A structured and inclusive 4-6 week program to help you scale your food business to profitability
With expert advice and 1:1 food business mentoring
Ready to scale up? Or maybe you have inefficiencies that are making your product too expensive? Maybe you’ve applied to an Accelerator program like Rocket Seeder or Seedlab Australia, and been told you aren’t ready yet.
It might be time to revisit those business areas you haven’t had a chance to concentrate on.
Welcome to our pre-accelerator program.
Designed for food business owners attempting to navigate the risky scale-up process, this program is for serious start-ups or two-to-three-year-old businesses ready to review their processes and get to the next level. Without a proper plan in place (including smart pricing and promotion strategies!) your profits can max out, leading to a business becoming less and less viable. This course is designed to help you grow without the pain.
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Applications are open for the next program starting in Brimbank City Council area in June.
What you get:
In this series of courses, you will learn about all the major areas of a food business - see below. It finishes with a pitch to a room of interested partners, customers, and supporters.
You also receive 30 minutes of private one-on-one business mentoring each week with Jane Del Rosso, The Business of Food’s CEO.
You will hear from industry experts including a food technologist, retail buyer consultant, distribution expert, and food marketing specialist.
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Business planning
writing down a one-page business plan
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Food production
efficiencies of processing - looking at overwhelm and refining processes
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Pricing
how to price your product and lower your expenses
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Promotion
identifying your market and how to reach them according to your business plan
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Food laws and labelling
including food safe production and marketing for packaging
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Tips from an expert
on how to approach retailers and what buyers are looking for.
It finishes with a presentation where you tell your story to the group and our topic experts, who will give you structured feedback and you can get ready to pitch.
How to book in for the Pre-accelerator program:
There are two options to book: our private program, available to food businesses anywhere in Victoria, and our council-run program, which is cost-subsidised and only open to residents of the councils who are currently partnered with us. Both program options cover the exact same material.
Option 1
Private program
This option is capped at 10 businesses, and run at a venue in Melbourne that is convenient for the most participants. This is the option for you if you don’t live in an area with a council-run program.
You can also request that your council offer this program! contact us to learn now
Option 2
Council-run program
This option is currently available only to residents of Brimbank and Dandenong Councils, but more councils and community organisations are coming on board with us.
These programs are run at free or nominal cost to residents of these councils.
If you’re in these areas, contact us directly to apply.
If you’re not in these areas and think your council should also run this program, approach your local Council.
Interested to grow your food business but want to start more slowly or focus on a single area?
If you don’t see the specific service you need from our options above, please get in touch.