Ryder Cup 2014: Two firms win catering contracts

The Ryder Cup will be held at Gleneagles in September next year

Two companies have been awarded major catering contracts for next year's Ryder Cup.

Paisley-based Fresh Direct and Compass in Scotland will manage catering and hospitality for the global sporting event at Gleneagles in Perthshire.

More than 1,500 temporary jobs will be created, with both companies planning to recruit in Scotland.

The event's organisers estimated the contracts would provide a £3m boost to the Scottish economy.

Scottish food producers and suppliers will be used as part of a sustainability initiative run by the Ryder Cup organisers.

Compass in Scotland and Fresh Direct - which works alongside Mecco - said they were committed to "putting Scottish food and drink on the global map".

Neil MacLaurin, from Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: "Compass in Scotland is committed to helping Scotland grow - supporting Scottish suppliers is a vital part of this, as is supporting local communities through job creation."

Mecco and Compass previously worked in partnership at The 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales.

They estimated that the catering deals for that event provided a £2.5m boost to the Welsh economy, including temporary jobs.

In October, a security firm and a temporary accommodation provider became the first Scottish companies to win supplier contracts for the Ryder Cup through the event's official procurement portal.

Hamilton firm Portakabin Events and Glasgow-based SecuriGroup won the contracts after a competitive tender.

The contracts had featured on the Public Contracts Scotland website.

The Ryder Cup is due to tee off at Gleneagles on 23 September, 2014.