-fork suppliers and local food and drink manufacturers, who want to build supply chain relationships, explore opportunities and gain practical procurement guidance.

Please book a FREE place below using the online booking system.

Please note: FREE places to this event are for LOCAL businesses with a Stoke or Staffordshire postcode only. Businesses from outside the region are very welcome to join us, but tickets will cost £20.00 + Vat.

An event brought to you by FinditinStoke&Staffs with event sponsor Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub

This event is free.