A 'Dragons' Den' style initiative to discover the next generation of food innovators has been launched by Debbie & Andrew's.
The sausage specialist this week began accepting entries from 18 to 24-year-olds for ideas for new food or drink lines. Candidates must detail ideas for products that would have a chance of commercial success in supermarkets.
Enter the Dragons' Pen entries can either be an idea for a new product or can be one developed in the past 12 months that needs funding to take it to market. As well as a £5,000 prize, the winner will receive a year of mentoring from Debbie & Andrew's co-founder Andrew Keeble and the promise of financial backing to turn the idea into a reality.
Finalists in the competition, which closes to applicants on 30 October, will face judges comprising Keeble, food writer Henrietta Green, business specialist Nick Beart and The Grocer editor Adam Leyland. The final round will be at the BBC Good Food Show on 25 November before a live audience. The competition was established to address concerns that students, school-leavers and graduates were turning away from the food industry in favour of subjects such as IT and media studies, said Keeble. "We are always struggling for good people on the NPD side and we'd like to raise awareness of the industry as a career."
Judges would not be as critical as those in the Dragons' Den show, he added.
A website has been set up at www.enterthedragonspen.co.uk with full details of the competition and how to enter.
The sausage specialist this week began accepting entries from 18 to 24-year-olds for ideas for new food or drink lines. Candidates must detail ideas for products that would have a chance of commercial success in supermarkets.
Enter the Dragons' Pen entries can either be an idea for a new product or can be one developed in the past 12 months that needs funding to take it to market. As well as a £5,000 prize, the winner will receive a year of mentoring from Debbie & Andrew's co-founder Andrew Keeble and the promise of financial backing to turn the idea into a reality.
Finalists in the competition, which closes to applicants on 30 October, will face judges comprising Keeble, food writer Henrietta Green, business specialist Nick Beart and The Grocer editor Adam Leyland. The final round will be at the BBC Good Food Show on 25 November before a live audience. The competition was established to address concerns that students, school-leavers and graduates were turning away from the food industry in favour of subjects such as IT and media studies, said Keeble. "We are always struggling for good people on the NPD side and we'd like to raise awareness of the industry as a career."
Judges would not be as critical as those in the Dragons' Den show, he added.
A website has been set up at www.enterthedragonspen.co.uk with full details of the competition and how to enter.
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