Background to the Programme

To help develop Ireland’s artisan food industry, the Local Enterprise Offices, SuperValu and Bord Bia joined forces in 2013 to create ‘Food Academy’ – a tailored programme for early to mid-stage food business owners.

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

At the final workshop, participants will get the opportunity to present their product to a panel from SuperValu and if successful, can participate in a trial based in local shops, which in the right circumstances, could progress over time to a national listing with SuperValu. There is no guarantee of your product being listed as part of the programme.

Programme Objectives

• Develop an in-depth knowledge of the tools which can be used to assess market gaps for your product
• Understand core technical issues facing your food or drink business
• Learn how to grow sales for your product range through better branding and packaging design
• Gain all of the tools and knowledge necessary to launch and build a successful food business in Ireland

Who can participate?

The Food Academy is aimed at those in the early to mid-stages of developing a food or drink business. Selection criteria will apply.