Scotland Food & Drink Network Event – 12 May 2016

Queen Margaret University (QMU) is seeking interaction with businesses so that can benefit from the expertise at the university and that of business. To that end they have aspirations to create a Food Business Park on campus.

Scottish Enterprise analysed Scotland's Innovation Performance is low in European terms, more a follower than creator. Spend less on product development.

Challenge to get more Scottish companies innovating because that builds growth. Innovation is about making money not Nobel Prizes, about customer needs. Innovation makes more competitive and differentiates you. Allows you to attract the best talent in the marketplace. Innovators have a greater resilience in hard times.

Innovation support is available through Scottish Enterprise.

Roz Cuschieri of Genius, an Edinburgh based bakery business specialising in gluten free foods, made the first presentation. Genius, formed in 1999, is the UKs biggest brand in gluten free products with a 28% value share of the category; Roz attributed this success to innovation in all its different guises.

Genius identified that gluten free products had 84 day shelf life and there was absolutely no joy in eating the products that were on the market. Joy is created when consumers experience a product that they have not enjoyed for a long time.

Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne started Genius. Brand grew rapidly in 2009 & 2010. Keen to develop and grow Genius in 2013 they bought the two bakeries that were producing their food – that took them to a turnover of £21m and duly to a current level of £50m.

Genius initially targeted coeliacs but now seeking to penetrate sub sectors. Cake, biscuits, pasta, pastry – things that are difficult to make in the home. Now have 620 employees and three bakeries.

Strategic innovation requires 'Deepening the Moat'. Genius reformulated their bread recipe but it was 'absolutely dreadful'. Other innovation was in where they sold so when they launched in Germany they launched with clear instore vision just like any other bakery products. They did not want to be on a low shelf in a health food store.

Your unique selling product is all important. Think about who you entrust your product to. They must have aligned values.

Second presentation was by Victoria Arnold of MuscleCake. She recognised a gap in the market in 2015 after experiencing firsthand the choice of gritty, tasteless synthetic protein bars currently on the market.

Victoria took her idea to QMU and with the help of an innovation MuscleCake came to life. She claimed that consumers are crying out for a 'treat' product that is protein rich and macro balanced, with the same taste and texture of a store bought brownie or cake. The company is about to launch online subscription since they see that as the main route to market.

Victoria saw on Instagram that women now want to be strong not skinny. She experimented with protein baking and eventually went into partnership with bakers, McPhees.

Fresh and convenient, chocolate sweet treat that achieves low calorific content by using cottage cheese, prunes and coconut oil.

Products have to fit through a letterbox. Developed product but pulled out of supplier on day before subscription launch. Now testing a different manufacturing. Subscribers were surprisingly tolerant and happy to wait. They have brand ambassadors targeting 24-35 year old female consumers on social media. Asked for volunteers to come forward and engage them through free samples.

Final presentation was from Miriam Smith, Business Development Manager at the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at QMU. She described their practical innovation support and creative research expertise, which can help businesses to develop new products, reformulated existing products; carry out nutritional analysis, shelf life testing, taste panels and consumer focus groups.

Role is to connect businesses to QMU interested in nutritional health. Can help develop new products. Their facilities include a fully equipped sensory suite and new product development kitchen, dedicated laboratories, and a white room for industry to test new technology. Current areas of work includes meat.

Asked what were the trends the answer was 'clean' foods meaning additive and allergy free.

A tour of the facilities followed.