THE Kerry County Council Local Enterprise Office together with Bórd Bia and Musgrave’s Supervalu recently launched the Food Academy Programme 2016.

The aim of the programme is to provide food businesses with the management, leadership skills and business knowledge to achieve sustainability and growth in their business.

The programme is delivered by industry experts, Bullseye Food Marketing, and has proved to be extremely popular with local Food Producers with nearly 30 applicants, which were shortlisted to eight finalists to participate in the programme.

The programme will be run over six months where the participants develop and grow their business before presenting to programme partners Supervalu for hope of hitting the supermarket shelves.

“The manufacture of food and drink products is one of Ireland’s most important industries, and the Food Academy Programme offers enormous support to our local food producers here in Kerry. It provides a platform for producers to not only grow and develop skills to drive their business forward but it also provides huge opportunities to develop a working relationship with Supervalu and Bórd Bia”, said Tomás Hayes, Head of Local Enterprise, LEO Kerry.