Find Your Focus - Build Your Plan - Grow Your Sales

The Routes to Market Wexford Food Producer Sales Growth Programme is a commercially focused programme for established food and drink producers who want to grow revenue, increase category presence, win new listings and develop stronger routes to market across retail and foodservice.

It is designed for producers who are beyond the initial start-up phase and are now looking to accelerate the next stage of growth. This may include businesses that have been trading for more than 12 months and are ready to broaden their customer base, SMEs seeking to move beyond their current level of sales, and more established producers looking to add new retail, foodservice or distribution channels.

The programme will focus on the practical commercial disciplines that help producers move from opportunity to sales. Participants will examine where future growth can come from, identify realistic target customers, strengthen their buyer proposition and develop the tools and confidence required to secure new business.

Delivered through a mix of in-person and online workshops, the programme will combine commercial insight, buyer perspectives, real food-sector case studies and practical business application. Each producer will be encouraged to apply the learning directly to their own business and leave with a clear set of priority sales actions.

Delivered by James Burke and Shemaine Doyle

James Burke is one of Ireland’s leading food-sector commercial advisors, with more than two decades of experience supporting food and drink producers in sales growth, route-to-market development and retail & foodservice buyer engagement.

Shemaine Doyle is the founder of Brave Marketing, with extensive experience in brand strategy, marketing and helping businesses sharpen their proposition and market presence. She works with SMEs to build stronger brands, clearer messaging and more commercially effective marketing activity.

Who is the Programme For?

The programme is particularly suited to:

• Producers trading beyond the first 12 months of starting out and ready for the next stage of commercial growth
• Established micro and SME food businesses seeking to increase turnover
• Producers looking to secure additional retail or foodservice listings
• Businesses seeking to broaden their trade customer and distribution base
• Producers with established sales who want to enter new channels
• Businesses looking to strengthen their buyer proposition and commercial approach

Programme Content

Completed over approximately one month, via 3 workshops, the programme will include:

• Sales growth and opportunity mapping
• Readiness for retail/foodservice
• Becoming the expert buyers listen to
• Retail routes to market
  • Channels, opportunities, case studies and guest buyer insight
• Foodservice routes to market
  • Distributors, operators, route-to-market models, case studies and guest buyer insight
• Identifying and prioritising new sales prospects
• Building a stronger buyer proposition
• Pitching, negotiation and buyer-conversion techniques
• Developing marketing plans that drive sales
• Building a consumer brand that buyers value and consumers love
• Developing a practical commercial action plan

By the End of the Programme, Participants Will Have:

• Identified new sales prospects and priority target customers
• Developed a clearer strategy for growing revenue and category presence
• Strengthened the tools used to approach buyers and improve the likelihood of securing listings
• Improved understanding of what retail and foodservice buyers are looking for
• Developed stronger pitching, negotiation and commercial communication skills
• Identified the most appropriate routes to market for future growth
• Created a focused sales action plan with clear priorities
• Established measurable commercial KPIs to track progress
• Gained practical ideas and techniques that can be applied immediately to drive new sales

Programme Schedule

• Pre-Programme Engagement – Mid October
• Workshop 1 – Full-Day In-Person Workshop : How Producers Become the Expert Buyers Listen To LEO Wexford – 20th October 2026
  • 09.30 – 16.00
  • This workshop includes a guest input from a trade buyer

• Workshop 2 – Half-Day Online Workshop: Retail Routes to Market 3rd November 2026
  • 09.30 – 13.00
  • This workshop includes a guest input from a retail trade buyer

• Workshop 3 – Half-Day Online Workshop: Foodservice Routes to Market 10th November 2026
  • 09.30 – 13.00
  • This workshop includes a guest input from a foodservice trade buyer

Programme Investment

Participant Fee: Early Bird Offer €75 (until 1st October)

Trainer:

James Burke
James Burke & Associates Ltd  

To see James' full bio as one of our expert mentors, please visit our Food Mentors Website Section