Scotland’s experts on farmer co-ops and food industry collaboration, we work with food and farming businesses to make them more profitable, competitive, and sustainable - #workingtogether to shape the future, today.
All our work helps facilitate farmers and food and drink businesses to work together effectively. Over the years we've expanded and developed subsidiary businesses - getting the right people together and making innovative advancements - to help benefit food, farming and rural Scotland.
Developing staff capability is one of the most effective ways to improve a co-op’s performance. Check out our events and training programme - most of which are open to non co-op members too.
As a development organisation, owned by our members, we provide a range of specialist services not available elsewhere, to assist them in developing their people and their businesses. Get in touch to find out how we can help you.
See below for all the latest news, views and updates from us here at SAOS. Find all our latest videos on YouTube at: SAOS - working together in food and farming
Seven invited partner organisations, three co-ops, two locations - this was a great opportunity for our strategic partners to find out more about our co-op members!
Our colleague, SAOS Co-op Development Director, Jim Booth, set the scene for the day with an introduction to SAOS, as well as the co-op business model and co-operative values.
We then heard from three of our forward-thinking and innovative co-op members: Highland Grain, Grampian Growers and Tarff Valley, providing background on their co-ops and covering some of the fascinating projects they've been involved in
We were delighted to hear next from Lucy Bates (right) who gave us an overview of the Sustainable Farm Networks initiative which she project manages at the Harper Adams School of Sustainable Food and Farming - we were amazed to hear about the huge array of farm demo sites there are across the UK!
Our jam packed tour then moved on to the James Hutton Institute Where, thanks to our SEFARI Gateway (Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation) colleagues Prof Lorna Dawson, CBE, FRSE, FRSA, FRSB, FRSGS; Michelle McWilliams and Wendy Russell, we were treated to a fascinating tour of their demo farms and the incredible IGS vertical farm - all of which further stimulated conversations and ideas.
It was a great day to further connections and to showcase how cross-sector, innovative thinking can help to address challenges - exactly what the C2Network is all about.