The business, which specialises in fruit cakes, is diversifying into baking a selection of non-fruited cakes.
It already has a customer lined up for the new products and hopes to create two or three new jobs as a result of the development, said general manager Simon Woodiwiss.
The Food and Drink iNet has awarded £7,437.50 Innovation Advice and Guidance support for the development of the six-strong range of new cakes, which the Original Cake Company is match funding.
“The Food and Drink iNet support is very welcome, as it’s made it easier for us to fund the project and meant that we have been able to bring it forward,” said Simon Woodiwiss. “We have an existing customer for the range, and it may possibly create two or three new jobs, depending on how successful the new range is.”
The Food and Drink iNet, which is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is one of four regional iNets that operates across the region. It has a pot of finance available this summer to provide match-funded support for eligible East Midlands projects in the food and drink sector, which could be focusing on new products, accessing new markets or looking at new ways of working.
Richard Worrall, Food and Drink iNet director, said: “One of the Food and Drink iNet’s roles is to support firms in new product development and to help them create new markets. We are pleased to support the Original Cake Company as it diversifies with a new selection of cakes.”
The Original Cake Company, with more than 30 years of baking experience, used the funding support to help with new product development, holding consumer review sessions, and the design of packaging and labels. It hopes to launch the new range later this month (July).
The Food and Drink iNet aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes. It is managed by a consortium, led by the Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food
For more information please contact the Food and Drink iNet on info@foodanddrink-inet.org.uk
www.originalcake.co.uk
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