Garden firms rubbing their hands with Glee

GREEN-FINGERED entrepreneurs wanting to sow seeds of change in their businesses are being urged to explore the Innovators Zone at the Glee trade show.

In a UK garden market valued at around £5.7billion there are rewards to be reaped say organisers, who forecast more than 7,000 visitors coming to Britain’s largest garden trade event this September.

Previously it has attracted the likes of Amazon, B&Q and John Lewis, and exhibitors such Scotts Miracle-Gro and British garden equipment manufacturer Hozelock.

In the past decade the Zone initiative has helped more than 200 firms break into the garden retail market and showcase their products. Exhibitors can apply to the Innovators’ Seed Corn Fund, ran annually by the Garden Industry Manufacturers’ Association. The fund is designed to help start-ups on the journey from concept to market. The winner receives a £6,000 grant and ongoing support from industry experts (gima.org.uk/seed-corn-fund-2).

Last year’s winner Bio-Bean spent four years marketing sustainable briquettes, Coffee Logs, for use in stoves, fires and chimeneas, but struggled to find retail partners. Glee turned that around delivering 100 strong leads.

Green Digit, a Newcastle-based start-up launched a revolutionary biodegradable seed pod, SeedCell, in 2014 and went on to receive orders from around the world after the show paved its way to being listed by major European stores.

gleebirmingham.com