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

Food start-ups regardless of their location will have access to a standardised programme of supports throughout the country. The programme, which will be delivered through workshop style training, and supported by SuperValu in the context of retail expertise and providing a route to market, is designed to guide companies from start-up to their first retail listing. 

Programme Structure

The Food Academy Start programme is primarily targeted at start-up food businesses and current Local Enterprise Office clients. It is centred on workshops, designed by Bord Bia and SuperValu, and our next programme will commence in Autumn 2016. The workshops will be run by the Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny, with local Supervalu retailers in the region participating in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style pitch process.

The intensive workshops will provide companies with long-term business supports including consumer insight, technical advice, resource planning, commercial advice and marketing development. The output has a core commercial focus whereby all participants will have the opportunity to pitch their product or idea to their local SuperValu, with a view to securing an initial local listing and the potential to build from there. A suite of follow up supports will be exclusively designed by Bord Bia under the Food Academy banner to ensure the continued development of the companies.

To register your interest in Food Academy Start, please contact:

Mr. Alan McSweeney

Enterprise Executive

Local Enterprise Office                                                                                                

42 Parliament St.

Kilkenny City

R95 TY2N

T: 056 7752662

E: alan.mcsweeney@leo.kilkennycoco.ie