Womersley Fruit and Herb Vinegars is one of fifty of the country’s most promising food and drink entrepreneurs that are to be recognised as Food Stars for their contribution to the UK’s growing economy.

Rupert Parsons, a speaker on Day 2 of Manufactured Yorkshire 2015 will join 49 Food Stars, carefully selected from hundreds of award-winning businesses, that range from fiery Scotch bonnet pepper sauce makers in Scotland to chocolatiers using Indian spices in London.

The revival of UK food and drink has seen a new generation of entrepreneurs emerge, whose innovative ideas and can-do attitude are creating jobs in local communities and contributing to the record £103 billion generated by the food chain last year.

Leading figures in retail and food—including Justin King, former CEO of Sainsbury’s, and Dame Fiona Kendrick, CEO of Nestle UK and Ireland—will launch the Food Stars scheme on Thursday to help the winners grow their businesses and get more of their produce on supermarket shelves and dinner tables in the UK and across the world.

The first initiative of its kind, Food Stars is part of a wider government drive to inspire entrepreneurial activity across the UK as part of our long-term economic plan.

Food and farming remains the biggest manufacturing sector in Britain, employing 1 in 8 people. There is no better time to join the growing number of innovators in food and drink – in 2013 entrepreneurs set up 30,000 new food and drink businesses generating thousands of jobs in the sector.

The industry’s continual innovation is bringing 16,000 new products to the market each year—more than France and Germany combined. Our Food Stars are helping to grow this sector even further.

Exports of UK food and drink are also booming with almost £19 billion worth shipped to more than 150 countries in 2013. Since 2010 the UK government has opened more than 600 new international markets supporting more businesses to sell their produce abroad.

Following Thursday’s launch, where 50 of the Food Stars will attend master classes on topics from exporting through to social media, they will receive a package of continued support from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and Cranfield University over the next year. This includes a tailored information service and access to a range of events and development opportunities in agriculture and food, the environment, management and leadership.

Find out more about the Food Stars and join in the conversation on social media with #50FoodStars.