THE BCMPA, the Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment and Logistics, has welcomed the ‘strong response’ to the launch of Pitch the Co-Packers, a new Dragons’ Den-style competition targeting entrepreneurs and start-ups looking to take products to market.
Launched at London Packaging Week, the association has been fielding enquires from participants keen to enter from sectors including food and drink, personal care and beauty, and household products.
The format of the competition is that the chosen finalists will be invited to pitch to judges at The Contract Pack and Fulfilment Show, co-located with Packaging Innovations and Empack at the NEC Birmingham in February. The ‘Dragons’ scrutinising each entry include IPS CEO Andrew Dawson and Mike Williams, co-founder of Flake Bake, winner of Aldi’s Next Big Thing, and Matt Hopkins, founder of Indie, supporting SME brands in the food and drink sector.
The shortlist of finalists will be revealed in January, with the winners receiving a cash prize and a consultancy to help take their product to market.
“It was encouraging to meet inspiring entrepreneurs with some amazing ideas and concepts,” said Emma Verkaik, CEO of the BCMPA. “Collaboration with third party manufacturers, packers and logistics providers can unlock a successful product launch and help with critical production scale-up. Pitch the Co-Packers will demonstrate how vital these partnerships are while also offering a platform to the next generation of innovative and entrepreneurial talent across a wide range of markets.”
Entries are invited from SMEs with a turnover of under £100,000 with ‘exciting, scalable’ product concepts. They need to be on the lookout for co-packing, manufacturing, or fulfilment support as well as facing packaging or production challenges.
The BCMPA’s stand at London Packaging Week signed up several interested parties to enter the competition.
“It’s already clear that this competition will go a long way in helping and encouraging smaller businesses to connect with critical partners,” added Verkaik. “It will also give next generation brands valuable insight from experienced third-party experts on how they can take their start-up to the next stage of development.
“Outsourcing was pivotal for visionary entrepreneur Levi Roots. Over 20 years ago he pitched his idea on Dragons’ Den and today he runs a thriving food empire. Understanding how third-party partnerships can boost your business in the same way it did for Levi.”
