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Ocado has doubled this year’s prize package for the winner of its second Dragons’ Den-style competition to attract new suppliers and new and interesting products.

The winner of this year’s Britain’s Next Top Supplier competition will get an exclusive listing at the online grocer along with a £20,000 marketing package and mentoring sessions with last year’s winner, Hannah Rhodes of Hiver Beers, a micro business that has “skyrocketed” in the past year.

“Last year it was new to us. We brought out really interesting brands to talk to,” said Lawrence Hene, Ocado director of marketing and grocery retail. “We want to put more investment behind it,” he added.

Entrants will have to convince a panel of judges including Ocado head of trading Rosemary Price, chairman Sir Stuart Rose, Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge and Hiver Beers’ Rhodes.

Runners-up could also get listed if they impress. Fifteen of last year’s 420 entrants have been listed, comprising 69 products, including Lushice, Holy Lama Spice Drops, Mo’s Cookie Dough, Grown Up Chocolate Company and Scrubby’s crisps.

Hene said he was “really pleased” with last year’s event. “This year we hope it will be bigger and better…now there’s more awareness of the concept.”

He said some small suppliers might not be ready to reach out to supermarkets yet but they could get listed with Ocado. “It helps them get ready to engage with the opportunities and put their best foot forward.”

He added the competition was a chance to get the message out that Ocado was a champion of small businesses. “Seventy per cent of our suppliers are SMEs.”

In fact, micro businesses made up the top-five shortlisted products in the competition’s inaugural year.

Ocado was the only business that could really stock such suppliers at a significant scale. “We love niche brands,” Hene said.

Britain’s Next Top Supplier competition runs from 9 February to 15 March. It is open to all small-to-medium-sized suppliers with a food or drink product not currently stocked at Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons, Tesco or Sainsbury’s.

Interested suppliers can enter via blog.ocado.com

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