The Little Food Academy Launched To Rocket Food Businesses To Retail Superstardom

With the rapidly growing trend of artisan food and drink businesses starting at the kitchen table and vying to be the next retail superstar, the launch of The Little Food Academy couldn't be timelier. Of such importance is this popular movement, Sky Living has just broadcast a new series 'Cooks to Market', during which a number of amateur cooks compete to turn their homemade products into successful businesses.

Who better to comment on this recent trend than Julie Waddell, an award-winning food entrepreneur and founder of the first and only food and drink business academy in the UK, The Little Food Academy? The Academy teaches people at home how to turn recipes into artisan retail products and also works with already established food and drink product businesses to teach them how to grow.

Academy founder Julie says: "As someone with previous experience launching a product developed in my home kitchen and breaking in to multiple retailers such as Waitrose, Ocado and Harvey Nichols, I know just how difficult it can be." Julie continues: "Through the opening of The Little Food Academy I want to share my knowledge of the process and help cottage industries take the appropriate next steps to gain them retail success. I only wish three years ago when I launched The Little Smoked Food Company there was a service such as the Academy to offer me support, encouragement and insightful guidance."

On 'Cooks to Market' Julie adds: "It's brilliant to see TV shows on our screens helping to raise awareness of the process, difficulties and opportunities experienced in getting home start-up products to the next level. I'll certainly be watching with keen interest!"

Through a number of online courses, The Little Food Academy advises startup food and drink producers how to successfully launch their product to the food and drink market, taking products from the kitchen table to the retail shelves and launching them to retail superstardom. The Academy also helps food and drink businesses with an established market presence to grow, through master-classes with industry insiders ranging from supermarket buyers to experts on logistics, distribution, packaging, branding and account management.

Julie personally guides the businesses in the Academy using practical entrepreneur to entrepreneur training through online learning modules, master-classes, food business growth retreats and one to one coaching. The courses on offer include the entry level 'Retail to Recipe' and the next level 'Artisan Business to Retail Superstar', with The Little Food Academy also offering a five day 'Prove it, Rise it' retreat and a one year 'Retail Masters Group' programme as well as one to one mentorship with Julie. The courses give guidance on all aspects of growing a business and are essential for budding food and drink entrepreneurs in the early start-up stage. Courses start from £297.

The Academy follows Julie's national success with The Little Smoked Food Company and Moorish Smoked Humous & Dips, which was named Britain's most disruptive food brand of 2015. In just three short years since The Little Smoked Food Company was founded in 2012, ex-BBC journalist Julie has taken the brand from her kitchen table to being one of the top gourmet dip products stocked in the UK's premier retailers including Waitrose, Ocado, Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Budgens, Harvey Nichols and Booths.

Further information on The Little Food Academy and its courses can be found at www.littlefoodacademy.co.uk.

ENDS

For further information, photography or an interview /comment on 'Cooks to Market' with Julie Waddell, founder of The Little Food Academy, please contact:

Hayley Reynolds or Danielle Merchant at RAW PR and Marketing -hayley@rawprandmarketing.co.uk; danielle@rawprandmarketing.co.uk

Tel: 01548 550 429; Mobile: 07887 474 104

Twitter: @HayleyJReynolds; @RawSW