Food & Enterprise

When you engage a Food and Enterprise Consultant at SAC Consulting, you don’t get a consultant…

You get an industry expert who has lived, breathed, and loved the industry for years. You get an understanding ear, someone who has experienced the same issues, made the same mistakes, and faced similar problems. You get a supporter, someone who can quietly have your back, and support you to make the right decisions, quickly, for your business.

We have in-depth industry experience and knowledge in,

• Account and Technical Management
• Brand And Marketing Development
• Business Skills & Training
• Digital Advice
• Feasibility Studies
• Funding, Skills and Training
• Hospitality and Retail Development
• Improving Sustainability & Circular Economy
• Market Research
• Negotiation
• New Product Development
• Resource Efficiency
• Sales Strategy
• Supply Chain
• Waste Reduction

and more. You ask, we deliver!

We work with a diverse range of businesses from start-up entrepreneurs through to well-established businesses.

We are intertwined with industry, policy, and education in the food and drink sector. This gives us a unique insight and opportunity to advise and support all moving parts to come together for the benefit of the public, the environment, and the economy.

No job is too big or small. You are always guaranteed a friendly, reliable, impartial, and expert service.

Business skills, learning and training

We have years of expertise in delivering business skills, growth learning, CPD and training courses to a wide range of clients all over Scotland and the UK. We deliver multiple levels of courses and workshops across the food and drink supply chain, suitable for entrepreneurs, managers, and seasoned businesses.

We will work with you to ensure our courses and workshops are tailored to meet your business needs and aspirations.

Examples of training and courses we deliver (but are not limited to):

• Training Needs Assessment (TNA)
• Leadership Skills
• Mindset and Entrepreneurial Skills
• Market Research
• Strategic Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• Food Tourism and Storytelling
• Brand Design and Development
• Business Planning
• Start-Up and Lean-Start Up
• Selling Skills
• Visual Merchandising
• Hospitality Training
• Mind-Set Skills
• Key Account Management
• Building and Managing Teams
• Managing Change
• Assertiveness and Negotiation Skills

We have a wealth of knowledge in other business areas, such as diversification, agritourism, digital, environment, data and innovation, and new product development, and can build a bespoke package suitable for your needs.

New product development

SAC Consulting Food and Enterprise has years of expertise in delivering new product, reformulation and recipe development projects with SME’s, entrepreneurs and larger food and drink producers all over Scotland. We work in partnership with SRUC Development Chefs based at our Hospitality Teaching Group at our Elmwood campus in Fife, where we have extensive professional kitchen equipment and facilities that can be used for development.

We offer a wide variety of services including:

• New Product Development (NPD) work including overcoming technical barriers in production processes
• recipe development to improve taste and texture
• developing new, innovative food prototypes that are new to the Scottish market
• reformulating products using natural healthy and local Scottish Ingredients which maintain taste and texture
• upscaling recipes for mass production
• research into packaging options and natural preservatives to extend shelf life.

We have an excellent understanding of new market trends and can work with businesses to develop new products for the Scottish Markets. We have previously worked in several food sectors including:

• Bakery
• Confectionary
• Meat and meat products
• Jams and preserves
• Dairy
• Drinks
• Healthy snacks
• Free from including vegan and gluten free

SAC Consulting have worked with a large number of diverse businesses on innovative NPD projects including Planet Kuku and Highland Crackers.

SAC Consulting can provide NPD services using SFC Innovation Voucher funding which supplies £5K to carry out Innovative development projects.

We also have a wealth of knowledge in other specific complementary business areas, such as start-up, business planning, selling skills, branding, marketing, and exporting and can build a bespoke package suitable for your needs.

Reducing waste, resource efficiency, and circular economy

SAC Consulting Food and Enterprise has expertise in Resource Efficiency, Circular Economy, reducing food waste, Carbon Assessments, Improving Environmental Performance and Sustainability and can apply this to food and drink businesses all over Scotland. We work in partnership with SAC Consulting Environment team and Rural Business Management team and can offer additional expertise in Renewable Energy, Environmental Permits and Carbon and Green House Gas audits and mitigation strategies.

We offer a wide variety of services including:

• Waste, food waste and carbon audits to identify opportunities for savings
• Added value opportunities for food waste
• Assessing and developing potential circular economy business opportunities, products and markets – including market assessment and business plan support.
• Identification of opportunities to utilise waste products in food and drink industry
• Finding potential funding and partners to collaborate with when developing new circular economy business models.
• Delivering waste surveys and strategic sector support in food and drink industry

We also have a wealth of knowledge in other specific complementary business areas, such as selling skills, branding and marketing to link your improved environmental performance to sales and can build a bespoke package suitable for your needs.