Lunch & Learn: Scaling Smart in Food & Drink
Growing a food or drink venture brings a unique set of challenges – from maintaining quality and consistency to standing out on crowded shelves and preparing for rapid scale. Understanding how to upscale effectively, while building a strong and credible brand, is crucial for founders looking to take their next step.
In this Lunch & Learn session, you’ll gain a practical, real-world perspective on what it takes to grow a food or drink business in today’s competitive landscape. Drawing on direct founder experience, the session will explore the realities of scaling production, navigating funding opportunities and using branding as a key driver of growth and recognition within the industry.
The session will also highlight how innovation, trends and exposure through events and trade shows can play a vital role in building momentum, opening doors and forming meaningful connections across the food and drink ecosystem.
Whether you’re at the idea stage, early traction or actively preparing to scale, this session will offer valuable insight into how food and drink founders can grow with confidence and clarity.
In this session, you’ll explore:
- Routes to early innovation funding, including innovation grants and similar opportunities for food and drink ventures.
- What scaling really looks like in the food and drink industry – from product development to retail readiness.
- The importance of branding and storytelling in building trust and standing out in a competitive market.
- Emerging and innovative trends shaping the future of the food and drink sector.
- Innovation within the drinks industry and how brands are responding to changing consumer needs.
- Why expos, trade shows and industry events matter – and how they can boost visibility, credibility and connections.
Perfect for students, first-time founders, early-stage entrepreneurs, researchers and anyone curious about building and growing a food or drink brand.
Meet the Speaker: Caragh Keane
Caragh Keane is a Geography graduate from the University of St Andrews (2018) who followed her passion for education into teaching.
After being diagnosed with lupus five years ago and being bed-bound for several months, she developed a strong interest in gut health and clean, inclusive nutrition as part of her journey to support her own health. Seeking alternatives to long-term reliance on steroids and immunosuppressants, she began exploring the impact of food and ingredients on wellbeing.
Recognising a gap in the cereal market, often dominated by highly refined ingredients, Caragh spent four years developing her brand alongside teaching, focusing on simple, transparent ingredients and innovative components not previously used in cereals.
SUPERKEEN launched in February last year, debuting in Whole Foods, Planet Organic, and Selfridges, and has since expanded into Ireland with Dunnes Stores, SuperValu, and a growing number of independent health stores. In its first year, the brand received multiple accolades, including Whole Foods New Brand of the Year, two World Innovation Awards, a Free From Food Award (Gold), and Natural & Organic Product of the Year.
With bars currently in development, Caragh is focused on expanding into new retailers and international markets, with a mission to make food more inclusive and help people build positive relationships with what they eat. She is also in discussions with Virgin Atlantic and British Airways to introduce mini boxes for travellers, addressing the lack of clean, gluten-free options on the go, and is looking to grow her relationship with the charity Magic Breakfast, further supporting her goal of making nutritious food accessible to everyone.
RSVP here: https://st-andrews.startuptree.co/event/s/AU4Eckg65FFo9dCG8M8XRy/Lunch-%2526-Learn%253A-Scaling-Smart-in-Food-%2526-Drink