Brian Donaldson is on a mission to put more Irish food and drinks on the shelves of up to 72 Maxol stores nationwide. To achieve it, the CEO of the family-owned Irish forecourt retailer has launched Homegrown at Maxol, an exciting new initiative which will see four local food and drinks SMEs given prime shelf space in Maxol stores, complete with marketing support and mentorship.
“There’s a real opportunity here for small businesses to scale up. However, if 72 stores is too big an initial step, there is also scope for winners to be showcased on a regional basis. We don’t want to be too restrictive, and we encourage any business in the food and drinks sector that isn’t already working with Maxol to apply today.”
“As long as the product is made in Ireland, we’d love to see it,” Donaldson says, inviting entries from those operating in areas including ambient, confectionery, deli, hot, fresh, soft drinks, juices and smoothies, teas, health and fitness, milk and dairy-based drinks, and alcohol. “Our retailers will make the final decision on the overall winner. As local people operating local stores, they understand what their customers want and are therefore best placed to decide on an overall winner,” says Donaldson.