Drink entrepreneurs encouraged to join Thrive - Fruit & Vine

Drink entrepreneurs encouraged to join Thrive programme

Workshops and webinars are being offered to help anyone who wants to kickstart their journey in the food and drink sector.

Thrive 2024 offers participants the chance to gain crucial entrepreneurial skills and meet industry experts.
L-R: Ceri Ritchie, principal consultant at SAC Consulting (part of SRUC), Sarah Wilkie, sensory technologist at QMU, Catriona Liddle, head of Scottish Centre for Food Development & Innovation at QMU.

Thrive 2024 offers participants the chance to gain crucial entrepreneurial skills and meet industry experts who can help turn their ideas into reality.

Delivered by experts from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Queen Margaret University (QMU) the programme returns for a fourth year.

Thrive is aimed at students, graduates, and early-stage entrepreneurs, offering the skills vital for concept development and business growth, as well as providing insight focused on legislation, marketing, and manufacturing.

Building resilient start-up food and drink businesses  

Ceri Ritchie, principal consultant at SAC Consulting, part of SRUC, said: “Thrive is about helping to create resilient start-up food and drink businesses – entrepreneurs with awareness of the need for pace and perseverance in their approach.  

“It can help build a business where there is a real demand for its products, and that has adaptable strategies, equipped to scale over time.  

“From the start, we want to encourage entrepreneurs to be aware of the value they bring to customers and have a long-term view.   

“This is our fourth year delivering Thrive, and it is a privilege to share our commercial experience and industry knowledge with Scotland’s embryonic food, drink, and rural entrepreneurs.  

“I look forward to meeting the 2024 participants, the fantastic discussions we will have and to another successful programme.”  

Tremendous success

As well as being designed for students and graduates, Thrive is also open to people in food and drink manufacturing, hospitality, diversified agriculture or food and farm shops who have ambitions to develop as entrepreneurs or even just have an idea in the making.  

Applications for the programme that will run from August to November are now open and can be made here.

The organisers said that last year’s edition of the programme was a “tremendous success”, attracting 53 participants from Shetland to Whithorn and Tighnabruaich to Crail.  

Katy Matsetse of The Wee Ginger Company.

One of the participants, Katy Matsetse of The Wee Ginger Company, was able to capitalise on her experience and kick start her business.  

She said: “I absolutely loved Thrive. The whole programme was exceptionally well-organised, educative and very useful material.  

“Networking with other food and drinks business owners/entrepreneurs was incredible too. Some of which have continued since Thrive 2023 to date and will hopefully lead to collaborations.  

“Thrive is a definite ‘to go to’ programme for all businesses, regardless of the stage the business is. I highly recommend Thrive to anyone thinking of starting a business, already started or those with well-established food and drink businesses.”  

Terrific opportunity 

The programme is made up of two interactive sessions, supported by six industry-focused webinars.  

An online session hosted on 21st September will cover business skills. It will be followed by an in-person event at QMU on 2nd November which will look at food product development.   

Catriona Liddle, head of Scottish Centre for Food Development & Innovation at QMU, added that Thrive offers a “terrific opportunity” for businesses to get “real world” help from experts, help that is specifically focused on food and drink startup requirements.  

Ms Liddle said: “Whether you are a student with a food business idea, a graduate who is in the process of starting up a business, or someone who has already been actively running a food and drink enterprise for a couple of years but could benefit from specialist input, then Thrive can help you confidently take things to the next level.  

“The programme also offers delegates the chance to meet up with like-minded individuals, so you can build a supportive community and learn from each other as you progress your journeys.  

“Every year Thrive gets a little bigger and is broadened in scope, which allows us to help more enterprising start-ups on the road to success in the food and drink industry.”  

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