Judith Taylor - Polly & Archies; Graham Boyd - Black Arch Distillery Ltd; Mayor Ald Beth Adger MBE; Allastar McGarry, Business Client Manager Mid and East Antrim Borough Council; Emma Garett CEO of Mallusk Enterprise Park; Linda McGibbon Sea Sugar Confectionary; Andrea and Zsolt Bohar - Green Fingers Family Ltd.
As part of the Go Succeed Enterprise Support Service, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is excited to announce the‘Let’s Go Visit’ series.
The series – which is part of the Go Succeed enterprise support service (funded by the UK Government) - welcomes all local food and drink producers in the Borough to join in a peer support network which is designed to enable key learnings and unlock industry insights and new knowledge as part of Council’s efforts to support you on your business journey.
Recognising the abundance of high quality, innovative artisan food and drink producers in the Borough, the Mayor recently welcomed Graham Boyd of Black Arch Gin, Andrea and Zolt Bahar of Green Fingers Family, Judith Taylor of Polly & Archies and Linda McGibbon of Sea Sugar Confectionary -who are currently getting support on the service - to launch this support network.
Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Beth Adger MBE, said:
"The ‘Let’s Go Visit’ series is a great opportunity to give our local producers time out to see beyond the day-to-day operations plus gain new insights and knowledge with peers to help inspire and re-energise them on their business journey.
“I would encourage local small artisan producers to get involved in this network and take the opportunity to build new connections, as it is always useful to have the right support networks in times of challenge and indeed opportunity.”
The ‘Let’s Go Visit’ series will be delivered by Mallusk Enterprise Park with Deirdre Fitzpatrick Associates.
Visits planned include a trip to the CAFRE Food Innovation Centre at Loughry Campus and an onsite visit to meet a producer who has grown from small beginnings.
In addition, Council is excited to give businesses the opportunity be part of an exploration visit to ‘Gifted’ - the iconic Christmas Craft Fair in Dublin which features hundreds of designers, makers and artisan food producers. This visit will see a cohort travel to the show accompanied with a business growth consultant to gain insights, learnings and potential new connections.
Interested businesses can join Council on Monday 23 September at ECOS, Ballymena, to hear more.
Register early to secure your place here.
Event Schedule
• Meeting 1:
Monday, 23 September 2024 | 10am – 12pm
Ecos Centre, Ballymena
Focus: Food and Drink Expert Insights and Networking
Details: Launch of the ‘Let’s Go Visit’ series with discussions on re-engaging the food and drink network, meeting new members, showcasing products, and exploring valuable collaborations.
Meeting 2:
Tuesday, 5 November 2024
Food Innovation Centre, Loughry
Focus: Product Development and Innovation
Details: Understand the facilities and possibilities for working with Foodovation, with insights into product refinement, testing, and new product development.
Meeting 3:
Wednesday, 4 December 2024
RDS Gifted, Dublin
Focus: Market Opportunities and Product Display
Details: Visit the Gifted Retail Show to explore product ranges, packaging, displays, and potential new routes to market.
Meeting 4:
January 2025 (Date TBC)
Meet the Producer
Focus: Success Stories and Business Scaling
Details: Visit a successful food producer to gain insights into expanding a customer base, increasing brand visibility, and driving sales growth.