Doing Business with Big Business : Food & Drink Special

Doing Business With Big Business is a unique opportunity from Virgin StartUp for food and drink startups who want to trade with some of the UK's largest companies.

Get the chance to sit opposite buyers from companies including; Selfridges, Fortnum and Mason, London North Eastern Railway, Sainsbury's, Innoveat and Amazon Launchpad to find out what it takes to do business with them.

Participants will gain an insight into the decision making at big companies and learn what these organisations are looking for from small suppliers.

Doing Business With Big Business is a half-day workshop followed by a meet the buyer speed networking session.

Workshop details

10:00am - 3:30pm Doing Business Programme

• Clarifying your Brand proposition
• Pitching to retailers
• Procurement process
• Thinking sustainably: packaging and best practice

3:30pm - 5:30pm: Speed networking with buyers

Experts on the day

The day will be presented by Karen Green , the founder of Food Mentor consultancy, author of best-selling book “Recipe for Success – the ingredients of a profitable food business” and a Virgin Start Up Mentor.

She has worked as a buyer for UK retailers, Tesco and Boots, and Commercial Director for a number of food businesses from Christmas puddings to sushi!

For the last three years, she has worked with clients ranging from pre start up to established businesses with £1m turnover who need to take their sales to the next level. She provides 1-1 mentoring, hands on sales support and consultancy to help create profitable sales growth

Karen is also a keynote speaker on business growth, sales and negotiation and regular contributor to LBC business hour.

Guest Speakers:

Cemal Ezel, Founder and CEO of Change Please

Founded in 2015, Virgin StartUp supported social enterprise Change Please tackles the number of rough sleepers within the UK through education programmes and barista training, enabling employment at the company’s multiple mobile coffee locations and fixed sites across the UK. The beans used in process are from farms that support local communities; improving working practices and increasing farmers living wages.

Change Please is serving great tasting coffee at 38 sites in the UK including The Shard, Canary Wharf and Borough Market. It’s also served in offices UBS, Barclays, Slaughter and May, Linklaters Virgin and WeWork. You can also find them in the air at Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses, and all Upper Class, Premium and Economy cabins worldwide, as well as onboard Virgin Trains. Change Please can be enjoyed at home too as they are stocked in Sainsburys nationwide.

Thinking Sustainably: Packaging and Best Practice presented by

Sanjay Patel, Founder of Packaging Collective

Sanjay’s ‘corporate career’ saw him add value to Astra Zeneca, PZ Cussons and finally The Coca-Cola Company. He is now one of the founding partners of The Packaging Collective, and determined to leverage the experience of creating tangible change within teams, brands and organisations underpinned by sustainable growth through his consultancy: me&co.

Who is this event for?

• This Doing Business with Big Business has been designed for founders of food and drink businesses
• Those looking to network with buyers
• Founders with products who want to learn about which retailers to approach and how to create the perfect pitch
• Those that hope to gain an understanding of the considerations of buyers during a negotiation

*Buyers in attendance will be announced weekly.

Terms and Conditions:

i. By buying a ticket, you consent to being filmed, recorded and photographed at the event as a member of the audience and to footage and photographs of you being used by Virgin StartUp in any medium for the promotion and marketing of Virgin StartUp and the Virgin group.

ii.Views expressed by speakers at the event may not be the views of Virgin StartUp. Event materials are provided on an “as is” basis and Virgin StartUp makes no warranty regarding the accuracy or completeness of those materials.

iii. Speakers and attendees are subject to change and we do not guarantee that any specific speakers or participants will appear at the event. However, we will always try to find a suitable replacement if one of our key speakers or participants is unable to attend.

iv. You attend the event at your own risk. You are responsible for safeguarding your property when attending the event. Virgin StartUp will have no liability for property lost, stolen or damaged at the event.

v. You must be aged 18 or over to attend the event and may be asked to show photographic identification to prove your age.

vi. Tickets cannot be transferred, exchanged, or refunded once purchased, unless the event is cancelled in which case we will (at our option) issue refunds or provide the opportunity to attend an alternative event.