Previous producers who participated in the Lidl Northrrn Ireland Kickstart Supplier Development Programme.
Lidl Northern Ireland has opened its 2025 Kickstart Supplier Development Programme for applications to local food and drink producers across the region.
Now in its eighth year, Lidl Northern Ireland’s Kickstart programme is backed by the Northern Ireland Food & Drink Association and is designed to give artisan producers a foot up in breaking into the competitive supermarket retail sector, by having the opportunity to see their products stocked in Lidl Northern Ireland stores across the region.
Successful applicants undertake a six-month development programme offering suppliers dedicated business support from Lidl Northern Ireland’s in-house experts, advancing their product, brand and business with practical guidance on production efficiency, product development and packaging and how to scale for success.
To date, Lidl Northern Ireland has invested more than £2m in supporting 29 small and medium-sized Northern Irish food and drink producers, showcasing over 50 innovative home-grown products to more than 2 million weekly customers across the island of Ireland.
Last year’s programme saw 30 artisan products from 12 local producers land on Lidl Northern Ireland’s shelves as part of the Kickstart Supplier Development Programme including Bertie’s Bakery, Blackfire Food, Cloughbane Farm Foods, Mrs K Global, Green Fingers Family, Lecale Harvest, Long Meadow Cider, Rosie’s Bakes, SLICED, Armagh Cider Company, Strangford Coffee Roastery and Woodlab Distillery.
Speaking about this opportunity for local producers, Supplier Development Manager at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, Kate O’Driscoll said:
“We are thrilled to launch Lidl Northern Ireland’s Kickstart Supplier Development Programme for 2025.
“What makes this so impactful is that we can immediately facilitate export opportunities for all successful suppliers that make it onto the programme. Not only do they have the opportunity to sell their products locally within our regional network of 43 stores, but also within our 181 stores located in the Republic of Ireland, reaching more than 2 million weekly shoppers which is a huge boost for small businesses.
“In recent years, we’ve also worked with Kickstart suppliers to further grow their reach through our wider store network, including supplying our Lidl GB stores with Hellbent’s deliciously tasty Shakalaka Boerewors, bringing a taste of home to even more audiences.
“In 2024, we saw a record number of applications across various categories, and we’re eager to continue building on this success. We encourage any aspiring food entrepreneurs who are looking to scale their business to get in touch.”
Applications for Kickstart 2025 are now open until January 31st 2025.
Interested producers can visit here for more information.