Food and Beverage

In the dynamic and complex field of food and beverage law, it takes experience and insight to be able quickly to get to the heart of any matter.  

Producers and packagers, restauranteurs and retailers

Wherever you sit in the food chain, there are some familiar risks that demand care to keep the business flowing smoothly.

Regulation, health and safety and intellectual property disputes (to name a few) loom large in a low margin, highly competitive industry. If poorly handled, such issues can have a disproportionate effect on the business, its reputation and ultimately its success.

Our food and beverage lawyers know their onions. Trusted for their in depth knowledge of the wider subject as well as the specific food and beverage legal context, they help your business defend itself and its brands from outside attack or potential dangers within.

Family size to mini bars

Companies of every size share an appetite for our advice. While we frequently act for larger, corporate clients, we help many smaller food and beverage businesses including assisting start-up brands and growth businesses.

Almost every practice area in the firm works with food and beverage businesses, giving you clear and actionable advice that comes from wide experience in the sector, building trust to help you manage your business with confidence.

From farm to fork

We have a long history of working with farmers, landowners and agricultural businesses so we understand the issues from the very root of food and drink production all the way through the process.

Advising on business contracts makes up a large part of our work but the range of businesses and legal issues is as diverse as the things they produce or supply. Recent work for established firms includes advising on the Groceries Supply Code of Practice, on supply chain contracts for nut butter makers, Pip & Nut, and on employment law for national pub business, Marston’s. Our experience and knowledge has also proved its worth in advising specialist investors, the Cadman Group on acquisitions in brewing, vineyards and packaging businesses, and supporting international foodservice group Bidcorp. 

A wide range of business support is available

• Agriculture
• Commercial contracts
• Dispute resolution
• HR & Employment law
• Immigration
• Intellectual property
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Property and planning
• Regulatory compliance