The scheme aims to identify ‘innovative and interesting’ brands from small food and beverage suppliers trying to establish themselves within the market, by raising awareness of them and supporting the development of their businesses.

SME expert Andrew Allen will be working with Bidfood’s technical services, buying, procurement and marketing teams to create a range of activities designed to nurture, champion and accelerate emerging suppliers.   

Andrew Selley, chief executive of Bidcorp UK, said: “We understand the uniquely challenging environment smaller suppliers have faced in the last few years, whilst also recognising the important role they play in fostering diverse innovation within our industry.  

“The Open Doors Programme is designed to provide true opportunities for these businesses, by identifying, nurturing and then accelerating them within our network. This scheme goes hand in hand with our vision to be a positive force for change as we are investing in the future of the supplier base.

“And then for our customers, we’ll be presenting them with the most interesting suppliers that are best aligned with their needs and values. I can’t wait to see what’s out there and most importantly, support their growth and development.”

An Open Door Conference, taking place on 2nd October, will mark the inception of the initiative where small business suppliers will gain insight into the strategic aims of Bidfood, its customers and what it takes to build a winning proposition within the channel.

Allen added: “I’ve experienced first-hand both the incredible opportunities, and challenges, related to being an emerging smaller supplier in foodservice. Whilst the retail sector has made significant inroads of late when it comes to smaller supplier opportunities, in my view, foodservice has fallen behind.

“What started as a question to Andrew Selley has led to an understanding that Bidfood shares my view of the opportunity, and it’s been a pleasure building the Open Doors Programme with the team. Together we aim to champion the role of the sector and help accelerate the best emerging suppliers down the road of success.”