The Launch of the Kilkenny Town of Foods Competition will take place, Thursday, 24th January 2013.

Kilkenny LEADER Partnership is committed to placing Kilkenny at the forefront of Ireland’s quality food culture revolution. Kilkenny’s ‘Town of Food’ will act as the leading light in the development of a local food culture, with its beating heart being a “Community Food Hub” for the delivery of food related education and training programs.

The development of one of the county’s rural towns or larger village’s as a food culture centre of excellence. The Town of Food will act as a driver of the development of a local food culture in the county. KLP, during January will invite proposals from community and voluntary groups to submit applications for the competition, the prize of which, will be the grant-aid and support needed to help transform their village or town into Kilkenny’s Town of Food.
KLP see the Town of Food- food culture revolution in the county as encompassing a wide range of mutually supporting aspects, including, but not limited to the following:-
• A suite of integrated grant and other supports for local small food producers/ processors, leading to an increase in both the number and range of local small enterprise producers and the number of local people employed therein,
• The existence of food training facilities and both vocational and community courses leading to an inclusive ‘town-wide’ engagement with the promotion of local quality food production and consumption,
• Strong reciprocal relationships between local producers and the local retail/ catering enterprises,
• The growth of local shops and restaurants, coffee/ tea shops both opening and offering local food and beverages.
• An integration of the ‘town’s’ food culture into the tourism offerings of the County as a whole.

KLP is prepared to offer a range of supports to the successful community application. Comprising:
1. LEADER grant-aid of up to a maximum of €500,000 at a 75% rate of costs towards the development of a Town Food Hub. This should include food training kitchens and related food processing and training facilities- such as baking overs, micro-brewing room, meat preparation rooms, cool-rooms, refrigerated room, etc.

2. LEADER support and grant-aid of of €100,000 at up to a 100% rate of costs towards a 3-year programme of training and education courses in food production, processing and marketing aimed both at community groups and small food enterprises.

3. Marketing costs of up to a maximum of €75,000 at a 75% rate of costs towards promoting the individual and collective aspects of the Town of Food Concept. Depending on the application plan these costs might typically include the development of a branding package, including, marketing/ promotional plan logos, signage, images, newsletter/ website design, etc.

4. LEADER grant-aid towards promotional costs of up to a maximum of €50,000 at a 75% rate of cost towards operating the marketing plan over a 2-year period.

5. LEADER grant aid toward the coordination of the Town of Food up to a maximum value of €50,000 at a 75% rate of cost over a 30-month period in 2013 to 2015.

6. The continuing support of the dedicated LEADER Food Strategy Coordinator towards the development of the Town of Food concept.

For more information contact:
Kilkenny Food Strategy Coordinator: Kilian Duignan
Contact details:
Kilkenny LEADER Partnership Main Office
8 Patricks Court
Patrick Street
Kilkenny
Landline: 056 7752111
Mobile: 087 6950382