East Midlands food and drink sector comes together at event

One of the region’s leading food and drink sector organisations, The Food and Drink Forum, will be hosting a network dinner event next month.

The Food and Drink Forum, which was founded in 1998, has members across the East Midlands and in partnership with the Food and Drink iNet, aims to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the region.

This year’s annual members’ supper and networking event will take place on Wednesday 19^th November at Southwell Racecourse, Rolleston in Nottinghamshire. Up to 150 people connected to the industry from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire are expected to attend.

A range of key speakers will be speaking, and the event will feature a supper of ingredients donated and supplied by local food and drink manufacturers.

“The Food and Drink Forum’s annual members’ supper is the chance for people who work in the food and drink sector across the region to come together, share their news, discover more about the latest issues affecting the industry and to network and make valuable contacts,” said Food and Drink Forum general manager Fay Davies.

“This year we have chosen a new venue, at Southwell Racecourse, and have developed a new format separate from our AGM, as we aim to create an informal environment conducive for business networking between members.” 

Sponsored by the Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network), the members’ supper runs from 5pm to 9pm and will include presentations from a number of food and drink manufacturers in the region. Guests will include members and representatives from partner organisations such as local enterprise partnerships, UK Trade & Investment, chambers of commerce and other key suppliers to support business growth.

Tickets are available for £35 (plus VAT), however Food and Drink Forum members receive a complimentary ticket, and exhibition space is available for £50 (plus VAT) for companies looking to further promote their services. For more details email enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

The Food and Drink Forum is based at the Business Centre, Southglade Food Park in Nottingham. It delivers the European Regional Development-funded Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network), which co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the region. The Forum also provides technical and business support to farmers, primary processors, food manufacturers, caterers and retailers. 

For more information visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

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

Shortlist announced for the 2012 Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards

The Food and Drink Forum, organisers of the 2012 Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards have unveiled the names of the shortlisted candidates in the running to receive an accolade.

The candidates include businesses and universities around the East Midlands.

The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony at Athena in Leicester on November 15th, hosted by comedian Ian Moore.

Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall said: “We had a record number of entries this year to the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards, which reflects the exciting research, development and business growth going on in the East Midlands food and drink sector.

“We are looking forward to hosting the awards ceremony, which has become one of the highlights of the calendar for the industry in the region. I am sure it will be inspirational to hear about the very different forms that innovation can take.”

This year there are four categories in the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards – with the overall winner being named Campden BRI Innovation Champion 2012.

The shortlisted nominations are as follows:

The Clegg Food Projects Ltd Most Innovative Business Growth Award

• Dovedale Foods Ltd, St John Street, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, with a production unit at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham. The firm has been shortlisted for its creation of Agile Manufacturing (a term applied to an organisation that has created the processes, tools, and training to enable it to respond quickly to customer needs and market changes while still controlling costs and quality) to support the scaling up of manufacture of Dovedale's Sauces for Choice brand, with capacity to offer short-run production to other local small enterprises struggling with the capacity requirements of larger contract manufacturers.

• Original Recipes, Boythorpe Business Park, Dock Walk, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The firm has used an old recipe and given it a modern twist to create Granny Mary’s Finest Potted Beef, and has used the same ethos to drive the company’s project growth by getting chosen as one of the final 18 in the new BBC3 series Be Your Own Boss. This gives the firm the opportunity to broaden contacts and experience, enabling the maximisation of marketing and promotion of the business in a relatively short period of time.

  • The Bottle Kicking Cider Company, Hallaton, Market Harborough, Leicestershire. The company has been shortlisted for the conversion of metallised bags, previously used in the wine industry, to enable creation of a draught real cider that fulfils the CAMRA criteria, that can be stored and used from the bag whilst keeping the airtight vacuum to prevent spoilage and improve shelf life.

The Nottingham Trent University Most Innovative New Product Development Award

• Moonshine Drinks Ltd, Fairview Court, West Bridgford, Nottingham. The enterprise has developed a revolutionary home brew system to create quality real ales by simply adding tap water into the unique laminated bag to achieve ABV of 4%+.

• The Gourmet Spice Company, Kettering Road, Weldon, Northamptonshire. The firm has been shortlisted for challenging traditional flavour delivery techniques to create flavour combinations that are both innovative and exciting. This has enabled Gourmet Spice to develop products that deliver multi-sensory experiences.

• Xcel Milk Nutrition Ltd, Coton Road, Walton on Trent, Derbyshire. The company has been shortlisted for the development of a unique fresh milk-based post-exercise drink, after working with sports nutrition experts and applying existing research in sports recovery.

Most Innovative Positive Impact Award

• Deli Continental Ltd, Pintail Close, Victoria Business Park, Netherfield, Nottingham. This project focused on achieving the very best nutritional values in Deli Continental’s pizza bases, initially with salt reduction, whilst ensuring the authenticity of their artisan production methods. Collaboration with the University of Nottingham has resulted in a product that has already raised interest with local county council schools.

• Lindhurst Innovation Engineers, Midland Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. Founded on anaerobic digestion, the H2AD technology that Lindhurst has developed in collaboration with the University of Nottingham and Arla Foods is based around a microbial food cell that allows bacteria in food waste to digest quicker and produce a hydrogen rich biogas.

• Nutbrook Brewery, Hallam Way, West Hallam, Derbyshire. The company has invested in a wind turbine and some solar panels to create electricity for the brewery and to reduce controllable costs whilst having a positive impact on the environment and the firm’s carbon footprint. Nutbrook Brewery hopes to also inspire other small businesses to follow suit and embrace the benefits of environmental responsibility.

Most Innovative Collaboration Award

• Biopolymer Solutions Ltd, Sutton Bonington Campus of the University of Nottingham, near Loughborough, Leicestershire. Research at the University of Nottingham discovered that the properties of xanthan gum could be changed by extrusion cooking. Collaboration between the University of Nottingham and Biopolymer Solutions has enabled funding to support the ongoing trials into the range of applications of the new material, hydraxan, which reduces issues of poor xanthan dispersion.

• Just Egg Ltd, Hilltop Road, Hamilton Industrial Park, Leicester. By working in collaboration with the University of Leicester, with support from the Food and Drink iNet, Just Egg has been exploring a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable way of disposing of the firm’s egg shell waste. The company is now well on its way to using the egg shells in the reformulation of plastic to make recycled packaging to protect their egg-based products.

• The University of Northampton and the University of Nottingham. This collaboration of the Universities of Northampton and Nottingham with Stichelton Dairy in north Nottinghamshire focused on the aroma development and influence of secondary microflora in blue cheese production to enable an understanding of the variants that can influence the consistency of cheese production.

Tickets are now on sale for the ceremony to present the Innovation Awards, which are being held for the fifth year, and which recognise and reward the brightest ideas in the East Midlands’ food and drink sector.

Part-funded by 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.

It has developed 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 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.

For more information about the iNet visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk Tickets for the Innovation Awards cost £69.50 plus vat per person, with discounts for members of the Food and Drink Forum, and are available by contacting the events team on 0115 9758810.

Some sponsoring, table hosting and exhibiting opportunities are still available for the event. Contact the events team for details.

www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Catering and Hospitality Expo for the East Midlands food and drink sector

Organisers of a trade show dedicated to the East Midlands food and drink sector say they have been bowled over by the enthusiasm of the region’s food and drink industry.

Catering and Hospitality Expo is taking place in Nottingham for the first time on September 19th and 20th.

Aimed at introducing those in the hospitality trade to new suppliers, the event is targeted at trade visitors only and is expected to feature more than 90 exhibitors.

The organisers of the event, Consortium of Events and Tourism Limited, have teamed up with regional business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum, who have helped recruit exhibitors from across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Rutland and Northamptonshire to the regional section of the show and also as general exhibitors.

“There’s been a real spark in Nottingham,” said a spokesman for the Consortium of Events and Tourism Limited. “There’s a real buzz that we haven’t seen for a while.

“We have been bowled over by the enthusiasm from local suppliers. Last time we had this much excitement was the first ever event in Blackpool, which saw over 4,000 attendees and we see no reason why Nottingham can’t exceed this. Nottingham has excelled itself and we are really looking forward to the show.

“It shows that despite the recession and tough times, hospitality is still alive and kicking in Nottingham.”

The two-day event at Nottingham Racecourse, Colwick, is expected to appeal to those who run restaurants, cafés, bars, pubs, clubs, guest houses, hotels and other hospitality and catering outlets, as well as large organisations that run canteens and provide food for staff and visitors.

It is the perfect chance for those in the catering and hospitality trade to source new ideas, products and suppliers, said Fiona Anderson, managing director of The Food and Drink Forum.

The Food and Drink Forum, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, and operates across the East Midlands, is managing the area that showcases regional products.

Catering and Hospitality Expo has been held at various venues around the UK over a number of years, and has attracted thousands of trade visitors from across the country, but this is the first time that it has been held in Nottingham.

Exhibitors are expected to include local and national companies, food service providers, catering companies, equipment suppliers, restaurants, hotels, hospitality organisations, top chefs, industry services and manufacturers and producers wanting to sell into the catering and hospitality sector.

Entry to the event is free for those in the food and drink industry.

Collections will be taken for the Children’s Air Ambulance.

www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink iNet offers free business support to East Midlands food and drink firms

Food and drink firms across the East Midlands are being urged to take advantage of free business support available from the Food and Drink iNet.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the region.

The first element of that support is to meet and discuss business needs and provide impartial advice and guidance on how to grow through innovation. It can then lead to accessing grants and specialist expertise.

Since 2008, the iNet has given hundreds of hours of free advice to food and drink manufacturing firms across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, which has led to innovation projects being launched.

The iNet is urging established small and medium-sized companies who work across the supply chain to get in touch to find out more about the help on offer.

“The free one-to-one initial support for food and drink businesses provides tailored advice and guidance to help companies find their route to growth,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall.

“Our advisors are experienced in supporting firms and have a strong network of industry and academic contacts. This means they can signpost businesses to relevant information, expertise and guidance. They can also give information about match-funded grants for innovation that are available to eligible companies.”

In the past, the iNet has provided free ‘business assist’ support to a wide range of companies including bakers, butchers, chocolate makers, snack manufacturers, ice cream makers, and drinks manufacturers, as well as businesses that ‘supply into’ the sector, such as workwear specialists, consultants who work in the food and drink industry and those who manufacture items for the sector.

The one-to-one support aims to help the firms to bring their innovation ideas to life.

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.

For more information about the iNet visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk or contact the iNet on info@foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Speakers announced for Food and Drink Forum AGM and networking event

More than 150 guests are expected at the annual general meeting and networking supper of one of the largest food and drink business support organisations in the East Midlands.

The evening, which is the flagship event of the year for the Food and Drink Forum, takes place at Kelham Hall near Newark on Tuesday June 26th.

Key industry figures from across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland are due to attend the event, which this year is being sponsored by Pork Farms and the Food and Drink iNet.

Speakers include Ian Noakes, of Dovedale Foods, and Dave Harrison from Everards Brewery.

Ian, who runs a company based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, which manufacturers a range of sauces, including dairy and gluten-free products, under the Sauces of Choice brand will be delivering a presentation entitled ‘Working for yourself? You must be mad’.

Dave, who is operations director at Leicestershire-based independent family brewery Everards, will deliver a presentation focused on ‘Food and drink from a small business perspective’.

“Our AGM and networking supper is the ideal time for those linked to the food and drink sector in the region to come together to network, make contacts and to hear about the latest sector trends,” said Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson.

“We are very pleased that once again we will be welcoming so many professionals from across the East Midlands.”

The Forum, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, has members across the region, including manufacturers, food service operators, and consultants and businesses providing services to the food and drink sector.

The Food and Drink Forum was founded in 1998 as a not-for-profit, membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands.

Its aims include championing the food and drink sector in the East Midlands, developing strategic influencing partnerships within and outside the East Midlands, and acting as a centre for information and knowledge on all subjects relating to the food and drink sector in the region.

It also aims to stimulate and facilitate sustainable change within companies of all sizes across the food chain, generate income and secure resources to meet the needs of a high-quality service, and promote the food and drink sector to future employees through education and the raising of skills.

For information about membership or the AGM and networking supper please call 0115 9758810. www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Cracking idea for egg shell recycling gets Food and Drink iNet support

Scientists and food industry experts are hatching a plan this Easter to turn egg shells into plastics that could be used to manufacture anything from food packaging to construction materials.

They also hope to extract material from egg shells that may prove valuable in the pharmaceutical industry.

As Easter approaches, The Food and Drink iNet is revealing that it is funding a research project at the University of Leicester which is looking at eggs and egg shells in a new light.

The project aims to find useful ways of recycling egg shells which are currently regarded as waste by food producers and which they have to pay to dispose of in landfill.

This is why the Food and Drink iNet is supporting the project with the university to discover innovative ways of using egg shells practically in a number of different areas to be seen as income generating by egg producers, rather than a financial drain on their business.

Scientists in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Leicester, specialising in ‘green chemistry’ and sustainable materials are looking at how to extract glycosaminoglycans, proteins which are found in egg shells. GAGs are used in numerous biomedical applications and could prove useful in the pharmaceutical industry.

They are also hoping to identify ways to use the egg shells as fillers which could be used to ‘bulk up’ different grades of plastic, with all sorts of applications from ready meal food trays to shop fittings.

The ultimate goal is to use the egg shells in packaging to protect egg products – giving a second lease of life to the egg shell in the very role it was created for …. a true case of recycling.

“Egg shell is classified as a waste material by the food industry but is in fact a highly sophisticated composite,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall. “The scientists at the University of Leicester have identified a number of uses for egg shell waste and the Food and Drink iNet is very pleased to support a ‘Collaborate to Innovate’ research project to examine egg shell recycling solutions.

“This could have potential benefit on many levels, both for food manufacturers and a much wider industry.”

The research team led by Professor Andy Abbott, professor of physical chemistry and head of the Chemistry Department at the University of Leicester, is working in conjunction with Philip Chatfield, director of Ashby de la Zouch project management company Integrated Food Projects. The project plans to involve a number of small and medium-sized egg-related companies in the East Midlands region.

Leicester hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise manufacturer Just Egg uses around 1.3 million eggs every week, creating around 10 tonnes of egg shells. Currently the firm spends approximately £30,000 a year sending about 480 tonnes of shells to landfill for disposal.

Managing director Pankaj Pancholi said the research could bring big benefits to the food and drink sector.

“If I wasn’t spending the £30,000 a year on landfill costs I could employ another worker or two part-time workers, or invest that money in R&D and innovation,” he said. “It would be great if the egg shells could ultimately be recycled to be used in the plastic packaging that we use for egg products, like our new hard boiled eggs in packs. This is a really exciting project.”

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet has awarded almost £20,000 towards the project under its Collaborate to Innovate programme, which will include the sharing of the results with food manufacturers across the East Midlands and beyond. Interested companies are invited to get in touch.

Professor Andy Abbott, from The University of Leicester, said: “We specialise in researching and developing innovative manufacturing solutions around recycling technology. This project is focused on researching novel methodologies for recovering and re using a waste stream into a sustainable financially viable material supply locally. The R&D funding from the Food and Drink iNet is very timely and very gratefully received.”

The iNet-funded project aims to develop and validate the pre-treatment process of the eggshell needed to make it sterile; develop a method for the extraction of glycosaminoglycans from eggshell and analyse the products obtained; develop a post-treatment process to convert the eggshell into a starch-based plastic; test the mechanical properties, including the strength of the new material and make a variety of materials to optimise the eggshell loading and particle size.

The Food and Drink iNet, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with a team of advisors across the East Midlands, 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 coordinates specialist support to stimulate innovation in the food and drink sector to increase competitiveness, sustainability and growth. The iNet is also a key partner for businesses, universities and individuals working and collaborating in the food and drink industry in the East Midlands and nationally.

Visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk for more information.

Issue by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

The photo shows, from left to right, Food and Drink iNet adviser Stevie Jackson, Pankaj Pancholi, managing director of Just Egg, and Professor Andy Abbott, professor of physical chemistry at the University of Leicester.

New membership structure introduced by business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum has launched a new membership structure to offer more flexible grades.

The Forum, which has been supporting food and drink companies since 1998, has also boosted the range of offers available to members.

“Previously our membership grades focused on the size of a business, but we have changed the grades available to allow members to choose the level that best suits their needs. It also offers them the flexibility to move from one grade to another from year to year, depending on their stage of development,” said Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson.

“The new structure has been introduced in response to feedback from members and we hope it will provide more value.”

The Food and Drink Forum, which is based in the Business Centre at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, and operates in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutland and across the UK, provides a range of different services to food and drink firms.

Advice, expertise, business support, training, production and technical services, sales and marketing advice and lead generation are just some of the services on offer. In addition, members can also benefit from the use of business facilities, meeting rooms and a new product development kitchen at Southglade Food Park.

“We have based our grades on the needs of businesses, drawing on many years of experience within the industry,” said Fiona Anderson. “Membership packages are available to any food and drink producer or manufacturer of any size, from start-up companies to larger established organisations. We also have a consultant membership grade for those who supply into the food and drink sector.”

Bronze, Silver and Gold membership packages have been introduced, with prices starting at £110 plus vat per annum. Visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk for more detailed information.

The Food and Drink Forum was launched in 1998 as a not-for-profit membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands.

It aims to:
• Champion the food and drink sector in the East Midlands.
• Develop strategic influencing partnerships within and outside the East Midlands.
• Act as a centre for information and knowledge on all subjects relating to the food and drink sector in the region.
• Stimulate and facilitate sustainable change within companies of all sizes across the food chain.
• Generate income and secure resources to meet the needs of a high-quality service.
• Promote the food and drink sector to future employees through education and the raising of skills.

For more information about the services offered by The Food and Drink Forum visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) serves up the ingredients to inspire firms to innovate

Businesses linked to the food and drink sector in the East Midlands are being invited to an event that aims to encourage the introduction of new ideas, new products and new ways of working in the industry.

The iThrive event is being run by the Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network), which stimulates innovation in the sector.

Strategic advisor and business book author Max McKeown will be the key speaker at the free event, which takes place on September 21st at the National Space Centre, Leicester, from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

He will present an interactive workshop that will provide food for thought on ways of creating an innovation culture within a business – aiming to stimulate creativity and arm companies with the courage and know-how to weigh up decision-making and risk-taking in order to innovate.

“The iThrive 2011: Creating an Innovation Culture event provides food and drink business owners and managing directors with the chance to take a step back from day-to-day business operations, and explore ways of creating a cultural change towards innovation,” said Richard Worrall, Food and Drink iNet director.

“Max McKeown is a strategic advisor for some of the most admired companies in the world, and will, I am sure, provide much food for thought to delegates who attend the event.”

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 developed to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with 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. 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 about the event, which is aimed at those working in food and drink manufacturing and across the food and drink supply chain in the East Midlands, email enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink Forum ensures that the food and drink sector’s voice is heard

East Midlands business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum is campaigning to ensure that the food and drink sector in the region has a strong voice going forward.

The membership organisation wants to ensure that the industry in the East Midlands is effectively represented following the disbandment of regional development agencies in 2012.

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has been a key partner for The Food and Drink Forum in support of the food and drink sector in the region. Now the Forum wants to ensure that the sector retains a strong voice once emda ceases to exist.

“The Food and Drink Forum has spent a lot of time focusing on understanding what the structure of public-funded business support may look like in the future,” said Fiona Anderson, managing director of The Food and Drink Forum.

“What is clear is that the funds coming into business support in the future will be significantly reduced, and that businesses will have to pay for more of the advice and guidance that they receive.”

The Food and Drink Forum, which is one of the largest food and drink business support organisations in the East Midlands and which represents a wide range of member businesses, has held talks with a number of key organisations that may be involved in business support for the sector in the future.

“Through membership of the English Food and Drink Alliance (EFDA), a direct dialogue has been opened up with DEFRA to ensure that the needs of food and drink businesses especially SME’s across England are communicated and represented,” said Fiona Anderson.

“We believe that BIS (Department of Business Innovation and Skills) will be setting up six offices across England and are hoping that one will be in our region. We have also been in talks with the emerging Local Enterprise Partnerships for the East Midlands region and have been party to their submissions to Government. We were pleased that all of the proposals incorporated support for the food and drink sector - recognising its importance as the largest manufacturing sector in the region.

“We have also been keeping a watching brief on emerging funding schemes such as the Regional Growth Fund and innovation initiatives to ensure that we can maximise the value of these for our sector.”

As a private, membership organisation, the Food and Drink Forum’s role in supporting the East Midlands food and drink sector will continue.

“Whilst there will be a reduced number of publicly-funded programmes which we are able to offer, a wide range of support services will still be delivered by The Food and Drink Forum, such as support for collaborative distribution and for manufacturing efficiencies, food technical services, and training and development courses,” said Fiona Anderson.

Based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, and covering Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, The Food and Drink Forum was launched in 1998 as a not-for-profit membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands.

To find out more about The Food and Drink Forum, please visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk or call 0115 9758810.

Nottingham PR consultant Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink iNet event aims to capture childhood creativity

Chris Arnold

Food and drink firms in the East Midlands are being encouraged to re-ignite the creativity of children as a way of developing their businesses.

The Food and Drink Innovation Network (iNet) is staging an iThrive event designed to turn the spotlight on ways of exploiting creative potential within companies and their workforces.

Guest speaker is former creative director of one of the UK’s top advertising agencies Saatchi & Saatchi, Chris Arnold, who is an expert in creativity and its application to business. He will be encouraging delegates to re-ignite the imagination and ingenuity they experienced as children.

The iThrive event also marks the launch of a new programme of intensive business support being offered by the Food and Drink iNet to the region’s food and drink businesses.

A number of food and drink firms who attend the event will be chosen to receive the support, which features four one-day workshops guiding businesses through the new product development process - from the generation of an idea to product launch.

The iThrive new product development event and the programme of NPD support that it launches have been formulated by the Food and Drink iNet to ensure that innovation, in the form of new product development, thrives within the East Midlands food and drink sector.

“The iThrive event is an excellent opportunity for food and drink firms from across the region to focus on the importance of sparking and harnessing creativity,” said Food and Drink iNet director Andrew Butterwick. “We are delighted that Chris Arnold, who is an acknowledged expert in this subject, will be our guest speaker.

“The event also marks the start of our exclusive new programme to offer new product development support to up to ten food and drink businesses in the East Midlands. This is the perfect opportunity for companies in the sector who are interested in NPD to find out more.”

The New Product Development – Converting Creativity into Cash event is free to attend and takes place at the Pride Park Stadium, Derby, on October 12th from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

Food and drink firms from Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland are eligible to attend this free event but booking is essential to guarantee a place. Email enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk or call 0115 9758810 for more information.

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 regional iNets, it has developed an effective network to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

The Food and Drink iNet also 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 & 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

Grant-funded graduate recruitment for the East Midlands food and drink sector evolves

East Midlands food and drink firms with hard-to-fill vacancies are being advised to explore a new technical recruitment opportunity.

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum has teamed up with graduate recruitment experts HotProspects on a two-year project to offer small and medium-sized food and drink companies grants towards the cost of recruiting a graduate, either for specific projects or for permanent placements.

Now HotProspects has launched a new technical recruitment arm to address the needs of those in the sector with a more technically demanding focus.

With some of the most important technical abilities being learned after university, HotProspects² specialises in finding those graduates with specific skills and up to five years industry experience. At the same time, HotProspects continues to focus on the retention of fresh graduates, providing grant funded graduate recruitment through till 2011.

HotProspects² project manager Elizabeth Andrzejewski-Wilson said: “Since the launch of HotProspects back in 2006, the brand and the team has evolved, and it soon became clear that our strength lay in our ability to source those technically focused graduates with niche skill sets.

“Specific or rare skills sets can be very hard to find, especially in the food and drink sector where skills shortages have long held back business growth. Hence, HotProspects² was born.”

The new service allows businesses to pick and choose the elements they require, from a targeted marketing campaign through to full service graduate recruitment.

“We have taken what we believe are some of the strongest elements of the original service and developed them for a targeted market, allowing us to ensure we are best placed to meet their needs. Our fees are still fixed and agreed at the start, based on time expended, not a percentage of salary,” said Elizabeth.

“The HotProspects service continues to provide small business in the food and drink sector with grant-funded graduate recruitment within the East Midlands, meaning the standard recruitment process can be accessed at no cost to the business. Whilst HotProspects² allows those with more complex requirements to access the support they need.”

Grant funding of £1,000 per business is available for a limited period, thanks to funding that has been made available in partnership from East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

This can be put towards the cost of the HotProspects² service, as well as being used for HotProspects’ graduate recruitment.

For more information, contact Gemma Baguley at The Food and Drink Forum on 0115 9758810.