Growing Kent & Medway awards £320k to sustainable innovators

Projects to develop biodegradable packaging for fresh produce and brew non-alcoholic beer using UK-grown crops are among those to have received funding from Growing Kent & Medway.

The innovation consortium, whose partners include the University of Kent and UK Research and Innovation, awarded more than £320,000 to 13 businesses working to advance sustainable horticulture and plant-based food production.

Applicants for the Business Innovation Voucher scheme were asked to propose an innovative idea to help make their products, processes or production more sustainable.

Those successful will now be able to draw upon the expertise of technical specialists based at three research institutes in Kent and Medway – NIAB, the University of Kent, and the University of Greenwich.

Dr Nikki Harrison, director at Growing Kent & Medway, said: “The projects we’ve funded demonstrate innovative thinking to tackle some of the main challenges facing our UK food systems.

“Our voucher scheme gives businesses across the UK access to the cutting-edge research facilities we have here in Kent and Medway.

“The specialists at these institutions are leading the way in helping to make our food systems more sustainable – from innovations in plant-based foods, to sustainable packaging, to increasing the carbon we can store in our fields.

“Kent is at the forefront of innovation in sustainable food systems, and we’re excited to be connecting businesses across the UK to these centres.”

Osama Rashed, chief mochi maker of successful applicant Mochi Bros, said: “We applied for the Business Innovation Voucher to help fund the critical research needed to make our innovative clean-label mochi commercially viable.

“Keeping the label clean, while maintaining stability and shelf life, has proven to be a difficult task for us, so we look forward to working with the team at the Medway Food Innovation Centre to find a solution.

“As a bootstrapped startup, we wouldn’t have been able to access the technical expertise required to undertake this project without the voucher.

“We’re excited to get the project underway and look forward to bringing clean-label mochi to the masses!"

The vouchers awarded to each of the 13 businesses range from £15,000 to £30,000. Projects will last up to 12 months.