A NEW provenance logo has been created for Yorkshire’s food and drink industry by a York designer seeking to unite the industry.

Mat Lazenby, creative director of LazenbyBrown, based in the Shambles, has teamed up with his wife Debi to launch the Yorkshire Mark - a new independent food and drink provenance logo for the region.

The duo came up with the idea two years ago at the York Food & Drink Conference, organised by Make it York, where they spotted a gap in the region’s food and drink offer.

They said they found it “a surprising state of affairs” that there was no single, recognisable way of claiming a product was made in Yorkshire, especially given Yorkshire’s pride in its origins.

After discovering many other regions have developed their own successful provenance logos, such as areas of Scotland, the Isle of Wight and Northumberland, Mr Lazenby set out to create the Yorkshire Mark, taking his inspiration from the ‘Quatrefoil’ an ancient symbol that is said to underpin the original Yorkshire Rose.

The logo can be licensed annually by any food and drink producer making their product within the Yorkshire County boundary.

Mrs Lazenby, who will be handling the day to day running of the business and is the first point of contact for new members, said: “Our aim is to unite the amazing independent food and drink community under one brand that everyone recognises.

“As a county what we offer is so diverse; traditional fayre from the dales, street food from the City’s, World food trends from India and africa and beyond, award winning craft breweries and distilleries - the list goes on and on.”

Early adopters to the new logo that was only officially launched last week include Michelin Starred Chef Andrew Pern, Henshelwoods Deli in York, York Cocoa House, OSO Chilli Sauce and Rudgate Brewery, with more joining every week.

Representing Yorkshire Mark, Mr Lazenby has been asked to feature on the panel discussion surrounding Leveraging the Yorkshire Brand at today’s Food Innovation event at Fera, Sand Hutton run by Science City York and SIAFS.