Applications for innovation grants to support small business food and drink suppliers now open

Food and beverage suppliers can now apply for financial support from the Coles Nurture Fund to help them drive innovation and sustainability.

The latest round of the Coles Nurture Fund will provide grants of up to $500,000 for small businesses to develop new market-leading products, processes and technologies.

Coles General Manager Corporate Affairs Sally Fielke urged small and medium-sized businesses to apply for financial support ahead of the deadline on Friday, 25 February.

“At Coles, we aim to drive generational sustainability in Australia and one of the ways we believe we can do this is by funding innovative projects which make a significant difference – whether it’s increasing recycling and renewable energy, reducing water use or supporting the local production of Australian food and beverages,” she said.

To be eligible to apply, businesses with innovative ideas must have fewer than 50 full-time employees and a turnover of less than $25 million in annual revenue.

Since it was established in 2015, the Coles Nurture Fund has committed more than $28 million in financial support to over 80 Australian producers to help them introduce ground-breaking technology, establish new products and drive innovation and sustainability.

Previous projects funded by the Coles Nurture Fund range from Australia’s first quinoa processing facility, to fence posts made from recycled plastic, and a state-of-the-art factory to grow grass indoors.

David Ryan of Sawmill Circuit encouraged Australian producers to consider applying to the Coles Nurture Fund if they needed financial support for a unique or ground-breaking idea. In 2021  his business received a grant of $455,000 to purchase a large vacuum truck that will collect manure from 18 dairy farms in Nowra so that it could be transported to a biogas plant that is being built in the local area.  Once collected, the manure will be converted to renewable energy and put back into the grid.

“The support we received from the Coles Nurture Fund will make a significant difference to the way in which dairy farms in the Nowra area manage effluent,” said Ryan.

“I would strongly encourage other producers who have a unique plan to drive sustainability and innovation on their farm or factory to consider applying for a grant in Round 10 of the Nurture Fund,” he said.

Apply for Round Ten of the Coles Nurture Fund, here. Applications close at 5pm AEST on Friday, 25 February 2021.

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