Not many people would know the Clarence Valley is the agri-food economic power house of the Northern Rivers. This is just one of the many surprising statistics uncovered during research done by a new local food group, Clarence Valley Food Inc who formed in January. One of their spokespersons Debrah Novak, said “it was humbling to read how successful our primary producers were here in the Clarence Valley when compared to the rest of the North Coast. Our primary producers are our unsung business heroes of the Clarence Valley. The farmer led group, Clarence Valley Food Inc wants to change that knowledge gap but also wants to support the growth and awareness of the agri-food economy as new opportunities present themselves in an expanding marketplace”. Clarence Valley Food Inc were the only Clarence Valley based agri-food group to receive funding and support from the highly successful national ‘Farming Together’ program which assisted with professional support to create their strategic and business plans. Ms Novak said, “now that our business and strategic plans are done we are starting our community and industry engagement program. Our first pop up food event is perfectly positioned between the Grafton and Maclean Cups and will be held on Friday July 13 at the Coldstream Gallery Ulmarra. We are excited to announce our first guest speaker, is former NSW Rural Woman of the Year, Lorraine Gordon. We will be showcasing a range of local producers on a grazing table just so the wider community can start learning and take pride in and value what our primary producers are growing in our region. The event collaboration with the Coldstream Gallery Ulmarra is a perfect fit for this occasion because hanging on the walls during this event will be a wide range of arts that reflect the agri-food sector”. The Clarence Valley has 1000 registered primary producers who have an estimated output of $483 million. This sector are also the largest exporters at $296 million and employ 1182 people when compared to the rest of the agri-food sector on the North Coast. There are only 100 tickets ($25) available for this event which can be ordered through sticky tickets www.stickytickets.com.au/72483 or ring Debrah Novak on 0402 404 606.