With the goal of helpings SMEs scale and stimulate interest in the speciality food sector, the inaugural Foodpreneurs Festival is being held at the Sydney StartUp Hub on 19 May.
food and drink brands.
(Image: Cynthia Sciberras)
Foodpreneurs Festival founder Chelsea Ford said the day will showcase founders of innovative food and drink products, including NoLo alcohol that claims to help balance brain fog; probiotic-powered sodas, krauts and tonics that bring about positive gut change; and calming butter for stressed and anxious dogs.
There will be expert talks and panel discussions, facilitated networking and collaboration opportunities, and the prospect of brand owners to access a year’s worth of sales opportunities in one day.
Ford said, “Australia has been on the world-stage for decades with award-winning wines and beers, but we are so much more than that. We now attract eyeballs from around the world with our innovations across a range of food and drink categories.
“Foodpreneurs Festival aims to help these brands connect and collaborate so they can scale quicker and put what they are doing firmly on the radar of the people who count, from buyers to industry experts and stakeholders.”
On the main stage will be 20 of Australia’s most accomplished speakers including growth and innovation experts and founders from significant brands, including GymBod, Pure Pops, and Coco & Lucas.
The ‘Express Lane’ will see a curated line-up of industry experts provide bespoke advice and guidance on start-ups’ product, plan, and potential.
Ford said there are more than 8000 small batch makers in Australia who contribute to feeding the population every day, and that when supported properly, true innovation is encouraged, not just ‘flavour rotations’ provided by the big food brands.
“Small batch producers are at the forefront of new wave trends. By putting a spotlight on their challenger brand ingenuity and stimulating interest in the sector, we will make significant inroads in right-sizing the influx of imported and private-label products currently flooding the market.
“Australia is known to have the ultimate source of fresh produce and clean ingredients. If we don’t look after our producers, we put this global reputation and small batch economy at risk,” Ford said.
There will also be a speed pitching program, ‘Pitch Hub’, where brand owners will be able to take their shot at landing on the shelves of more than 78 stockists that will be represented at the festival by some of Australia’s biggest retailers such as David Jones and IGA Supermarkets.
David Jones Food & Hospitality Development & Concessions manager, Meredith Nightingale, said, “It has been our mission since we opened our doors in 1838 to sell the best and most exclusive goods to the Australian public, and this Festival gives us the opportunity to find exactly that in the food and drink sector. We’re really looking forward to being part of the event and finding new products to bring to our customers.
“Consumers are discerning today, they want better-for-you food for themselves, their families, and even their pets, and that’s what will be on show at Foodpreneurs Festival.”
The festival will also enable up to 150 of Australia’s most creative and business savvy small batch food and drink producers unveil their reimagined and innovative, food and drink products at the ‘Stickybeak Station’, a showcase for brand owners to display their products or have a ‘stickybeak’ at what others are doing.
The speaker program will offer insights on:
- Winning buyers over in a competitive market;
- how to survive working with ‘the majors’ where margins are ruthless;
- why foodpreneurs don’t make money and what to do about it; and
- what the future of retailing looks like for food and drink brands
Artisans and small-batch food and drink brand owners are invited to attend the Foodpreneurs Festival, not only will their products be on show, they’ll also be able to rub shoulders with brands that have come from modest beginnings to become today’s powerhouses such as Random Harvest Gourmet, Care Food Co, Bondi Yoghurt and Lotus & Ming.
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