The award was announced at a lavish black-tie ceremony and dinner at Cardiff’s Exchange Hotel. In one of the biggest nights in the Welsh food calendar, Bako Wales beat off competition from a shortlist which comprised: Blakemore Wholesale (Cardiff); Pembrokeshire Foods Company Ltd (Pembrokeshire); F. Jones Food Service (Wrexham); Castell Howell Foods Ltd (Llanelli); Luca Wholesale Ltd (Newport); and Euro Foods Group Ltd (Newport).
The Welsh Food Awards aim to recognise and reward the best of the Welsh food industry, from those who produce the ingredients to those who serve them. 2018 is the 4th year for the event and ‘Wholesaler of the Year’ was one of 23 categories for which awards were made on the night.
Commenting on the win, Bako Wales’ General Manager, Dyfed Evans, said:
“We’re delighted to have won this prestigious award for the food industry within Wales, particularly against such a strong shortlist. It shows how well we are doing in meeting our customers’ needs and delivering excellent service.”
The Welsh food industry is worth an estimated £4.5 billion and as a result employs at least 240,200 people across Wales, making it extremely important to the Welsh economy.
As well as the awards, the event also helped raise funds for the official charity partner, Cardiff Foodbank, which provides emergency food parcels to local people in crisis.