The Irish food industry represents 12.3% of total export revenue in the country and the industry is projected to be worth €19bn by 2025. The Food Works programme is looking for businesses that want to be part of that success story. Participants will benefit from one-to-one consultations with experts in the food field. The programme has a reported market value of €50,000 but those who take part pay €3,000.
The Government-supported accelerator programme helps export driven Irish food business to grow. Food Works is run by three Government agencies; Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc. These agencies work with early-stage food companies to identify opportunities in different areas:
Bord Bia – consumer insight.Enterprise Ireland – commercial viability.Teagasc – technical possibilities.As part of the programme, food and drink entrepreneurs will receive business consultancy. Some of the mentors and consultants involved in helping participants include John Stapleton, co-founder of the New Covent Garden Soup Company and Little Dish, Joanna Walker, food retail expert and former buyer with Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer, Eamonn Rice, business consultant and former Kerry Group director, Matt Bentley, marketing consultant, Gavin Sherry, manufacturing specialist, Moira Creedon, food business financial planning expert and Fiona Fitzpatrick, who specialises in driving transformation growth for brands in the food industry.
So far, Food Works has helped more than 70 Irish food entrepreneurs scale their businesses including Nobó, The Little Milk Company, Fiid, Hidden Heroes and Pure Treats.
Food retail expert Joanna Walker
Joanna Walker, founder of Purple Basil Ltd.
Joanna Walker is the founder of Purple Basil Ltd; a strategic sales and marketing consultancy, supporting food manufacturers to develop customer-focused business strategies. Joanna is a food retail expert, having worked in national account management at companies including Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s. She has experience managing food categories worth over £400m in sales turnover. She is one of the consultants that participants in the Food Works Programme will meet.
“We get buddied up with a company for the programme. This year, I have Caca Bia which is developing an oat crisp – that’s really exciting and innovative. The other one is unwind which is all about functional ingredients,” Joanna told Irish Country Living. “We hold their hands throughout the programme. At any point they can call and bounce anything off us. Then the face-to-face three-hour session happens during our monthly meetings.”
At the end of the programme, each company will have a business plan ready to pitch to investors.
“It’s not just financial it’s a written document covering the brand strategy, what is happening in the market and consumer perspectives. It would also cover sales strategy, which service operators and retailers they are targeting and how they get the product to the retailer. Then we’d work through marketing and how much money they realistically need to raise to support that and drive sales,” Joanna said.
She added that while a lot of entrepreneurs are really creative in coming up with fantastic products, they can struggle with finance, marketing and branding. Sometimes entrepreneurs can have a really clear idea and route to market but can’t find a producer. Every company will have a different challenge and they have particular skillsets they need to lean on.
“For a lot of people, they need a sounding board and someone to give them direction. The programme is almost a year long and to ensure they get the most out of that we are pushing and holding them to account. It’s helping them move forward at pace.”
Success for Joanna is all about understanding the customer. She has spent her whole career working on the retailer side of the fence and knows what it takes to get listed on the shelves.
Joanna’s top tips
Joanna shares her top five tips to get listed in a retailer:
Understand the customer – Who are they and how does your product meet their needs?Understand the market – Is it in growth or decline and why? Bord Bia has a thinking house and the data there can be invaluable to start-ups. Businesses need to identify what the customer trends are that are driving the market. A certain category could have a poor health perception because there has not been much innovation in it. It is to stand out from competition. Identify unique selling points – Why should your brand be chosen over another? You are competing for shelf space. Retailers are constantly trying to deliver best value for shoppers. If you can develop something at a better price point or the same price, but better value, retailers will take you on. When you are fighting for share of shelf space you need a very compelling data-based argument or consumer insight that comes from speaking to customers. Retail buyers talk about food businesses getting complacent. In the big areas like dairy or meat it’s very much private label products, there is innovation coming to market every six months or so. People get bored quite easily. Your core product offering is 80% of sales, the innovation is 20% and could become part of the core offering if a certain product works.The pricing – Getting the price right is absolutely crucial. People always develop products and add up the costs in the supply chain to get to the end customer. They think that’s the price but it’s not, it’s absolutely the reverse. You have to look at what customers could buy instead to meet that need. The customer knows what meal solution they want and have in mind how much they want to spend on that. If the quality differential is not clear enough they will chose the cheaper option. The product can be great but the price can cause it to fail.Test your product in the market – you need to prove there is customer demand or interest for your idea. It’s so costly to develop a product, you might think you are the target customer but you might be in a bubble. Don’t just test it among friends and family. Set up a market stall and talk to potential customers about why it’s not working for them and whether your price or packaging needs to be adjusted. Eva Milka, Gaelic Escargot
Eva Milka of Gaelic Escargot. \ Philip Doyle
Gaelic Escargot is a current participant on the 2019 Food Works programme. It started as a hobby for founder Eva Milka and her partner Eoin Jenkinson after they tried snails for the first time while visiting France.
Based in Co Carlow, Gaelic Escargot is the first snail farm in Ireland and the only research and development centre for the production of free-range escargot. They are currently working with 13 snail farmers. Eva will have completed the Food Works Programme in November this year.
“This programme is to do with product development and exploring different markets. It’s an accelerator course. Teagasc, Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland help startup businesses develop their products. We had to pay €3,000. For the amount of mentoring sessions and expertise from industry this is a very low fee. If we had to pay all these consultants individually it would cost 10 times as much.
“It was recommended to me through Teagasc; I approached them about pre-cooked escargot in brine. The main objective was to look into product development through Teagasc’s Ashdown food research lab. We have access to Bord Bia’s market research and feasibility studies from Enterprise Ireland.
“We are going the right direction, product development is a long term project. Being on food works opens so many more doors for us. Sometimes you don’t know where to go; taking the first step is the hardest. Once someone points out the right direction it can save so much in terms of time and resources.
“The monthly workshops sometimes are in Enterprise Ireland offices or sometimes in Bord Bia.
“When you are in your own business you are emotionally attached to it so having someone to give that perspective from outside the business is a huge benefit.
“I would recommend that you have clear goals and objectives before you go on the programme.”
Get involved
To express interest in the programme, register online at www.foodworksireland.ie. Those who register will be invited to an introductory meeting with Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc followed by a formal application. Applicants are then selected for the programme based on defined criteria including innovation, market insight, ability to scale and export, commercial potential and strength of team.
The Irish food industry represents 12.3% of total export revenue in the country and the industry is projected to be worth €19bn by 2025. The Food Works programme is looking for businesses that want to be part of that success story. Participants will benefit from one-to-one consultations with experts in the food field. The programme has a reported market value of €50,000 but those who take part pay €3,000.
The Government-supported accelerator programme helps export driven Irish food business to grow. Food Works is run by three Government agencies; Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc. These agencies work with early-stage food companies to identify opportunities in different areas:
Bord Bia – consumer insight.Enterprise Ireland – commercial viability.Teagasc – technical possibilities.As part of the programme, food and drink entrepreneurs will receive business consultancy. Some of the mentors and consultants involved in helping participants include John Stapleton, co-founder of the New Covent Garden Soup Company and Little Dish, Joanna Walker, food retail expert and former buyer with Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer, Eamonn Rice, business consultant and former Kerry Group director, Matt Bentley, marketing consultant, Gavin Sherry, manufacturing specialist, Moira Creedon, food business financial planning expert and Fiona Fitzpatrick, who specialises in driving transformation growth for brands in the food industry.
So far, Food Works has helped more than 70 Irish food entrepreneurs scale their businesses including Nobó, The Little Milk Company, Fiid, Hidden Heroes and Pure Treats.
Food retail expert Joanna Walker
Joanna Walker, founder of Purple Basil Ltd.
Joanna Walker is the founder of Purple Basil Ltd; a strategic sales and marketing consultancy, supporting food manufacturers to develop customer-focused business strategies. Joanna is a food retail expert, having worked in national account management at companies including Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s. She has experience managing food categories worth over £400m in sales turnover. She is one of the consultants that participants in the Food Works Programme will meet.
“We get buddied up with a company for the programme. This year, I have Caca Bia which is developing an oat crisp – that’s really exciting and innovative. The other one is unwind which is all about functional ingredients,” Joanna told Irish Country Living. “We hold their hands throughout the programme. At any point they can call and bounce anything off us. Then the face-to-face three-hour session happens during our monthly meetings.”
At the end of the programme, each company will have a business plan ready to pitch to investors.
“It’s not just financial it’s a written document covering the brand strategy, what is happening in the market and consumer perspectives. It would also cover sales strategy, which service operators and retailers they are targeting and how they get the product to the retailer. Then we’d work through marketing and how much money they realistically need to raise to support that and drive sales,” Joanna said.
She added that while a lot of entrepreneurs are really creative in coming up with fantastic products, they can struggle with finance, marketing and branding. Sometimes entrepreneurs can have a really clear idea and route to market but can’t find a producer. Every company will have a different challenge and they have particular skillsets they need to lean on.
“For a lot of people, they need a sounding board and someone to give them direction. The programme is almost a year long and to ensure they get the most out of that we are pushing and holding them to account. It’s helping them move forward at pace.”
Success for Joanna is all about understanding the customer. She has spent her whole career working on the retailer side of the fence and knows what it takes to get listed on the shelves.
Joanna’s top tips
Joanna shares her top five tips to get listed in a retailer:
Understand the customer – Who are they and how does your product meet their needs?Understand the market – Is it in growth or decline and why? Bord Bia has a thinking house and the data there can be invaluable to start-ups. Businesses need to identify what the customer trends are that are driving the market. A certain category could have a poor health perception because there has not been much innovation in it. It is to stand out from competition. Identify unique selling points – Why should your brand be chosen over another? You are competing for shelf space. Retailers are constantly trying to deliver best value for shoppers. If you can develop something at a better price point or the same price, but better value, retailers will take you on. When you are fighting for share of shelf space you need a very compelling data-based argument or consumer insight that comes from speaking to customers. Retail buyers talk about food businesses getting complacent. In the big areas like dairy or meat it’s very much private label products, there is innovation coming to market every six months or so. People get bored quite easily. Your core product offering is 80% of sales, the innovation is 20% and could become part of the core offering if a certain product works.The pricing – Getting the price right is absolutely crucial. People always develop products and add up the costs in the supply chain to get to the end customer. They think that’s the price but it’s not, it’s absolutely the reverse. You have to look at what customers could buy instead to meet that need. The customer knows what meal solution they want and have in mind how much they want to spend on that. If the quality differential is not clear enough they will chose the cheaper option. The product can be great but the price can cause it to fail.Test your product in the market – you need to prove there is customer demand or interest for your idea. It’s so costly to develop a product, you might think you are the target customer but you might be in a bubble. Don’t just test it among friends and family. Set up a market stall and talk to potential customers about why it’s not working for them and whether your price or packaging needs to be adjusted. Eva Milka, Gaelic Escargot
Eva Milka of Gaelic Escargot. \ Philip Doyle
Gaelic Escargot is a current participant on the 2019 Food Works programme. It started as a hobby for founder Eva Milka and her partner Eoin Jenkinson after they tried snails for the first time while visiting France.
Based in Co Carlow, Gaelic Escargot is the first snail farm in Ireland and the only research and development centre for the production of free-range escargot. They are currently working with 13 snail farmers. Eva will have completed the Food Works Programme in November this year.
“This programme is to do with product development and exploring different markets. It’s an accelerator course. Teagasc, Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland help startup businesses develop their products. We had to pay €3,000. For the amount of mentoring sessions and expertise from industry this is a very low fee. If we had to pay all these consultants individually it would cost 10 times as much.
“It was recommended to me through Teagasc; I approached them about pre-cooked escargot in brine. The main objective was to look into product development through Teagasc’s Ashdown food research lab. We have access to Bord Bia’s market research and feasibility studies from Enterprise Ireland.
“We are going the right direction, product development is a long term project. Being on food works opens so many more doors for us. Sometimes you don’t know where to go; taking the first step is the hardest. Once someone points out the right direction it can save so much in terms of time and resources.
“The monthly workshops sometimes are in Enterprise Ireland offices or sometimes in Bord Bia.
“When you are in your own business you are emotionally attached to it so having someone to give that perspective from outside the business is a huge benefit.
“I would recommend that you have clear goals and objectives before you go on the programme.”
Get involved
To express interest in the programme, register online at www.foodworksireland.ie. Those who register will be invited to an introductory meeting with Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc followed by a formal application. Applicants are then selected for the programme based on defined criteria including innovation, market insight, ability to scale and export, commercial potential and strength of team.
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