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Get your free copy05 September 2016, 12:36 PM
- The final of the third annual support scheme to find Britain's most promising start-up food company was announced at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2016
The title was awarded to 24-year-old Olly Hiscocks and his brand Olly’s Olives, a range of naturally-cured olives in snack pots that are marinated with fresh ingredients, after being chosen by the attending audience. Three finalists pitched to the crowd for up to 10 minutes and shared samples of their products.
Runners up in the competition were Nut Blend, a sugar-free nut butter company set up by Gabriella Block, and Infustic, a brand of frozen fruit-infused water sticks that slot into water bottles, founded by Rory O’Connor.
As winner, Olly will receive a year of mentoring from Paul Hargreaves, chief executive of Cotswold Fayre, £1500 and marketing support for his venture.
Olly Hiscocks said, “Winning this award will help greatly as I’m looking to get into the ambient market and to raise cash for pouches. In terms of further development, we’ve got new flavours coming out - Japanese and Indian-infused olives - so we’re aiming to push the olive market as far as we can while retaining the best quality and flavours. We also want to lock down some stores, especially independent health shops.”
Paul Hargreaves, chief executive of Cotswold Fayre said, “Our first aim with Olly is to grow his number of customers and retailers, as he has a really good product. I can help him with sales and marketing and also set him up with product development experts. Each year that we’ve [Cotswold Fayre] run this competition the standard has just got higher and higher - all of the three finalists are further down the road than any of the finalists in previous years; they have a brand, they have a product and packaging.”
