Good Food Growth Campaign

This pan-LEP project will support growers, processors, retailers, food businesses and new entrants to raise awareness of the opportunities available within the sector to develop and enhance their businesses thereby adding both volume and value to the sector.

Supporting growth

Post Brexit, SELEP’s food and drink sector would grow significantly if supported by a more joined-up strategic approach to share knowledge and expertise and drive business development, thereby exploiting opportunities for import substitution and increased exports within what is a period of challenge, opportunity and transition.

All of the elements of this project will enhance and improve the economic health of SELEPs food sector through the development of a more connected business grouping with enhanced communication and networks, new business relationships and increased awareness of and access to innovation and technology.

This project will focus on:

• Networking – The delivery of four food and drink conferences (three county-based followed by an over-arching LEP wide conference). These will include key speakers focussing on business development, start-ups, branding, product development, new markets, accessing buyers/suppliers, etc. Business to business networking, access to food champions, and opportunities for producers/retailers to exhibit will be integral elements. LEP-wide conference will act as focal point to share knowledge, expertise and lesson learnt.
• Supply chain development – ‘Meet the Buyer’ Business-to-Business events will be shaped by the outcomes from the conferences and targeted to address barriers to successful supply chain for both independents and multiples. Three half-day workshops will be delivered to prepare producers and buyers for the event by exposing key barriers and identifying how to overcome them (sharing perceptions and expectations is key). These will be followed by three half-day ‘Meet the Buyer’ events, which will also include detail on how to win public sector contracts (e.g. East Sussex School Meals Contract). Feedback will be shared and a final follow-up session 9 months later will monitor success.
• Strategic scoping study of agri-food related opportunities post Brexit – consultancy work to set out emerging rural priorities as a result of the Brexit transition period. Headline recommendations to ensure our rural strategy provides clear strategic direction, especially for food productivity and the associated supply chain network and by identifying impactful areas for future SELEP investment.

Primary delivery locations:

• Produced in Kent, Blackman’s Farm, Blackman’s Lane, Hadlow, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 0AX
• East Sussex County Council, County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1UE
• Essex Chambers of Commerce, Unit 3 Block B, Parkside Office Village, Nesfield Road, Knowledge Gateway, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex C04 3ZL
• Pan-LEP Project Manager to be appointed working at all three locations as required. Kent County Council will procure and host the post on behalf of the Project Management Steering Group.

Sector Support Fund

The Sector Support Fund (SSF) is a £500,000 per year pot to support one-off, discrete pieces of work of a pan-LEP nature with a sector focus that brings demonstrable benefit and has support across the LEP.

It uses Growing Places Fund (GPF) Revenue grant to fund a programme of works to support the sector focussed activities that are being undertaken on a pan-LEP basis and predominantly led by the SELEP working groups. When the Growing Places Fund (GPF) grant was originally awarded, a proportion of the fund was earmarked as revenue which is being used for the Sector Support Fund.