Six new food and drink entrepreneurs have won a coveted place on the groundbreaking Grocery Accelerator business mentoring programme.
Start-up supplier businesses faced a gruelling application process - pitching before investors and other producers - culminating in a Dragons’ Den style battle at the Speciality Fine Food Fair earlier this month.
The final six producers have secured £60,000 in investment each and are now part of a six-month accelerator programme, which aims to grow their brand within the food and drink sector.
Led by a team with a proven track record in building substantial, and profitable, grocery and speciality brands, the Grocery Accelerator team includes Paddy Willis - co-founder of premium baby food company Plum Baby; Simon Lacey, noted for bringing brands such as Kettle Chips to market, and Rob Ward, creators of one of the largest fruit businesses in the UK.
Associate partners are John Stapleton, co-founder of New Covent Garden Soup Company Ltd and Little Dish; Emma Macdonald, founder of The Bay Tree Food Co Ltd; Simon Taylor, former chief finance officer at Heinz and Andrew King, non-executive director at Moma Foods.
The six food and drinks producers are Taking the Pea – a range of savoury pea flavoured snacks, Naturelly Jelly Juice – a natural, jelly treat for children, Saltrite – a 100 per cent salt substitute, Jim Jams – a range of healthier spreads, Equinox Kombucha – a fermented tea, using herbal infusions and fruit juices, and Polar Pops – handcrafted ice lollies made from fresh fruit and vegetables.
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