What a Gem! Cauliflower start-up wins food award
GEM Misa, co-founder of Cauli Rice, a start-up producing readymade cauliflower ‘rice’, is among the winners of this year’s Virgin Start-Up Food-preneur Festival competition.
Virgin Start-Up, a non-profit firm providing funding and support for entrepreneurs, is giving the winners the chance to meet buyers at US discount retailing giant Target Corporation, who are seeking up to four new products to try out in its stores.
Misa, 36, a former global brand manager at consumer goods group Unilever, started developing her idea for Cauli Rice in 2012 with her husband Jamie Harris, 43.
They launched the product last month in 1,000 stores, including Waitrose and Tesco, after spotting a market for a long-life, ready-to-heat version of the latest dieting phenomenon, grated cauliflower. Cauli Rice has just launched its second equity crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube and aims to raise £500,000 to fund expansion.
Paul Lindley, founder of baby food maker Ella’s Kitchen, who was on the judging panel, said: ‘The US is the ultimate business opportunity for British brands looking to expand internationally.’
This month, UK Trade & Industry, the Government department that backs exporters, revealed a record 4,000 UK food and drink businesses exported almost £1billion of their produce in the past two years.
To see Lindley’s tips for food entrepreneurs, visit: thisismoney.co.uk/foodtips.