Connecting us with Western Victoria’s producers

EAT Drink West is the new buzz phrase around town, being touted as Western Victoria’s go-to source for all things produce related. Eat Drink West has been set up as a supplementary arm of the Plate Up Ballarat campaign, aiming to continue the growth of Ballarat and the surrounding region as the culinary Capital of the West.

Plate Up Ballarat has enjoyed enormous award-winning success over the past 12 months. Celebrating good food, boutique wine, craft beer and much more. Seen as a natural and highly sought-after extension to the Plate Up Ballarat month of events held in May each year, Eat Drink West will create connections between chefs, venues, consumers and local producers.

Venues and chefs alike have been looking for an easy source to seek out all their local produce needs, not to mention increased consumer demand to enjoy local menus containing local produce.

Director of Plate Up Ballarat, Kate Davis, said, “We’re very excited to be expanding the Plate Up Ballarat legacy into this much needed space. Eat Drink West will be able to provide a powerful link in the food chain from growers, producers, artisans, chefs and makers to consumers. Showcasing Western Victoria’s amazing and growing food industry.”

Put simply, Eat Drink West will provide a directory of ingredients and farms in the Western Victorian region.

But it will be much more than a pure website listing. Focusing on producers of Ballarat and the surrounding region, the Eat Drink West website will provide a list of producers, products and farms gates, their location, opening hours, website link and map, as well as which venues the produce can be enjoyed as part of their menu.

Additionally, Eat Drink West Is planning podcasts, social media campaigns and seasonal producer booklets to be distributed across key venues and locations.

Allowing access to local producers via this one channel –a unified and upto‐ date platform –we will all be able to use local. By using local, we will reduce waste, emissions and food miles. All great strides in our increasing desire to live a greener life.