Start-up assistance programme launched for food businesses
Food Academy Start will provide start-up assistance to food businesses
Print20 September 2013
Bord Bia, SuperValu and the County Enterprise Boards (CEBs), have joined forces on a new initiative: Food Academy Start. The programme is aimed at supporting and nurturing start-up food businesses and, according to Bord Bia, will benefit nearly 350 Irish companies.
The project will provide a consistent level of food marketing knowledge to new and early-stage food business owners. The organisers say the Food Academy Start will, for first time, provide food start-ups with access to a standardised programme of supports regardless of their location.
The programme is primarily targeted at start-up food businesses and existing CEB clients. Centred on workshops, designed by Bord Bia and SuperValu, the programme will roll out from September at intermittent stages over the year.
The intensive workshops will provide companies with long-term business supports including consumer insight, technical advice, resource planning, commercial advice and marketing development. The workshops will be run by 35 CEBs, with local Supervalu retailers in each of the regions participating in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style pitch process.
All participants will have the opportunity to pitch their product or idea to their local SuperValu, with a view of securing an initial local listing and the potential to build more. A suite of follow-up supports will be exclusively designed by Bord Bia under the Food Academy banner to ensure the continued development of the companies.
Speaking of the new initiative, Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said: "Small food businesses play an important part in Ireland’s agri-food sector by enhancing our reputation for dynamic, sustainable, and quality food, as well as providing employment and revenues of €475 million per annum. The programme will support participants from the challenging initial phases through to business development plans to assist with future planning. The combination of expertise from both the commercial and marketing will give invaluable insight for the companies involved and is an important step in the cultivation of small food businesses."
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