A new online course aimed at attracting innovative food businesses and helping them start up and succeed has been launched.
The Digital School of Food course is being launched in Dublin as an initiative of the Dublin Food Chain and the Local Enterprise Offices in the Dublin region. The online programme is the first of its kind in Europe, giving food entrepreneurs access to expert advice from their own home or office.
Digital School of Food is an e-learning initiative that targets food producers from idea through start-up and growth stages. It consists of an online platform that will help a new stream of food start-ups find success at the same time that they find their feet. Entrepreneurs can access sound commercial guidance and are mentored to help them get their products onto shelves.
Practical support will also be provided to emerging food entrepreneurs to bring their idea or product to life. The model is based on an e-learning platform which contains tips, advice and information from existing producers, all related to succeeding in the food sector.
Announcing the launch of Digital School of Food, the Chair of the Network of Local Enterprise Offices, Oisin Geoghegan, highlighted the importance of cultivating the food sector. “Setting up a new food business, of itself, can be relatively straightforward. However, growing that business to make it successful and sustainable in the long-term presents a far greater and more complex series of challenges,” he said.
“That is why we need to ensure that our food entrepreneurs are provided with the right mix of support services so that they can identify opportunities and avoid pitfalls. This e-learning platform is a clever and very practical way to help small food businesses to learn the ropes at their own pace and in their own work environment.”
Supported by Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bía and the Dublin Institute of Technology, the idea for the project came as a result of the strong interest among food entrepreneurs to learn about succeeding in business from key industry experts.
