Lincolnshire food and drink firms are being urged to come forward if they need support for innovation projects.
The Food and Drink iNet, which operates across the East Midlands, has an £85,500 pot of finance available this summer to provide match funded support for eligible projects, which could be focusing on new products, accessing new markets or looking at new ways of working.
The Food and Drink iNet provides advice, guidance and financial support for innovation projects to eligible small and medium sized food and drink businesses through its advisors across Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.
Now the organisation, which is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is looking to work with additional food and drink firms which have innovative ideas in the pipeline.
Award winning Lincolnshire based Redhill Farm Free Range Pork is going from strength to strength thanks to support from the Food and Drink iNet and is urging fellow Lincolnshire food and drink businesses to contact the organisation if they are looking for support and advice with innovation projects.
Redhill Farm Free Range Pork, based at Blyton Carr, near Gainsborough, was given support to introduce a new interactive website which features a range of business-boosting initiatives including a food club for customers.
The new website has proved a valuable asset to the company run by Jane and Terry Tomlinson, which recently received the local food award for the East of England by the Countryside Alliance.
"I am extremely grateful to the Food and Drink iNet for their support towards our fabulous new website" said Jane Tomlinson, managing director of Redhill Farm Free Range Pork.
"We really can now demonstrate to our customers for the first time via our lovely images what we do behind the scenes, to show we actually do everything ourselves from start to finish - we farm it, we produce it, we sell it."
The Food and Drink iNet has match-funded support available for eligible innovation projects that help to increase productivity, achieve growth, and improve competitiveness and sustainability.
Redhill Farm Free Range Pork received £2,380 in support, which it match funded, to allow the firm to create a website with a number of innovative additions, such as the food club and the where to eat section.
"We are now able to address key business objectives and speak directly to both retail and business customers immediately about products, farmer's markets and bring them up to date with all our news," explained Jane Tomlinson. "The creation of 'the food club' and 'where to eat' sections has enabled us to directly support our business customers, helping to promote them to a wider audience of like minded customers. We were recently awarded the local food award for the East of England by the Countryside Alliance and where able to communicate this via our website the same day."
"It is already proving to be a valuable asset to the business and we would like to say thank you for all the help that the Food and Drink iNet has provided to us."
Food and Drink iNet Director Richard Worrall said: "We are very pleased to hear that the new website is helping Redhill Farm to grow as a business, and are looking forward to working with other Lincolnshire food and drink businesses that would benefit from the advice and support of our specialist advisors."
The Food and Drink iNet is one of four regional iNets developed to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.
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 Farady, 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's Lincolnshire advisor Rachel Linstead on 07500 441825.
|
