“There is something joyful about watching food come to life on screen and to know that others are tuning in to the same event”
The Virtual Food Festival (VFF) was a runaway success. When it launched on 13th April 2020, it was met with high praise in the press, an explosion on social media and a queue of celebrity chefs and foodies eager to get involved. The VFF is a shining example of innovation triumphing over adversity, and it proved that even in the toughest of times, there are opportunities – if you’ve got the right support.
What is the Virtual Food Festival?
The Virtual Food Festival was a food channel and series of online events where celebrity chefs and food experts like Rick and Jack Stein and Angela Hartnett showcased quality ingredients from local, sustainable suppliers. In the schedule of live cooking demonstrations, top chefs shared their expert recipes and tips using their favourite ingredients, which viewers could then order online to enjoy restaurant-standard food in their own homes.
In short, the VFF brought the best chefs and the best ingredients direct to people’s kitchens – the cooking part was up to you!
“We are promoting businesses, helping people learn how to cook and having some fun along the way”
– Ross Geach, Padstow Kitchen Garden
Where did the Virtual Food Festival come from?
In the wake of the Coronavirus lockdown and the halt of the hospitality industry, food suppliers found themselves with nowhere to sell their fresh produce. Many producers have a poor online presence, so selling direct to consumers was a big fish to fry (so to speak). Ross Geach of Padstow Kitchen Garden had the idea to connect people and food, by creating an online community that promotes businesses, quality food and cooking all at the same time. Ross pitched his idea to Jack Stein, Chef Director at Rick Stein restaurants, who was eager to get involved.
“Whilst our restaurants are closed, and we’re not able to buy from our brilliant suppliers, we help to showcase their great produce so that customers can order directly from them.”
– Jack Stein, Rick Stein Restaurants
To make his idea a reality, Ross approached the geeks at Solve to put the ‘virtual’ into the Virtual Food Festival. Our chief pixel pusher, Lawrence, knew that this project could really help local food producers nationwide get through Covid-19. And as a B Corp, we always put people and planet before profit, so it was a perfect fit for us. Solve whole-heartedly donated time and resources to help bring the idea to fruition and support the local community – we’re all in this together after all.
Solve had the website and social real estate live in a matter of days, and we provided hosting and on-going maintenance free of charge. But that isn’t where our involvement ends. As a founding member of the VFF, Solve was a driving force behind the blossoming future of the festival.
“The Virtual Food Festival is an example of how in these crazy times, an idea can be turned into reality quickly to help support the community.”
– Lawrence Harmer, Solve
Why is the Virtual Food Festival important?
During the pandemic, independent food producers like farmers, growers, butchers and fishermen, who would have sold their products into the hospitality industry, had a lot of excess stock. At the same time, people were at home with extra time and desire to cook, but they needed ingredients.
The VFF was the missing link in the chain, connecting people and food.
The VFF promoted local food suppliers online and provided them with an avenue to sell their high-quality produce. And at the same time, it entertained the people at home, helped them find their love of food and gave them access to restaurant-standard food while promoting healthier, more sustainable eating.
The festival is even raised money for charities like The National Emergencies Trust (NET) and St Petrocs Society through donations, competitions and exclusive front row seats.
“The Virtual Food Festival is a force for good. Everyone involved benefits in some way – suppliers, chefs, food lovers, charities and even the environment”– Lawrence Harmer, Solve
What impact has the Virtual Food Festival had?
The Virtual Food Festival’s impact on food suppliers was profound. St Enodoc Asparagus, a small but renowned grower of asparagus based in St Minver, normally sold their produce to discerning chefs across Cornwall and beyond. The Coronavirus restrictions deeply affected them, but their involvement with the VFF and presentation from chefs like Jack Stein “saved their season”.
Not only did their exposure from the festival open up their restaurant-quality produce to the general public, it also created new wholesale links with the likes of Mitch Tonks who saw people queuing up (social distancing observed) to buy St Enodoc Asparagus at his Rockfish restaurant in Brixham.
The VFF has exploded online and continues to have a growing audience. The website, which was set up by Solve, received 3.5k visits within the first 24 hours of launching, and they saw 660 YouTube subscribers in one day, with over 10k views in less than a week. On social media, their posts are reaching over 90k people organically, with over 1.7k impressions daily.
The VFF has also raised over £3000 for charity. Check out the Crowdfunder page.
Why was the Virtual Food Festival so successful?
The VFF shows that even in challenging situations, you can succeed if you adapt and innovate. And that the online marketplace presents significant opportunities.
Although lots of businesses are felt the pinch, internet usage during the pandemic soared and sales for businesses that offered home delivery boomed. Online food sales, for example, were up by almost 25%. And online orders for home and leisure products were up by as much as 200% in 2020 compared to 2019.
What is the future of the Virtual Food Festival?
With the Covid-19 pandemic no longer having such a massive impact on our lives, for now the Virtual Food Festival has come to an end. But never say never, watch this space!
An example of online success
The VFF showed that with innovation, tenacity, the opportunities of the internet and the right techy support, anything’s possible.
Even now the pandemic is largely over, the effects on peoples shopping habits is still being felt. Consumers are still spending substantially more online than before the coronavirus pandemic- in May 2022, seasonally adjusted internet sales accounted for 26.6% of all official retail sales, compared with 19.7% in February 2020.
Could you take your business online? Whether you sell products or services, the web geeks at Solve are here to help your business grow. We provide everything you need to get set up on the internet, from SEO and web design services to e-commerce shop creation, social media and ad creation, we do it all.
Get in touch today to find out how we can help you.
The Virtual Food Festival in the press
The best virtual food festivals to stream at home this season – The Telegraph
Virtual festival a real success – Business Cornwall
Virtual Food Festival partners with Crowdfunder – Business Cornwall
Top chefs heading second Virtual Food Festival – Business Cornwall
Jack Stein and Ross Geach to launch virtual food festival on Monday – The Caterer
Rick Stein Restaurants streams first live virtual food festival – Boutique Hotelier
Case Study: Solve – Oxford Innovation
