Lincolnshire-based drinks producer Drink It is the latest small business to benefit from an Innovation Support Grant from the Midlands-based Food and Drink iNet.
The organisation’s Innovation Support Grant has channelled £4,600 to help speed up Drink It’s production of Percy’s alcoholic iced tea in two flavours: mango and lemon and lime.
Claire Hall, who heads Drink It, said: “Manually I can produce 300 bottles a day, but it’s a struggle and not consistent,” she said. “The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Support Grant has helped me to find out what equipment I need to automate the process. Now I need to invest in the equipment.”
Hall said the support would enable her to boost production to 2,000 bottles per day. The funding enabled her to work with University of Nottingham spin-off firm Flavometrix.
Food and Drink iNet Lincolnshire business adviser Rachel Linstead said: “Innovation Support Grants are designed to encourage innovation in businesses and Claire’s plans for Drink It are the perfect example of how innovation - in this case by automation - can help a business to develop.”
Funded by the East Midlands Development Agency, the Food and Drink iNet aims to foster innovation in the food and drink sector. It is managed by a consortium led by the Food & Drink Forum, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln and the University of Nottingham.