Sainsbury’s unveils Black founder-led brands amid £1m incubator success

Sainsbury’s has announced the first three Black founder-led brands to be hitting shelves this year after being selected to take part in Thrive with Sainsbury’s – its £1m incubator programme.

Sainsbury’s launched Thrive with Sainsbury’s last summer – a free 16-week programme with a £1m commitment to supporting Black founder-led start-up businesses transition to supermarket shelves.

In partnership with Foundervine and Mission Ventures, the programme sought to “combat the barriers Black and ethnic minority start-up businesses face”, including reduced industry knowledge, insufficient access to funding, and limited social capital and networks.

Nine successful applicants received an initial grant of £20,000, followed by further funding and support grants over the 16 weeks, in addition to one-on-one training and group learning opportunities with experts. As well as mentoring, this has included education and support with business branding, production and product improvements to help elevate their business.

The brands then pitched for a permanent place on supermarket shelves. This included ‘dragon’s den’ style pitches to Sainsbury’s category and buying teams, giving the brands chance to showcase their new branding and products and answer any questions.

Three brands have now been confirmed to be hitting supermarket shelves later this year as part of Sainsbury’s market-leading Future Brands programme:

Mirror Margarita, founded by Deano Moncrieffe, an award-winning ready-to-drink cocktail.

Riddles Ice Tea, founded by Charlie Odunukwe, a ready-to-drink cocktail made with a blend of Nigerian Moringa Tea with premium spirits, sweetened with agave and natural fruit flavourings.

RAISE Snacks, founded by Chester Robinson, chocolate coated clusters of nuts and seeds, offering a natural source of protein and fibre.

Silika Shellie-Manso, director of grocery innovation at Sainsbury’s, said: “We’ve seen some great and aspiring talent over the past 16-weeks and have loved working with all the businesses involved. It was such a difficult decision to pick the first three businesses that will be listed at Sainsbury’s, but we believe these new brands are a perfect fit for our customers.

“We launched Thrive with Sainsbury’s to give Black founder-led start-up brands access to quality support and services to which they wouldn’t otherwise have access to, as innovation and inclusivity are at the heart of what we do.”