11 food and drink producers from around the country have secured a space on SuperValu shelves this month, through the Food Academy Programme
This is a training programme run by the Local Enterprise Offices with the support of Bord Bia and SuperValu and it prepares and enables small food producers to become suppliers to SuperValu.
Run over a series of workshops, the Food Academy programme is now in its fifth year and nurtures new start-ups in the food and drink sector. It focuses on areas such as business planning, food safety, responding to market trends and driving sales.
The 11 producers will be joining more established Irish brands which have successfully completed the Food Academy Programme in recent years, such as Happy Pear, Dr Coy's, Fresh from the Pier and Coffee House Lane.
Oisin Geoghegan is Chair of the LEO Food Committee and he said: “By supporting food and drink start-ups through specialist training and one-to-one mentoring, we’re helping even more local companies make important business breakthroughs. The Food Academy Programme, which is delivered by the Local Enterprise Office, Bord Bia and SuperValu, helps local companies think and act more strategically about their food and drink business, ultimately increasing their chances of success and creating more jobs here locally.”
Stephanie Moe, Small Business Manager with Bord Bia said: “Bord Bia has long recognised the contribution that small food producers make to Ireland’s food and drink industry, bringing a diverse range of quality and artisan products to market, each with a unique story. Such stories increasingly resonate with Irish consumers who are keen to support small local producers and Food Academy provides an excellent vehicle to do that. Over the past five years, Bord Bia has been proud to work in collaboration with the Local Enterprise Offices and SuperValu to support hundreds of small food producers through Food Academy Start, providing them with a viable route to market and enabling them to achieve sustainable growth”.
MaryKate Mageean, SuperValu’s Food Academy Project Manager commented: “As the number one supporter of the Irish food industry, we source from over 1800 Irish suppliers. The Food Academy programme is a key pillar of our support for local businesses and we’re proud to now have a total of 350 small Irish food companies well on the road to success, with their products on shelf in SuperValu stores around Ireland. The programme continues to go from strength to strength, allowing us to nurture small producers to ensure their growth and sustainability.”
The full list of Food Academy Start companies that are “going live” in January 2018 is:
The Marshmallow Factory, supported by LEO South Cork
Café Velo, supported by LEO Cork City
Goodness Me, supported by LEO Cork North and West
Cary’s Ice Cream, supported by LEO Clare
Juicy Lucy, supported by LEO Galway
Murray’s, supported by LEO Galway
Morning Dew, supported by LEO Fingal
Mr Fu’s Tofu, supported by LEO Fingal
Carol’s Home Bakery, supported by LEO Cavan
Katerina’s Pantry, supported by LEO Dublin City
Nutrilicious Food, supported by LEO Waterford
If you’re interested in applying for the next programme, click ‘Food Academy Video’ to find out more.