The Grocery Accelerator - A New Generation: Introducing Our Winners

Six new food and drink entrepreneurs have won a coveted place on a ground breaking business mentoring programme, run by the experts at The Grocery Accelerator. Hundreds of start-ups applied for the chance to secure a £60k investment, and to turn their emerging businesses into industry success stories – with the winners now unveiled.

The selection process has been rigorous, with each business being put through their paces. They pitched before investors, and then other producers, in a thrilling Dragons' Den-style battle at Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2015. The chosen six will now be part of the unique six month accelerator scheme, which aims to grow their brand within the food and drink sector.

Stars of the future are…

Taking the Pea - www.takingthepea.com
A delicious, quirky, range of savoury pea flavoured snacks, which are high in fibre. Available in four flavours - Sweet Chilli Salsa, Cheesy Peasy & Onion, Smoked Ham and Wacky Wasabi. The company - TLP Snacks Ltd - was founded by Mike Gallagher and Sharmain Davis.

Naturelly Jelly Juice - www.naturelly.co.uk
A fun treat for health conscious parents, with active children aged two and above. A fruity, all natural jelly, in easy to squeeze pouches for little hands. Vegetarian and Coeliac Society Approved, and school compliant - the range is available in three flavours. The company behind the brand is Healthier Brands Ltd – the brainchild of Dean Dempsey.

Saltrite - www.rsflavouringredients.co.uk
A 100% salt substitute - completely all natural ingredients and virtually sodium free. High in natural potassium - with all the flavour of regular salt. Saltrite was founded by Richard Scotney, of R S Flavour Ingredients Ltd.

JimJams - www.jimjams-spreads.co.uk
Founded by Kevin and Kellie Bath, JimJams provides a range of healthier spreads, without compromising on taste. The range has chocolate spreads, with no added sugar, and reduced sugar, high fruit content, preserves. The chocolate spreads have 83% less sugar than others on the market, and the preserves have 35% less sugar.

Equinox Kombucha - www.equinoxkombucha.com
A unique and refreshing drink - fermented tea, flavoured using herbal infusions and fruit juices. Currently available in four flavours: Original, Raspberry & Elderflower, Wild Berry, and Ginger. Equinox Kombucha is produced by Flower of Life Ltd, which was founded by Chris Peters, Robert Charles and Daphnie Charest.

Polar Pops - @Polarpops
Polar Pops are unique, handcrafted, gourmet ice lollies made from fresh fruit and vegetables. Healthy and delicious, they are 100% natural and have no added sugar. The founders of Polar Pops are entrepreneurs Susie D'Andrea and Emily Fletcher.

Making it big
Founded by industry experts Paddy Willis, Simon Lacey and Rob Ward, The Grocery Accelerator programme combines all the core components that determine how to make it big in the food and drink market. By providing practical experience, commercial insight, inspirational meetings with successful business people and crucial one-to-one mentoring - the winners will be given all of the tools that they need - to make their brand a frontrunner.

Paddy Willis, for The Grocery Accelerator, said: "The standard of applications was incredibly high. It was a challenging and exciting process, whittling them down to our final six. We believe each of our winners has the potential to become a serious contender in the food and drink industry – and they all bring something different to market. We look forward to guiding and encouraging them, as they take their next step towards growing their business into a nationally recognised brand."

ENDS

For further information, please contact Claire Dunn at claire@monkhousefoodanddrink.co.uk, or telephone 01939290399

Editor's Notes:

To find out more about The Grocery Accelerator – visit www.groceryaccelerator.co.uk Paddy Willis is co-founder of Plum Baby, the world's first premium baby food in the ambient sector. He now runs the Bathtub 2 Boardroom incubator scheme for early stage start-ups, in London. Simon Lacey - founder of Idea to Shelf Ltd, a consultancy specialising in helping SME food and drinks businesses with great ideas, to grow and prosper, has an outstanding track record of bringing brands to market. Rob Ward - Creator of one of the largest fruit businesses in the UK, he is renowned for his practical and comprehensive understanding of the food market, and how to create and grow businesses in this sector. There are also four associate partners - Andrew King, a classically trained FMCG specialist, who is also a non-executive director at Moma Foods; Entrepreneur John Stapleton, co-founder of New Covent Garden Soup Company Ltd and Little Dish; Entrepreneur Emma Macdonald, founder of The Bay Tree Food Co Ltd, and Simon Taylor, whose 15-year career at Heinz included a period as Chief Financial Officer Asia. Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2015 – is the leading trade showcase of fine, and artisan, food and drink. It took place at Olympia National, London, on September 6th – 8th, 2015 – www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk