The UK SME market has boomed over the past decade, with the technology market especially making its mark on the world. But the technology market may need to watch out as a new list, showing the top 100 most promising SMEs in the UK, reveals more companies from the food and beverage industry than any other sector.
The list, compiled by The Pitch – a small business competition, puts food and beverage SMEs at 14%, above technology (which come in at 13%) and social networking (just 12%). Out of those companies, there’s also a large percentage based in London. So how do you get started out?
Last month Tasting Britain was invited to the opening of a new London pop-up, Kitchen Table Projects (KTP). KTP is an artisan springboard, which is effectively an incubator just for artisan food companies. These guys have opened up a new establishment, with a shared office space downstairs and a pop-up shop upstairs, which aims to help new artisan food companies to find their feet and learn how to get onto the shelves and into the public eye.
Tara Sundramoorthi, the founder of KTP was a pastry chef and doing well but not getting a huge amount of satisfaction out of her job. Unlike many of us, she decided to leave the status quo behind her and set up her own stall, selling her baked goods at a market. After setting up her own business and going through the struggles it takes, Tara wanted to help others trying to achieve the same. So she took a Masters in Innovation & Entrepreneurship and set up Kitchen Table Projects.
With the growing interest in quality and unique ingredients, there’s no wonder the food market is growing. And with people like Tara and the folks at The Pitch supporting these businesses, we can’t wait to see what’s around the corner!
Got a great idea for a business but don’t know where to start? Email us at info@tastingbritain.com and we can match you with some great business mentors.