ADVICE FOR SETTING UP A FOOD BUSINESS

mentoring

We offer mentoring to sustainable food businesses. Contact us to discuss your idea or business and find out how we might be able to help you.

Email us at info@cambridgesustainablefood.org

INDIE CAMBRIDGE

Indie Academy offers a series of events and workshops throughout the year to connect local business owners, share skills and advice and have a lot of fun along the way.

Become part of the indie community, meet other business owners and learn important information that might just help your business to grow.

Young foodies

A UK community of start-up food and drink brands, sharing knowledge and experience and providing access to training programmes and other support.

sustain - good food guide

Sustain has created a handy guide to encourage those at the start of their culinary career to take food sustainability to the next level, as well as provide practical advice on how to implement positive changes within established restaurants, cafes and catering businesses.

For more info and to download the guide, visit here.

CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL

The Council has outlined how to successfully set up a food business in the city, and provides all the necessary information and documents.

It tells you how to register your premises, food hygiene legislation and the current food law requirements.

ideaSpace

Helping start-ups create successful businesses and economic value, ideaSpace works with governments, agencies and higher education institutions to develop policies, strategies and programmes to support a thriving start-up sector.

Find out more

allia future business centre

Work with entrepreneurs and businesses that aim to make positive change for people, planet and place.

If you run a tech for good or social innovation business and can demonstrate some market traction or first round of funding, take a look at their Future 20 programme. 

If you are a late pre-seed or seed start-up and are tackling a local or global problem, take a look at their Future Business Incubator programme.

Startacus

Information and resources on Cambridge co-working space, funding and other support for start-ups.

Visit their website for further details.

cambridge judge business school

A list of useful sources of information on services, resources and funding available to aspiring entrepreneurs available here.

funding enlightened agriculture

FEA encourage and enable funding of enlightened agricultural projects by a variety of means. “Enlightened” projects include those that have the potential to increase agricultural output, adopt sustainable farming methods, create local supply chains, increase employment and engagement, revive local economies and bring other social benefits.

More information at http://www.feanetwork.org

plunkett foundation

Support rural communities across the UK to tackle the issues they face through community business.

Community businesses are enterprises that are owned and run democratically by members of the community, on behalf of the community, including shops, pubs, woodlands and anything that lends itself to community ownership. Visit their website for further information and resources.

landworkers’ alliance

The Landworkers’ Alliance is a union of farmers, growers, foresters and land-based workers. Their mission is to improve the livelihoods of their members and create a better food and land-use system for everyone.

They organise events, farm walks, parties, training and exchanges around the country and work to put people in contact with others around them. Find out more at https://landworkersalliance.org.uk

urban farming toolkit

Capital Growth and Growing Communities have produced the Urban Farming Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Help Prospective Growers Establish & Run a Growing Enterprise, available here.

co-operatives UK

Support co-operatives with governance, HR, finance and membership advice and support. Organise national events and facilitate networks and workshops to help co-operatives to connect, learn and do business with one another.

soil association future growers

The Soil Association’s Future Growers programme has been training the next generation of organic growers since 2007. Since its formation, the scheme has trained over 100 organic entrepreneurs and has brought new energy into the field of sustainable fruit and vegetable production. Find out more here.

community cafes

‘Cracking Community Cafes’ resources developed by Sustain on how to set up and run community cafes!

making local food work

A wealth of information and guidance on local food initiatives, including setting up community food enterprises and co-operatives. Links to their publications can be found here.

EIT Food

EIT Food’s vision is to put Europe at the centre of a global revolution in food innovation and production, and in how it is valued by society.

Members of the University of Cambridge have the opportunity to bid for funding of up to €400 million over the next 7 years for collaborative projects between partners. Non-partner organisations, including start-ups and SMEs can be included in projects as sub-grantees.

Find out more here.