Brisbane Marketing’s Investment & Industry Development team responded quickly to help prepare the Brisbane region’s food manufacturing businesses to survive COVID-19 restrictions.
Through its Future Food Initiative, the team acknowledged that the COVID-19 restrictions would immediately break the food services sector’s traditional channels to consumers, with a ripple impact to local food manufacturers who supply this market locally, nationally and globally.
In response, the Investment & Industry Development team delivered a virtual masterclass to improve the readiness of food businesses who would need to pivot and adopt an e-commerce strategy or elevate an existing one to directly target consumers rather than rely on traditional channels.
“E-commerce has become one of the critical requirements for companies seeking to continue in business,” Industry Development Manager, Food, Lisa Cavallaro, said.
“At the masterclass, these food businesses learned how to activate an e-commerce strategy by understanding what drives customers to buy and how to apply these principles to their websites.
“Activities such as customer experience audits, 90-day action plans and frequent refining result in an evolving growth strategy that keeps retailers relevant and profitable.”
Attended by 75 food businesses, the virtual masterclass was presented by Brisbane Marketing together with QUT CEA and e-commerce retail specialist, Nathan Bush.
Alchemy Superfood Founder and Marketing Director, Michael Bishop, said the company’s B2B distribution pathway to food services locally, nationally and globally was immediately stalled by the COVID-19 restrictions.
“This masterclass successfully condensed and focused the applications and response required for our organisation to pivot to an online B2C distribution model and prepare our entry into global e-commerce marketplaces,” he said.
Managing Director of organic food producer Ozganics Australia, Annie Brownjohn, said the masterclass was an inspiration that would help move the company forward.
“I feel brighter and was reminded that you should never waste a good crisis,” she said.
Brisbane Marketing’s Future Food Initiative is an industry development program designed to nurture local talent within the city and region and to support food entrepreneurs, producers, and companies with the required skills, networks and access to resources that help the scaling of their enterprises.
Find out more about the Future Food Initiative here.