The MIX IN was an event aimed at those working in food/drink + creative sectors, held at the Byre at Inchyra, Perthshire on 5th May 2015. It was hosted by Creative Dundee in partnership with the Scotland Food and Drink Network and Perth & Kinross Council, as part of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink.

Over 100 people from a mix of backgrounds joined us to hear from 10 great speakers, sample the treats provided by local producers and enjoy the creative displays around the venue.

An album of photos taken at the event by photographer, Siobhan Diamond, can be found here.

We’ve included a slide from each of the speaker’s presentations below, to give you an idea of the diversity of the inspiring topics covered on the night. You can also view the social media stories from The MIX IN at the bottom of this post, or over here.

A huge thanks in particular goes to Claire Dufour of By Ricochet for creative direction; Lauren McCorkindale for creative artworks and support on the night, and to Louise Kirby for print artworks displayed on the night.  

Our speakers included: 

Caroline Inchyra is co-founder and director of the family run firm Inchyra Events Ltd which operates the top wedding and events venue, The Byre at Inchyra. Launched in June 2014 the Byre has risen fast to become one of the most sought after venues in Scotland.

Donald Reid has been The List Food and drink editor since 1999, Donald founded The Larder series of publications, which cover the food and drink scene of Scotland with national, regional and online guides and maps. He is also a part-time lecturer on the UK’s first MSc programme in Gastronomy at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.

Lyall Bruce is a designer, illustrator and member of Fleet Collective. He is interested in the future of design and its increasing importance to the successful development of businesses, cities and communities.

Liz Ramsay is Director of DoSomethingDelicious.com, a food & drink gift & experience marketplace, filled with delicious ideas – from cupcakes to chocolate pizzas; cheese making kits to cookery courses. Liz Ramsay is one of the founders, a foodie through and through, and is keen to sign up more producers and suppliers to the site.

Ross Brown is founder of Lovsushi which springs from a desire to showcase Scotland’s produce in a new and exciting way. We offer Event catering, wholesale and private catering using Scotland’s finest ingredients. Not your everyday kinda company.

Emily Dewhurst is founder of Kitchen Press, an independent micro-publishing house specialising in restaurant and market cookbooks. She launched the company in 2011 with the Parlour Cafe Cookbook. Collaborating with chefs, illustrators and writers to create beautiful cookbooks, the company has carved out a niche celebrating some of the innovation happening in our neighbourhood eateries every day.

Iain Stirling runs Arbikie Highland Estate with his brothers, David & John to grow and distill super-premium spirits. 2014 saw the opening of the Stirling family’s distillery, within the Arbikie Highland Estate situated on the dramatic east coast of the Scottish Highlands and the launch of their ultra-smooth Arbikie Vodka. Arbikie Distillery is unique. It is the first single-estate distillery in Scotland to produce spirits using traditional Scotch distilling methods and equipment.

Jason Morenikeji is Founder of Urban Farming Company, based at the prestigious Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation. With a focus on food sovereignty, design and innovation he is exploring two product development projects which link leading edge technology and food production.

Anna Lamotte from Guardswell Farm, a family enterprise. Opening 2016. Guardswell Farm: Multipurpose Rural Venue, Rural Skills Courses and Nordic Style Huts. The chance to escape a fast paced modern world and reconnect with the simpler things in life; be it cooking on your own fire pit, learning how to plant your own vegetable garden, dancing under the stars or, just spending time with your family, surrounded by nature.

Lynne Wardle, mother of The Kitchen Table, a place to nourish communities.