Event: how to start an awesome food business

It’s official. Food startups are at the heart of the UK’s entrepreneurial obsession and it’s time we celebrated them.

That’s why we’ve created the Virgin StartUp, Foodpreneur Festival 2014. This has seen us search for the UK’s no1 food startup, but now we can reveal another way for you to get involved – a day of workshops focused on taking your idea for a food startup and helping you turn it into a fully-fledged business.

This will see top industry experts deliver exclusive lessons on three different parts of creating your own food brand. A day of invaluable insight from people that are working and running businesses in the food industry and whose advice can take your own food business to the next level.

By confirming a space on this day of workshops, you’ll also be invited to join the Foodpreneur Festival 2014 event which will see eight of the UK’s best food startups pitch their business to Sir Richard Branson and his panel of food expert judges.

Below is an outline for our day of food startup workshops. To secure your place, click here.

When: 17^th September 10.30 – 6.00

Where: Doodle bar – SW11 4NP

Price: £30

The schedule of the day is as follows:

10:30am – Arrive at the venue and get to know your fellow workshoppers

11:15am - Panel session 1: The practical stuff

This session will outline, what do you actually need to start your own food business? With guest talks from entrepreneurs that have been there and done it.

Guest talks from:

Frank Yeung – Founder of Poncho8 - @Ponchono8
John Finnemore – Head of Entrepreneurs Group, Nabarro – @Nabarro
Clive Lewis – Head of Enterprise, ICAEW - @ICAEW

12pm - Lunch

12.45pm - Panel session 2: Creating a standout brand

Entrepreneurship is booming in the UK and food startups are playing a huge part in that. So how do you make sure your businesses attracts attention and places itself head and shoulders above the rest? This session will tell you how.

Guest talks from:

Kate Mcauley – Journalist – Grazia, Huffington Post, Timeout @Its_KateMcAuley
Greg Duggan – Founder of WheyHey – @WheyHeyOfficial
Caroline Dilloway, Elmwood, the brand design consultancy, @ElmwoodTweets

1.45pm - Panel session 3: Winning routes to market

It’s all well and good having a mouth-watering recipe and the means to make it. But how do you actually get it in front of customers in supermarkets, hotels and restaurants? Well, we’ve got the people who do the buying in these places in, to tell you how to do exactly that.