Food & Drink entrepreneurs face Lion's Den
Four entrepreneurs will be looking for their big break later this month when they try their luck in the so called Lion's Den, pitching to a panel of retail experts as part of the first UK Food and Drink Entrepreneur Forum, to be held on 27 November in central London.
The companies presenting their new product developments will be:
- Grumpy Mule, a new range of single origin coffees with an emphasis on quality and provenance;
- Munchy Seeds, makers of premium quality and healthy seed based snacks;
- The Cake Bake Company, the producers of traditional, long life sponge cakes who were behind the Skoda car made entirely of cake as seen recently on our television screens;
- Three Counties Gourmet, with its new mixer for cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks/smoothies.
The retail panellists include Neil Nugent, Executive Chef responsible for Waitrose brand development and own label innovation, Nils Clement, Head of Procurement at Starbucks Coffee, and Kay Wheelton from The Co-operative Group with responsibility for beverages.
Each company will be given five minutes to pitch its new product ideas to the panel, after which it will receive detailed feedback along with general advice on how to convince buyers and secure listings. As Ian Balmforth, Managing Director of Grumpy Mule, said: "It's always difficult to get in front of the retailers, so this is a fantastic opportunity to test our product and to gain first hand advice on how to approach pitches in the future."
The UK Food and Drink Entrepreneur Forum is designed for owners and management teams looking to grow and develop their businesses by providing an overview of the routes available. Other speakers include leading brand owners and industry experts such as Andrew Cawthray, Founder of Macaw Soft Drinks and now cawingredients Ltd, Mark Palmer from Green & Black's, Ben Cull from Yeo Valley Organic, Oliver Wyncoll from Langholm Capital, the fund behind Dorset Cereals and Tyrells Potato Chips, Richard Reed from Innocent Drinks, Peter Farquhar from Dorset Cereals and John Mathers from Blue Marlin Brand Design. There will also be briefings from Zenith experts on how to grow business and ways to secure finance.
As well as entrepreneurs, the audience will include other retailers and distributors, investors and suppliers all looking for the next big thing. For more information and to book online, please visit www.zenithinternational.com/events or contact Fiona Herrington on 01225 327900.
For further information, please contact:
Isabel Lightfoot, Events Director, Zenith International Ltd
7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, United Kingdom
t +44 (0)1225 327900, f +44 (0)1225 327901, zenithinternational.com