Global food and drink sector challenges come under the spotlight at the Food Innovation Centre

Bioenergy and Brewing Science Building

Experts will be sharing the latest updates on some of the key challenges facing the food and drink sector at a one-day workshop to be held at the Food Innovation Centre.

Aimed at small and medium-sized food and drink manufacturers, the event will turn the spotlight on food waste utilisation and alternative proteins – all of which are major topics currently in the sector.

The Food Innovation Centre, based at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington Campus as part of the Division of Food Sciences, is a unique collaboration project that provides free specialist innovation support to small and medium-sized food and drink manufacturers in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Providing top expertise and state-of-the-art equipment, the project offers access to scientists, students and facilities at the university – enabling eligible food and drink firms to seek free advice on how to overcome challenges and develop new ideas.

The latest workshop – to be held at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington campus on Tuesday 28^th November from 9am until 5pm – will focus on the opportunities and challenges of food and drink waste, plant and insect-based alternative proteins, including information about nutrition and food allergy/intolerances.

It has been designed to give food and drink manufacturers in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire an introduction to these key topics with current updates on technologies, opportunities and sourcing.

Head of the project, Richard Worrall, said: “These are huge topics, but important to us all. The Food Innovation Centre has brought together a range of experts to talk about these key global subjects, making them relevant to SMEs and with additional input through case studies from SME businesses themselves. The workshop will share the latest knowledge and information for those working in food and drink manufacturing – hopefully inspiring them to boost efficiencies, reduce waste, develop new products and improve their competitive performance.”

The Food Innovation Centre is a three-year project funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

There are a few places left, so to attend the workshop (free for eligible businesses), contact Linda Molyneux on linda.molyneux@nottingham.ac.uk. 

For more information, visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/biosciences/business/food-innovation-centre.aspx

Follow on Twitter @UoNFoodInnovation

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Focus Consultants research economic benefit of Leicester Textiles Hub

Leicester Textiles

Economic development experts at Focus Consultants have been researching the benefits of creating a textiles hub and training centre in Leicester.

The company has been working with Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) and Leicester City Council with support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to explore the creation of a hub and training centre in the city to help Leicester boost its textiles industry. 

The textiles manufacturing sector in the Leicester and Leicestershire LEP area has been identified as a priority growth sector, due to it contributing over £0.5 billion to the LLEP economy, as well as it being the second largest textiles employment area in the UK.  Within Leicester and Leicestershire, the sector employs 9,480 people in 1,480 firms.

With the demand for ‘fast fashion’ ever increasing in the UK’s retail sector, an advantage of producing apparel in the UK is that retailers can expect the production of their goods to have a faster turnaround than if they were using overseas suppliers. This offers significant opportunities to bring more textiles manufacturing back to the UK, and with its diverse history in the textiles industry, Leicester plans to be at the heart of this. 

The Funding, Research and Economic Development team at Focus, which has an office at Meridian Business Park, Leicester, has been appointed by the LLEP to investigate the need for a new textiles hub and the benefits it could bring to the city’s economy. Led by Focus partners, Heather Frecklington and Karl Marriott, their role includes working with manufacturers and suppliers of technical machinery to evaluate costs, in addition to consultation with leading high street retailers and e-tailers, such as New Look and Asos, to understand the demand for fast fashion, the opportunity for increased UK production and how Leicester can be best placed to benefit from this growth.

Heather Frecklington, the partner responsible for Focus’ FRED Team, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to undertake this exciting study. Global factors are influencing reshoring of manufacturing back to the UK and the aim of the proposed hub is to understand how to meet the needs of both retailers and manufacturers in order to support and grow the fashion and textiles sector in Leicester.

“We have worked on economic impact assessments for the Leicester area previously, including a report undertaken by our team which found that the discovery of King Richard lll brought in more than £59 million to Leicester’s economy, from the time of the discovery to the reinternment, and we are pleased to be continuing our links with the city and its development.”

The study has explored the need for a sector specific hub and training centre to provide relevant services to the local small and medium enterprise community, as well as accommodate the needs of large retailers and online brands. It has included in-depth consultation with manufacturers and retailers in the sector, as well as industry experts, stakeholders and potential partners to gauge their opinion on the need, and potential shape of a Leicester Hub, and the demand for services within it. 

Sue Tilley, economic strategy manager for the Leicester & Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) said: “There is a need for a different kind of Leicester textiles industry and the Hub would have an important part to play in changing this perception. It would also work to help manufacturers to recognise the need to adopt a different approach to trading and costing.

“We know that Leicester is one of only five UK centres for mass, fast fashion textile production and there is profound support for Leicester from many of Britain’s leading fashion retailers and e-tailers. So this is a fantastic opportunity for the local industry to pull together to maximise positive commercial developments such as re-shoring of UK based production to improve the fashion and textile sector in Leicester.”

The FRED team at Nottingham-based Focus, which also has branches in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, specialises in securing funding for projects, economic impact assessments, regeneration strategies, research and feasibility strategies.

Since 1994 Focus has also secured for clients more than £953 million of grants for projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.3 billion worth of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the country.

It also offers a range of services to the property and construction industry, including building surveying, quantity surveying, project management, and sustainable development support.

For more information, visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink iNet launches new phase of support for East Midlands food and drink businesses

Food and drink firms across the East Midlands are to continue to receive support for innovation projects after the Food and Drink iNet secured funding until 2015.

The iNet has helped hundreds of businesses across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland since it launched in 2008.

Run by business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum, the iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the region.

It provides match-funded grants for eligible projects, business consultation and advice, and supports collaboration projects involving university expertise, as well as research projects that are relevant to the sector.

Now the iNet has announced that it has received additional funding of £669,893 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which means that support for the region’s sector will continue until the end of March 2015.

“This is great news for the food and drink industry in the East Midlands,” said Food and Drink iNet innovation advisor Jo Murphy.

“Innovation is a key springboard to growth and we know that the iNet’s support has been important in the past in helping businesses to develop. We are looking forward to hearing from food and drink manufacturing firms across the region who are keen to benefit from our expertise.”

The iNet support includes a limited pot of cash which is available for match-funded grants for eligible projects.

The iNet is also continuing its work with universities and is currently part funding projects at the University of Nottingham which are focusing on flavour perception, salt reduction in foods and probiotics.

Other universities across the East Midlands, including Nottingham Trent University, and the universities of Leicester, Lincoln and Northampton, are also part of the iNet steering group.

Based at Southglade Food Park, Gala Way, Nottingham, the Food and Drink iNet has advisors who operate across the region.

For more information visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk or call 0845 521 2066.

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

New trade orders for Leicestershire coffee supplier Cherizena

East Midlands-based coffee producer Cherizena is celebrating a string of new trade orders after introducing new labelling equipment.

The company has won contracts to supply branded coffee to a number of new clients including a national financial organisation, regional farm shops and independent stores, coffee shops and individual firms across the UK.

The coffee is being bagged in different-sized packs with tailor-made labels for the customers, who are then using them as promotional material, as part of hospitality services or selling them as a branded product.

In addition, Cherizena has recently picked up a new contract caterer customer.

The new business has totalled more than £6,000 over the past six months.

“We are delighted with how much extra business we have generated as a result of investing in our new labelling printer and by increasing our sales efforts, which included exhibiting at the Federation of Small Businesses’ conference in Leicester in March,” said Kate Jones, who runs Cherizena, which is based at Wartnaby near Melton Mowbray.

“The labelling equipment has given us the flexibility to supply all our coffees in our clients’ branded packaging, ranging from 60g sachets up to larger packs.

A lot of companies are looking for something eye-catching and useful that they can give away as a promotional tool at events and so on, and branded coffee fits the bill perfectly.

“Exhibiting at the FSB conference in Leicester really helped us to promote ourselves and the services we offer to companies from across the UK.”

Cherizena, which produces and supplies premium, speciality and flavoured coffees, invested in the new equipment, as well as a new webshop, in the summer of 2012.

It was supported by the Food and Drink iNet, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and run by business organisation the Food and Drink Forum.

The iNet provided a match-funded grant of just over £3,000 to help with the innovation.

Since then, Cherizena has embarked on a sales and promotion effort to raise awareness of the company’s products and services.

“We have supplied branded coffees to trade customers for some time but the new equipment has given us much more flexibility and improved the quality of the labels,” said Kate.

“We expect that these latest orders will help us to increase turnover significantly over the next few months.”

One of Cherizena’s latest trade customers is 5* country house accommodation and event venue Vale House Belvoir, near Grantham, which has ordered sachets of ‘Vale House Belvoir’ coffee for its bedrooms and plans to provide personalised coffee for special occasions.

“Guests really appreciate the personalised and individual touches, and we were very pleased to find a local coffee supplier that could provide high quality coffees in Vale House Belvoir branding that we could put in our guest bedrooms and also personalise for special occasions such as birthday parties, weddings or hen parties,” said host Lara Young.

Cherizena sells to consumers, via mail order and at fairs and events, and to trade customers, including retailers, caterers and others in the hospitality trade.

It produces more than 20 flavoured coffees and also offers around 30 single-origin coffees and blends. It can supply coffee as beans or ground, regular or decaffeinated.

For more information about Cherizena contact 01664 820111 or visit www.cherizena.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink iNet grant helps apple snack idea to evolve

A Leicestershire company has developed a crunchy new apple snack using fruit that would previously have gone to waste, thanks to a grant from the Food and Drink iNet.

Omniceutica Limited has invented a process which transforms pulp from cider making, as well as surplus, ungraded or bruised fruit, into bite-sized servings.

The firm, based at Asfordby Business Park, near Melton Mowbray, was awarded almost £10,000 from the Food and Drink iNet under a Collaborate to Innovate project to develop the concept.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and run by trade organisation the Food and Drink Forum, the iNet aims to encourage innovation in the East Midlands food and drink sector.

Glen Martyn, director at Omniceutica said: “We are converting a freely available resource that is currently seen as waste from the fruit processing and cider industries into a nutritious and commercially viable snack. The amount of food wasted throughout the food industry is of huge financial and environmental concern so the timing of this innovation is right.”

Jo Murphy, an advisor with the Food and Drink iNet, said that tackling waste and finding alternative uses for by-products in the food and drink sector was a key target for the industry.

“The Food and Drink iNet has funded a number of projects under its Collaborate to Innovate programme which focus on positive ways of reducing waste in the sector,” she said. “Omniceutica has come up with an inventive way of creating a new product using ingredients that would previously have been thrown away.

“The technology will also benefit small and medium-sized enterprises in the East Midlands, such as cider makers and other producers, who could now have a productive outlet for some of their waste products – saving money on disposal costs and creating additional revenue.”

Omniceutica is a specialist product developer and offers other services through its consultancy. One of its specialist areas is in food, offering its research and development services to companies, ranging from start-ups through to larger global organisations.

Omniceutica develops and produces pilot-scale production batches to test ideas and concepts in readiness for commercial scale up.

The iNet grant has funded work to source ingredients and develop a new drying process that is less energy intensive and retains more nutrients than conventional systems.

The work has also involved experts from the University of Nottingham carrying out initial analysis of the snack’s nutrient content.

Omniceutica is exploring patent issues before the product is prepared for marketing and sale through licensing agreements to larger manufacturers.

Since the company was formed in 2010, its staff have collaborated with clients locally, nationally and around the world. It also works with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and has substantial expertise in intellectual property and patents.

The Food and Drink iNet, is managed by a consortium, led by the Food and Drink Forum and including Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and The University of Nottingham.

It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region to offer a range of support to small and medium-sized enterprises that work in the sector.

For more information about the Food and Drink iNet visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink Forum offers free support to Leicester food and drink sector firms

The Leicester food and drink sector is being given a boost with the launch of a new scheme to provide free business support to manufacturers working in the industry.

Trade organisation The Food and Drink Forum is running the Leicester Food Specialist service, which aims to help eligible firms to grow and develop.

The £94,500 project is being funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which is providing more than 60% of the cost of the scheme, The Food and Drink Forum, and Leicester City Council through the Working Neighbourhood Fund.

The service is offering two free days of support to start-ups, micro businesses and small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in the food and drink sector in the city centre area.

This could cover a range of support from technical advice and packaging services to help with new routes to market or accreditation. The two days of support is for a maximum of 25 companies.

A programme of events for all eligible businesses is also planned, which will focus on offering support to overcome key issues and challenges faced by food manufacturers.

A launch event is being held on Thursday February 28th at the Flamingo Restaurant, Loughborough Road, Leicester, for firms interested in finding out more about the project, which runs until December 2014.

“Leicester’s food and drink sector plays a key role in the local economy and this new service, which is funded by the ERDF, will help to ensure that the industry continues to develop and grow,” said Fiona Anderson, managing director of the Food and Drink Forum, which was established in 1998 and provides support to the sector across the East Midlands and beyond.

“It is hoped that the Leicester Food Specialist service will increase the rate of sustainable manufacturing businesses that are launched in the sector and help those that are already established to expand.”

It aims to support the economy of Leicester by nurturing new start-ups in the sector and helping existing businesses to secure new sales, develop new products, reduce their carbon footprint and overcome barriers to growth.

To register interest in attending the launch event and to find out more about eligibility, email enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk or call 01159 758810.

Press release issued by Louise Duffield, Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

V&A Museum framework agreement for Focus Consultants

Museum expert Focus Consultants has won a place on a framework agreement to develop and deliver temporary exhibitions at the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The company is one of three preferred suppliers to be announced by the V&A in South Kensington.

Focus, which is based at Phoenix Business Park in Nottingham and has offices in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn near Lincoln, has worked on a wide range of high-profile museum developments, including the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, which was last year named UK museum of the year by the Art Fund charity, and SeaCity in Southampton, which opened in 2012 – a century after the Titanic set sail from the city.

The firm recently announced it had been appointed project manager for a prestigious multi-million pound redevelopment at the NationalArmyMuseum in Chelsea.

“The team at Focus Consultants is proud and delighted to have been appointed to the framework agreement to provide services to the V&AMuseum,” said Focus project manager Ellie Clarke.

“The V&A is billed as the world’s greatest museum of art and design, and attracts around 3 million visitors every year. Its temporary exhibitions are extremely diverse, and we’re looking forward to supporting the museum with the development of these over the next three years.

“This is a very high profile appointment for Focus, which reflects our experience and skill in working with museums to create something special for their visitors.”

The three-year framework agreement is for the provision of project management, cost consultancy and CDM co-ordination. Being appointed to the framework agreement means that Focus is one of three preferred bidders to provide work on future temporary exhibitions at the V&A.

On average, the museum has around six temporary exhibitions each year. Work secured from the V&A would be handled by the London office of Focus, which is based in Holborn.

The firm previously worked for the V&A on the £7.2 million redevelopment of the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, which houses the V&A's national collection of childhood-related objects, including dolls' houses, toys and games, furniture and clothing.

As well as overseeing the redevelopment, Focus also secured the funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which both made significant contributions to the successful opening of the project in early 2007.

Focus Consultants specialises in creative approaches to securing funding packages and delivering high quality projects across the UK. Since its creation in 1994, Focus has secured over £800 million of grant assistance, and delivered more than £1 billion of projects and programmes.

It works across a range of sectors including heritage, arts and culture, education and tourism.

Visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk for more information.

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink Forum welcomes latest news on Southglade Food Park expansion

Trade organisation The Food and Drink Forum has welcomed news that the expansion of a pioneering food and drink business park is a step closer today.

The Forum played a key role in planning and developing the first phase of Southglade Food Park in Nottingham which opened in 2005 and was the first business park of its kind in the UK.

It has since managed the on-site Business Centre and services for the park, which is home to six food manufacturers.

Now Nottingham City Council has announced support for Southglade phase 2 by agreeing to pay £1.67 million of the £6 million expansion plan.

The funding approval is a key step in enabling additional finances of £4.254 million to be released from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The plan is to build additional quality food grade industrial units next to the phase one development, which has a waiting list of food and drink manufacturers keen to move in. This would double the size of the food park.

It is expected to create at least 90 jobs in the food and drink sector, as well as jobs during construction.

Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson said: “Since opening in 2005, Southglade Food Park has been a great success, and it is excellent news that Southglade phase 2 has support from the city council.

“Expansion of the food park will provide additional high grade manufacturing units for food and drink producers and help to create new job opportunities for the area. We have had a waiting list of firms keen to move onto Southglade for some time, and I am sure they will welcome the news too.

“As the first food and drink business park of its kind in the UK, Southglade has acted as a blueprint for similar schemes across the country and in other parts of the world, such as Malaysia – helping to put Nottingham on the map for its pioneering food and drink sector – and if phase 2 gets the go-ahead it can only strengthen the city’s position as an attractive place for food and drink manufacturers to launch and develop.”

Southglade phase 1 is home to a range of different-sized food grade manufacturing units designed for firms at different stages of development.

The on-site Business Centre includes a new product development kitchen, meeting rooms and other facilities available to tenants and others in the sector.

It is hoped that the enlarged development will create a regionally significant business cluster in the food and drink sector, enabling Nottingham to attract new business and foster growth in the sector to benefit the regional economy.

Councillor Graham Chapman, deputy leader of Nottingham City Council said: “This scheme creates at least 90 local jobs and even more in the construction of the units, helps the manufacturing industry and will bring a financial return for the council of just over £125,000 a year when our ERDF application is approved. It is an excellent deal all around.”

Food manufacturing is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector. For more information visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk


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Blue cheese under the microscope thanks to Food and Drink iNet

Dr Kostas Gzatzionis & Food & Drink iNet advisor Jo Murphy 

Scientists are putting the East Midlands’ famous blue cheeses under the microscope in a research project that aims to explain exactly what gives the cheeses their distinctive taste, texture and smell.


The Food and Drink iNet is supporting research being carried out by The University of Northampton in conjunction with The University of Nottingham to delve into the microbiology of blue cheese production.

The researchers hope to unravel the mystery of exactly how the microorganisms in blue cheese work…leading to greater quality, consistency and fewer defects in production.

The project could ultimately help East Midlands’ blue cheeses to take a larger slice of the global blue cheese market by making regional cheese producers more competitive.

The research project is one of five Collaborative Research and Development grants worth a total of more than £245,000 announced by the Food and Drink iNet, which co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet is one of four regional iNets that has developed an effective network to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

“This is an exciting research project between The University of Northampton and The University of Nottingham, with far-reaching potential for one of the East Midlands’ most famous products and exports,” said Food and Drink iNet interim director Richard Worrall. “We don’t really know exactly how the various microorganisms in blue cheeses are interacting and working, so if we can help to provide a clearer picture about their role in blue cheese production it will help cheese producers in a number of different ways, and ultimately make them more competitive.

“The Food and Drink iNet Collaborative Research and Development support is designed to provide help for innovative research schemes that will benefit the food and drink sector in the future, and this fits the bill perfectly.”

The team, which also includes Stichelton Dairy Ltd, based on the Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire, has been awarded almost £49,000 towards the cost of the research project of just over £79,000.

The research is being run by Dr Kostas Gkatzionis, a researcher in the School of Health at The University of Northampton, in conjunction with his colleague Prof Carol Phillips, and Prof Christine Dodd and Dr Robert Linforth from The University of Nottingham. Dr Kostas Gkatzionis studied the microflora of Stilton for his PhD. Now this research is being widened to look at the role played by secondary flora - microorganisms that have not been added or controlled by the producer but which appear in the cheese during production.

This secondary flora has a significant impact on the properties of the final product in both a positive way by contributing to the flavour of the cheese, but also in a negative way by producing bitter smells and poor formation of the blue veins.

By discovering exactly how this secondary flora works, researchers hope that blue cheese producers will be able not only to improve current varieties of cheese but also that this will pave the way to the development of new cheeses.

“We are very pleased to receive this grant from the Food and Drink iNet for our research, which will help us to understand in more detail the microbiological issues that concern the production of cheeses, and as a result should bring a range of benefits to the blue cheese industry of the East Midlands, and also the cheese industry more generally,” said Dr Gkatzionis.

The research findings will be shared with cheese producers across the UK.

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. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

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Nottingham bread manufacturer Butt Foods launches new sub roll range after support from the Food and Drink iNet

A Nottingham bread manufacturer celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010 has launched a new range of products after receiving support from the Food and Drink iNet.


Butt Foods Ltd received support worth £3,800 from the iNet to develop five flavours in its new Big Softy sub roll range. This also enabled the firm to develop interactive marketing materials to support the sale of the Big Softy sub rolls into the food service, sandwich manufacturer, and retail markets.

The range has been such a success that the firm is poised to launch Big Softy sub rolls in sliced versions at London contemporary food trade exhibition Lunch! 2010 at the end of September.

“The Big Softy sub rolls have been a great success from day one of their launch – our sales have shown 50% quarter on quarter growth,” said Butt Foods sales and marketing director David Williams.

“As bakery innovators, we are always looking to lead the way and be up there with any trend, and there is currently a huge demand from universities, colleges, hospitals, leisure centres, cafés and other similar outlets for sub rolls.

“The Food and Drink iNet support helped us to develop five flavours of the Big Softy and also gave us assistance with interactive marketing, which means we can add downloadable recipes and information to our website that will give our customers ideas about how they can use the sub rolls. The Food and Drink iNet has been a big help to us as we open the latest chapter in the life of Butt Foods, which is this year marking its 20th anniversary.”

Butt Foods, which is based in Nottingham, received £3,800 worth of Innovation, Advice and Guidance support from the iNet. The company matched this support with its own investment.

The iNet helps food and drink firms engage expertise from academia, research institutions and specialist business advice for innovation projects to develop new ideas, new products, new processes and to help companies grow. 50% of the equivalent cash value of the support must be contributed by the company.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. One of four iNets, it strives to develop an effective network to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge, and local food and drink business innovation needs.

It 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.

The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

Founded in 1990 by Mazhar Butt, Butt Foods Ltd produces a wide range of speciality bakery products for food service, retail and catering. It bakes up to 60 million products every year at its purpose-built manufacturing unit.

The business has brought a number of firsts to the table, including flat breads and bread bowls. Its latest innovation, the Big Softy, is available in plain white, plain brown, semolina topped white, honey and oats topped brown, and cheese and herb topped white. Baked in foot-long moulds or as 8 inch sub rolls, the range is available nationally through distributors.

New director joins Food and Drink iNet

Andrew Butterwick has been appointed the new director of the Food and Drink iNet as the East Midlands-wide project launches phase two of its support for the food and drink sector in the region.


Andrew has wide experience of both the food and drink industry, and business support.

He joins the Food and Drink iNet team from Business Link Yorkshire, where he was a business advisor. Before that he was managing director of ATB Associates Ltd, providing consultancy, advice and resource management, operational management, process mapping and technical training to the food sector.

“I am very pleased to be joining the Food and Drink iNet at such an exciting time when we are moving into phase two of the project, and I am relishing the opportunity to have such a key role in encouraging innovation in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands,” said Andrew.

“Along with the rest of the Food and Drink iNet team, I am looking forward to building on the success of the first two years of the project.”

Funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. The iNet strives to develop an effective network to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge, and local food and drink business innovation needs.

It 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.

During the initial two-year phase of the Food and Drink iNet, more than 300 businesses in the region were supported, Innovation Support Grants were given to 57 firms, and funding was provided for nine university collaboration projects. It also ran a successful series of events that attracted more than 650 delegates from 150 businesses to look at some of the key industry issues, as well as staging three best practice factory visits.

Now the second phase of the Food and Drink iNet has begun and there are plans to build on the work that’s already been achieved in supporting food and drink manufacturers in the East Midlands, as well as increase the number of advisors at the iNet.

“Phase one of the Food and Drink iNet was welcomed by food and drink manufacturers in the region as an original way of supporting and encouraging innovation in the sector in the East Midlands,” said Food and Drink iNet director Andrew Butterwick.

“We are very pleased to have started a second phase of the Food and Drink iNet, and intend to continue supporting food and drink firms in the region via a number of different channels. This will include a ‘collaborate to innovate’ programme that brings together academia with groups of individual businesses looking to resolve common problems through innovation.

“We also plan to run a project to bring the engineering and food and drink sectors together, by helping engineering firms to diversify into the food and drink sector and by helping the food and drink sector to find innovative solutions to improve their process and efficiency.”

Andrew, who is based in the Business Centre at Southglade Food Park, Gala Way, Nottingham, has gained his experience through a number of roles during his career, including factory manager and then operations director at ethnic foods company Westmill Foods and operations manager at Bowmans Milling.

The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk