The Taste Academy
powered by Givaudan
Ever had a product idea in your mind but no idea how to bring it to life?
Ever wanted to commercialise a recipe and optimise it for retail?
Ever been desperate to jump on an upcoming trend before anyone else?
Ever wanted to create a product that meets an unserved need?
And have you ever wanted it… Without spending a penny?
Bread & Jam have teamed up with Givaudan (the world’s largest flavour and fragrance house) to launch The Taste Academy: a chance for four of the hottest challenger brands in the UK to develop a new product from concept to taste test in just 12 weeks.
You can be an early stage / pre launch brand looking to create your first range or an established brand looking to improve existing lines. This is a chance for you to turn your ideas into real life products that consumers crave - products that deliver on flavour, functionality and fragrance. It’s free to apply, free to take part and free for you to launch it and pitch to hundreds of retail buyers at this year’s Bread & Jam Festival in July.
Applications are now open and will close on 2nd March.
Need inspo? Here’s what you could do…
Taste Development: get your customers hooked from the first bite with unforgettable flavours.
HFSS Compliance: cut the sugar, keep the flavour - reformulate for regulations without losing the taste that earned you customers.
Functionality: make sure your flavours stay strong and stable even when using tricky base ingredients.
Masking: smooth out formulations so your flavours land clean and balanced - remove off notes and aftertastes.
Mouthfeel: build juicy, crave worthy textures to make your customers salivate.
Here’s what you can expect:
Applications are open now and you’ll need to complete yours by 2nd March.
Your application will be carefully reviewed by Givaudan’s team of technical, marketing, and commercial experts, passionate about discovering innovative ideas. Applications will be reviewed by Givaudan and shortlisted candidates will be invited to pitch online 16th - 20th March.
Four brands will be selected for the Taste Academy.
Each brand will put forward one brief, which could be the co-creation of a new concept, a product extension or an improvement of an existing product.
The Taste Academy runs for 12 weeks from 30th March. Throughout the program, you will work hand in hand with Givaudan’s Applications Team, bringing together flavourists, chefs, consumer insights specialists and experienced application scientists to co-create and perfect your products.
You’ll attend workshops at their UK HQ in Milton Keynes with flavorists, scientists and consumer insight specialists, receive samples of your new products and be in regular contact with their team to bring your product idea to life.
You’ll then launch your new product at the Bread & Jam Festival, 14th - 15th July at the Business Design Centre in London, where you can pitch to hundreds of national, international and speciality retail buyers.
Stability: make your product look and taste fresh for longer with no fading or compromises.
Flavour Innovation: looking to create something new? Create a flavour from scratch that hits all the right notes.
A Givaudan product is touched at least 10 times a day by every person in the world.
Here’s why you need to pay attention. A Givaudan product is touched at least 10 times a day by every person in the world, whether formulated with one of their ingredients or scents. They’re passionate about innovation, understanding consumers and bringing the two together through taste and smell. Used by the big corporates for decades, Givaudan are now opening their doors to challenger brands for the first time. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity: the chance to develop products alongside the largest and most experienced flavour and fragrance house in the world. Co-creating at Givaudan’s Innovation & Co-Creation space moves at light speed - you’ll go from initial concept development to taste testing your product in just 12 weeks.
Tailored product development support on a case by case basis.
Givaudan’s expert technical and commercial teams offer tailored product development support on a case-by-case basis. They’re open to anything - working alongside an early stage startup who might need help refining their proposition, commercials and flavour profiles or jumping straight into development with an experienced founder with a clear direction and consumer data to support it.
Consumer insights
Give up on guesswork and validate your ideas with global deep trend data and lived sensory experiences, so you can be sure you’re jumping on the next flavour trend that’s about to pop - anything from plant based indulgence to functional botanicals and cultural flavour twists that resonate with your audience.
Technical brains
And production muscle. Need a lab for your big idea? Optimise your recipes with help from the lab team who can perfect costs, flavours and stability whilst also staying on top of all those tricky compliance details, so you can scale up your recipes without sacrificing quality or authenticity.
Sustainability support
As part of their ‘Human By Nature’ approach, every collaboration taps into Givaudan’s world of sustainable sourcing and ethical ingredient networks - giving purpose‑driven startups a transparent, responsible edge from day one.
Who are Givaudan?
We’re Givaudan — the food experience people. Human by Nature.
As one of the world’s leading flavour and fragrance houses, we’re powered by science, creativity, and our love of taste. Our teams live and breathe flavour, helping products not just taste great but stand out, perform effectively , and connect emotionally with people everywhere.
But here’s what really matters if you’re building a food or drink startup: we’re more than an ingredient supplier. We collaborate, experiment, and co-create alongside founders — turning bold ideas into products that food lovers crave.
In short, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing is your creative flavour experience partner. Powered by innovation and creativity, we aim to shape the future of food by becoming your co-creation partner of choice. Together, we create food experiences that do good and feel good — for body, mind, and planet.
“Let’s make something unforgettable together.”
Eligibility Criteria
Your brand and products can be from any FMCG category, from drinks to snacks to cheese to supplements.
You can be an early stage brand launching something completely new or a more established brand looking to launch NPD or improve an existing range.
You must be available (virtually) to attend a Zoom meeting w/c 16th March 2026 with Givaudan.
You must be available (in person) to attend at least two workshops/meetings at the Givaudan sensory lab In Milton Keynes during the Taste Academy period (April - June).
You must be available during the Taste Academy period (April - June) to attend video calls with Givaudan.
You must be able to send and receive samples to Givaudan during the Taste Academy period (April - June).
You must be available (in person) to attend the Bread & Jam Festival 14-15 July 2026 in London.
You must apply using the online application form by 2nd March.