The fully-funded 2022 ONE Food & Drink Business Growth Programme is practical - delivered by experienced industry practitioners - and will help you take your business to the next level in the UK and international markets. It includes the opportunity to apply for grant funding for growth projects.
The programme is for ambitious owners and managers of scalable food and drink manufacturing businesses and future leaders in established businesses. It will help you develop a robust business growth plan and compelling value proposition to grow your business.
- Delivered by food and drink specialists who have helped food and drink businesses increase sales locally, across the UK and worldwide.
- Hear from business leaders who have gone through a similar growth journey, understand where you are now, and will share their top tips.
- Focused on practical steps to develop your product proposition to match consumer and buyer needs and establish a successful business model.
- Practical workshops, peer-to-peer learning, best practice visits, advice, coaching and mentoring.
- Follow-on grant support to fund your next steps.
- It works - you’ll be joining a cohort of almost 40 north east Scotland food and drink businesses that have already completed the programme, benefit from their growth experience and receive ongoing support from ONE and partners.
Up to two delegates from any business can apply for this free programme. Businesses must be based in north east Scotland and manufacture food or drink products.
Applications close on 18 February 2022. The programme will start in mid-February.
How it works
The 2022 ONE Food & Drink Business Growth Programme will enable you to develop a practical plan for growth with a focus on:
- Your ambition and strategic growth planning
- Your business model and value proposition
- Customer discovery, market demand and routes to market
- Commercial preparation
- Financial and resource planning
- Implementation
Time commitment
The Business Growth Programme comprises 60 hours in total delivered over approximately four months with 40 hours of workshops including a best practice visit, five hours of one-to-one support and 15 hours of self-learning.
Funding partners
The ONE Business Growth Programme is led and delivered by Opportunity North East and supported by the North East Economic Recovery and Skills Fund and Aberdeenshire Council.
Having experienced the Business Growth Programme first hand in 2017, I encouraged one of our sales managers to participate the following year to develop his leadership skills and network within the North East’s food and drink community. The result is an increased understanding of major retailer requirements and different routes to market which has helped to refine our focus on business planning and ultimately, achieve new income streams in retail, wholesale and export.
The Business Growth Programme has given us the confidence to expand our product range and retail offering at the farm. The programme has also focused our value proposition and provided a number of exciting opportunities for collaboration in the development of new products and retail opportunities.
Forest Farm Case Study
Angus Willis, Director, Forest Farm – the Organic Dairy, discusses the benefits of participation in the ONE Food & Drink Business Growth Programme.
Opportunity North East Ltd
11 Queens Gardens
Aberdeen
AB15 4YD