Expressions of interest in Food Academy sought

LOCAL Enterprise Office Wicklow is currently looking at the possibility of running the full Food Academy Start Programme in 2019 and is seeking expressions of interest in the programme.

Run over a five-month period, it aims to get local artisan food producers onto the shelves of their local supermarket. Developed by Bord Bía in conjunction with Musgraves through the SuperValu Brand, the programme is run nationally through the network of Local Enterprise Offices.

The aim of Food Academy Start is to provide small food businesses with a solid foundation to progress confidently onto retail shelves. At the end of three days of intensive workshop training and one-to-one mentoring for each business, all participants are given the opportunity to pitch their product to a panel of buyers, including the local SuperValu store owner.

Successful participants will also be able to trial their product in their local stores for a twelve-week period. This provides a real advantage to small businesses in terms of real retail experience, as they can liaise with the store to gain feedback on their product range from both staff and consumers.

This helps each artisan producer to further develop their product ranges, marketing approach, packaging and distribution for a wider national audience.

To register an interest in the Food Academy Start Programme, visit www. localenterprise.ie/Wicklow.