UK Enterprise Awards 2018

134 SME NEWS / UK Enterprise Awards 2018 , UKE18127 Best Food Product Innovators 2018 Food Business Development Company (FBDC) provides creative solutions to the food and beverage industry, supporting its valued clients from ideation and product development through to product launch and beyond. Founder Susan Pieterse talks us through the firm’s work in more detail and shares the secrets behind its success. helping project manage start-ups from an idea right through the process to seeing their product on shelf. “Our mission is to make each and every product we work with the very best it can be, introducing innovative ingredients, processes and ideas and to help our client deliver their ambition. To achieve this, we believe in being completely honest with our clients, and as a result we will only take on projects we believe we can make successful. We are constantly open to all new creative ideas and innovation, and we research all our projects in great details so we are fully aware of the market we are working within and try to push the boundaries, both creatively and technically and through processing and packaging.” As with any service based industry, in the food development space staff are crucial to success. As such, Susan is proud to share an insight into her firm’s corporate culture and how this helps her and her team to ensure that everyone is able to give their clients the very highest possible standards of service and support. “Internally, at FBDC we are a relatively small team who work very closely together, we believe in great teamwork and everyone being hands on. We have a combination of technical and creative team members and we also outsource to associate partners when required which means that we can offer our clients support across these areas and ensure that they get the most out of their time working with us. As a team we are all dedicated to every client and to making their product the very best it can be for the consumer.” Looking ahead, despite the issues that Brexit will bring for UK companies, Susan is optimistic that FBDC has an opportunity filled future ahead. “Overall, the future looks bright for FBDC, as we have many exciting projects in the pipeline that will offer us great opportunities to further enhance our knowledge. Although Brexit will definitely have an impact on companies throughout the corporate landscape, both financially and logistically, there will always be clients looking to development new or current food products and who do not have the resource to do this themselves. At FBDC, we provide a service that requires personal input with a level of excellence that cannot be found elsewhere, therefore we will not be greatly affected by the challenges that lay ahead for the market. We look forward to supporting even more clients and providing them with strategies to help them overcome the challenges they will face in this ever evolving space.” Founded in 1997, FBDC offers a hands-on approach within the food & beverage industry, helping retailers, manufacturers and start-up’s, with bespoke concept and product development solutions to meet client needs. With an established track record of success in the UK and internationally, today the company is one of the leading NPD and Innovation Hubs. Susan discusses the firm’s service offering and how this helps to support its clients, who range from small scale start-up businesses through to large corporations. “To support our clients in all areas of food development, at FBDC we provide a huge range of services including technical, creative and can help clients take products from kitchen concept through to launch in supermarkets. We specialise in Food Business Development Company (FBDC) Company: FBDC Contact: Susan Pieterse, Founder Address: 66 Park Street, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 2PW, UK Phone: 01727 873 303 Web Address: www.fbdc.co.uk