Freedom Food’s Farm Gate Direct Site Shortlisted For Top Award

www.farmgatedirect.com, Freedom Food’s innovative new e-commerce website, has been short-listed out of nearly 3,000 entries for the UK Online E-Commerce Awards 2003.

The awards celebrate e-commerce sites that have improved businesses through the use of the Internet, facilitating interaction with customers, business partners and suppliers.

Farm Gate Direct allows members of the Freedom Food scheme to cost-effectively market higher welfare products direct to the end consumer and to locally based food service or retail business.

Scheme members or independent retailers can set up their own on-line shops via Farm Gate Direct for a fraction of the cost of developing an e-commerce website.* And whilst Freedom Food retains overall control of the site’s content, each member or retailer is able to manage their own micro-store.

Nina Crump, Brand Marketing Manager of Freedom Food, says: “The response we have had so far to Farm Gate Direct, from both Freedom Food members and consumers, has been fantastic. It is being recognised as an excellent mechanism for increasing profits and developing local supply chains, as well as marketing carcasses which don’t meet supermarket specifications. We are delighted to have been short-listed for these awards.”

Three companies have already signed up to the site – Alternative Meats, Loch Fyne Oysters and Smokehouse, Ensors of Gloucestershire – with discussions currently underway with other potential merchants.

The regional awards ceremony for the UK Online E-commerce Awards takes place on the 19th September.