Females in Food, a new global member organisation for female food and beverage artisans, innovators, business leaders and entrepreneurs, has been officially launched.
Females in Food founder, Chelsea Ford, said she wanted to create a place where commercial advice can be shared; further education offered; and professional connections fostered in order to build the profile and buoy women in the food and beverage industry.
“I’ve worked in the food and beverage industry for over 25 years and I’ve seen first-hand how difficult it can be for women to excel,” said Ford.
“It’s not only that it’s a heavily male dominated industry, it also takes really hard work to be a successful entrepreneur, and that can sometimes be a very lonely existence.
“I want to be in a world where women are empowered to create opportunities for themselves and support each other to promote collective success,” Ford said.
The announcement coincides with the results of a major global study of over 3000 companies from around the world by Credit Suisse that shows the more women a company has in senior management roles, the better it will perform.
Where women are in the majority in senior management, the business shows stronger sales growth, higher cash flow returns on investments and lower leverage, according to the bi-annual CS Gender 3000 report.
The Females in Food organisation is open to executives, producers, entrepreneurs, chefs, brewers, stylists, manufacturers, educators and more.
Ford said: “It doesn’t matter if they’re looking for information on how to take their business to the next level, looking for partnership or profiling opportunities, or would just like to be around like-minded people who understand their day-to-day challenges. Females in Food gives them the opportunity to develop, grow and explore with people who explicitly understand their industry.
“We know that unleashing the power of entrepreneurship can have a dramatic effect on a country’s economy,” said Ford. “Females in Food is dedicated to being an unstoppable force that champions women in the food and beverage industry and I have every confidence we will reach our goal of attracting 20,000 people to our collective in the next five years.”
Females in Food’s membership is now live at www.femalesinfood.com.au. Annual membership is $197 plus GST.
