Food Academy Programme 2018

Food Academy is a training programme aimed at supporting and nurturing start-up food businesses. The Local Enterprise Offices have joined forces with Bord Bía and SuperValu on this initiative to provide a consistent level of food marketing knowledge to new and early-stage food business owners.

At the final workshop, participants will get the opportunity to present their product to a panel from SuperValu and if successful, can participate in a trial based in local shops, which in the right circumstances, could progress over time to a national listing with SuperValu. There is no guarantee of your product being listed as part of the programme. However, the majority of products do proceed to trial with Supervalu.

Programme Objectives

• Develop an in-depth knowledge of the tools which can be used to assess market gaps for your product
• Understand core technical issues facing your food or drink business
• Learn how to grow sales for your product range through better branding and packaging design
• Gain all of the tools and knowledge necessary to launch and build a successful food business in Ireland

Who can participate?

The Food Academy is aimed at those in the early to mid-stages of developing a food or drink business. Selection criteria will apply.

How much does it cost?

The Academy cost €150 and is inclusive of all course materials, training and mentoring. If you are pre-approved you will receive a link to make your payment online.

Programme Content

The Programme will be delivered over 6 days, one of which will involve a pitch to Regional Supervalu buyers with the potential of an in-store trial.

The following modules are covered over the course of this programme.

Module 1            Setting the scene: Overview and introduction to SuperValu and Food Academy Journey Simplified Market analysis

Module 2            The Consumer

Module 3            The Proposition (Brand management, agency management, packaging –  consumer perspective)

Module 4            Driving Sales in SuperValu (insight to Return on Sales expectations, best practice management for growth, retailer perspective on packaging)

Module 5            Food Safety including Labelling & Law

Module 6            Product Quality: Key focus on Scaling/outsourcing: Maintaining Quality. Managing growth.

Module 7            Pricing and Revise Finance (Margin Calculation, Price to Sell, Evaluation Recommended Selling Price)

Module 8            Marketing, Marketing Strategy & Tools; Pitch Preparation

Module 9            Pitch Day – SuperValu recap on key expectations for Go-Live

**Workshop content may vary slightly from that contained above*

Start Dates:

30th August 2018

Subsequent Dates:

13th September, 18th Oct, 8th Nov, 12th Dec (half day) and 13th Dec

Location:

Solis Lough Eske Castle, Donegal Town.

Programme Trainer:

James Burke & Associates (hyperlink to his website: http://www.jamesburke.ie/ )

Fee:

€150

Mentoring:

Each Client can avail of up to 5 hours mentoring.

Application form:

Each potential applicant must submit a completed application form to apply for the programme. The application form can be downloaded from www.localenterprise.ie/Donegal/Training-Events/Online-Bookings/Food-Academy-Start-Application-Form.docx

Further Information:

Supervalu perspective of The Food Academy: https://supervalu.ie/real-people/food-academy-programme