The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney TD today welcomed the announcement that 200 small food producers will secure retail listings with SuperValu worth €10 million, through the Food Academy programme in 2015.
In addition, 30 high performing small food companies will graduate to Food Academy Advance, the next stage of the programme.
The Food Academy programme is a joint initiative between Bord Bia, the Local Enterprise Office Network and SuperValu to support local food companies in Ireland. The initiative will provide these companies with expertise in branding, market research, business development and distribution to allow scaling to secure national listings with the supermarket chain.
A research study conducted with the Food Academy participants found that 85% of participants expected to employ new staff within 12 months, and 70% of small food producers expect to launch new products in the same time period.
Vincent Reynolds, Chairperson of the Local Enterprise Office, said: “Food Academy provides a cohesive, structured support system for local food producers, to help them grow their businesses sustainably. It is an example of Government agencies and the private sector working together to create the right environment for food entrepreneurship in Ireland.”
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Robert Moloney.
