Everything starts with an idea, the rest is where we come in.

Catalyst is NZFIN’s flexible, facilitated service that helps food & beverage innovators evaluate, validate, and turn ideas into commercially viable products. Working alongside you, this bespoke offering builds your innovation capability, connect you to the right facilities and partners, to prepare yo for the road ahead and guide you through every stage of the pathway.

Founders begin with a 90-minute Innovation Baseline Assessment to benchmark their current capabilities and identify key areas for support. The programme then unfolds over five structured modules – totalling 25 contact hours plus 5 hours of personalised coaching – covering essential foundations such as market validation, business model design, innovation roadmapping, pitch preparation, and capital market education.

Catalyst is for you if you want to:

• Benchmark and build your innovation capability with best-practice tools and frameworks
• Gain clarity on scaling a food & beverage business to commercial success
• Dedicate the effort required to thrive in the F&B sector
• De-risk and accelerate your path to market

An in-depth approach to business growth, delivered in partnership with Rise Growth Lab, with personalised coaching, community building, and expert support to confidently take your F&B business to the next level.

Accelerate is a three-month program that is designed to be accessible for busy innovators with weekly and fortnightly sessions, masterclasses, and Q&As. Participants create a profitable growth plan and are provided with all the tools needed for success in making the plan happen.

The programme includes 4 phases:

1. Direction & systems
2. Market and business analysis
3. Develop your growth roadmap
4. Execute with impact

Next cohort starts 16th February. Spots are limited.

Jumpstart is a self-directed online training course, delivered in partnership with BFGS, that provides the foundational understanding you need to navigate food and beverage product development in New Zealand.

Consists of online recorded videos, links, written content, practical tools and downloadable templates, the programme equips you with the critical building blocks to make informed decisions and engage effectively with industry partners, manufacturers, and customers to give you a jumpstart into the industry.

Topics include:

• Product development and concept validation
• Packaging, food safety, labelling and compliance
• Scale up, commercialisation, sales, and distribution
• Costing and margins (including costing and margin templates)