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 global leader in Taste & Wellbeing and Fragrance & Beauty) 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 established brand looking to improve existing lines or an early stage / pre launch brand looking to create your first range. 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 March.
Applications close on 9th November at midnight.
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.
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.
What Is The Prize?
Win 12 Weeks of Exclusive Product Innovation Support with Givaudan
Turn your next big idea into a market-ready product with hands-on support from one of the world’s leading flavour and innovation companies.
Designed for ambitious UK start-ups, this prize gives you direct access to Givaudan’s experts, insights, and creative capabilities to help accelerate your growth and bring your vision to life.
1. Dedicated Product Development Support
Collaborate with our experts to develop your next product innovation — whether that’s a completely new concept, recipe optimisation, range extension, or improving an existing product.
2. Access to Givaudan’s Innovation Experts
Work directly with our world-class applications team, including flavourists, chefs, food technologists, and sensory specialists, marketing to craft products consumers will love.
3. Exclusive Innovation Session at Givaudan HQ
Join us at Givaudan HQ for an immersive co-creation experience where you’ll refine and perfect your product live with our team.
4. End-to-End Prototype Journey
Receive samples throughout the development process, giving you the opportunity to taste, refine, and shape your product every step of the way.
5. Trend & Consumer Insight Support
Take the guesswork out of innovation with access to global trend intelligence, sensory insights, and emerging flavour direction.
6. Regulatory Guidance
Receive support navigating key regulatory considerations to help move your concept confidently towards launch.
7. Your Brand at Bread & Jam Festival
Launch your innovation at one of the UK’s leading challenger-brand events. Givaudan will support product sample creation as part of the experience.
8. Complimentary First Flavour Trial
Your first flavour trial order is on us up to a certain scale — helping you move from concept to reality faster.
9. Scale-Up & Commercialisation Support
From bench samples to production-ready solutions, our team will support your journey towards commercial launch.
10. Promotional Video for Social
Your brand in the spotlight - Partner with the Givaudan team to produce a short, high-impact promotional video for your platforms.
11. Speciality Flavour Training
Visit our Milton Keynes HQ for exclusive speciality flavour training led by one of our expert flavourists, designed to inspire and enhance your product development expertise.
12. Product Follow-Up
Receive a personalised teaser video to support your retail pitches or generate excitement around your product launch across social media channels.
Here’s what you can expect:
Applications opened on 26th October 2026 and will close on 9th November 2026.
Applications 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 W/C 23rd November.
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 7th December. 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, 23rd - 24th March at the Business Design Centre in London, where you can pitch to hundreds of national, international and speciality retail buyers.
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 the global leader in Taste & Wellbeing and Fragrance & Beauty, 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 23rd November 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 (January - March).
You must be available during the Taste Academy period (January - March) to attend video calls with Givaudan.
You must be able to send and receive samples to Givaudan during the Taste Academy period (January - March).
You must be available (in person) to attend the Bread & Jam Festival 23rd - 24th March 2027 in London.
You must apply using the online application form (once open on 26th October) by 9th November at midnight.
Meet Last Year’s Taste Academy Winners
We caught up with the winners of the inaugural Taste Academy, FRANK, Soul Kitchen, Three Robins & Belly Dance, to find out what they achieved and what they learned along the way.
