The Christmas period is well and truly upon us, and with it comes a wave of over AU$11bn in national consumer spending. Whether you’re in the gifting and retail sector or a different niche, the festive season is ripe with seasonal sales opportunities for a wide range of industries from health to tech and everything in between.Just ask marketing expert Kirri Romero, founder of The Online Fix and long-term Digital Solutions mentor at Melbourne Innovation Centre.
Even before he founded Operandio, David Rigbye wasn’t a stranger to running businesses. In fact, the idea for Operandio came to him as he saw his process-intensive retail business grow in size.
Thank you to our very own Lou Zarro for joining us to discuss FoodINC and the food and beverage space!
Lou is Manager of our kitchen and food incubator, a partnership bringing together the facilities, expertise and networks of MIC, Melbourne Polytechnic and the Melbourne North Food Group, which aims to springboard the next generation of food business success stories in the region.
What does FoodINC offer?
At the Food Incubator + Network Centre, we offer a comprehensive launching pad for food businesses in the early and growth stage of the establishment cycle. Not only can business owners access commercial kitchen infrastructure, but also our pillars of support for training, professional development, advice and mentoring.
In short, we offer a network of services for food entrepreneurs—far more than commercial kitchen rental.
Who does it support?
FoodINC supports any food business looking to launch or grow a new venture, investment or product. Our structures will be best suited to businesses aiming to launch a consumer-packaged or value-added good, be it a craft/artisanal, functional, or mainstream product.
We’ll also take bookings for the kitchen from established food businesses and hope to make the space available for food stylists/photographers/ad agencies for campaigns too.
How can people sign up/get involved?
Our website foodincubator.com.au is the best platform to stay updated on our offering and to connect with us.
What trends are you seeing in the food and beverage space? Both in Melbourne and abroad?
COVID-19 has shaken up hospitality and retail, and combined with the ongoing growth of platforms like Easi, Deliveroo and UberEats, this has infused the food and beverage space with a lot of new energy. It has seeded new entrepreneurship, the local artisan/craft food economy, and with it, an increase in ghost/dark kitchens that exclusively service web-based food vendors. It has also prompted new commerce and marketing tools that support these innovative food businesses.
What other support is available in Melbourne’s North?
Melbourne’s North has a vibrant, rich history especially around commercialising culturally diverse food. Melbourne’s North Food Group is the industry association of relevance for our region and are a wealth of information.
Your top 5 tips for someone starting a food business
Great question. Each food business is unique, so some key messages are:
Remember when planning your return on investment to factor your own salary into your costing!
Note that you don’t necessarily need to be on the “tools” yourself and that contract manufacturing is a viable option—but it does require significant diligence and planning
Leverage the professional development and training that your Council’s local economic development team and their partners have for small business founders
Do your homework on food safety and all its aspects. Connecting with your local Council’s economic development team is a great start, and do some research to see if there is a local food incubator (like FoodINC) to assist you on your journey.
Bring a healthy dose passion, flair and authenticity to your product. It sounds simple, but don’t try to make and sell a product you yourself wouldn’t happily buy and eat.
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MIC sat down with Rohit and Lee from Good Hands for our monthly podcast, Wingrove Street, and discussed their recent brand identity redevelopment.
Jay Hill and David Ryan launched their new business Farmhouse Seeds at the start of 2020—and were forced to change their business plan abruptly in the face of COVID-19. With the help of the Business Resilience program, they increased their online offering substantially and expanded their digital marketing knowledge.
Callie Watt joined the Digital Solutions program in August 2020 with Wattletree Health Group, a provider in private in-home nursing care. The small business is nurse-owned and driven. With the help of a program mentor, Callie has boosted the online presence of her business to better extend her patient reach.
Alina Adams launched her at-home business Table Threads during stage 4 COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, and although she had always intended for the business to be run exclusively online, she knew very little about digital marketing. With the help of an ASBAS Digital Solutions mentor, her business has gained the reach it needs.
MIC recently sat down with Jo ChunYan for our monthly podcast, Wingrove Street, and discussed her intelligent design solutions for branding her client businesses.
MIC recently sat down with Suz Chadwick for our monthly podcast, Wingrove Street, and discussed her four rules for a streamlined and profitable business.
Although this resource focuses heavily on hospitality, these solutions can also be used in any industry that is required or recommended to record information for contact tracing purposes. We can all play our part in implementing these steps and regulations, not only to help your businesses meet requirements, but to assist with contact tracing in the broader community.
Transitioning teams back to work will be different for every business, and will likely occur in phases, but there are some important steps and considerations that all businesses can take to make it as smooth and safe as possible.
