The Innovation Support Grant has helped ‘Vin De Terre Ltd’ to develop its website by offering personalised chocolate gifts using the latest technology. It means the company can provide dynamic images featuring photos that have been manipulated to make them personalised. These special images are used on its new range of chocolate gifts, which complement the champagne, wine and other presents that www.winegifts4u.co.uk offers direct to the public. “This technology has definitely given us a market edge,” said director Asgar Dungarwalla. “It’s personalisation to the next level. The grant has also improved the skills in the company as well. We have a much better understanding of new technology.” Originally solely a beers, wines and spirits wholesaler, Vin De Terre Ltd was launched 12 years ago and has since diversified to supply restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The firm, based at West Pinchbeck in Lincolnshire, then began providing personalised labels on wines and champagnes for its trade customers. More recently, the business launched its customer-facing website, to offer a service selling wine and champagne with personalised labels direct to the public. The grant has now allowed the firm to introduce new software that enables it to offer chocolate gifts with personalised labels too – extending its product range. “It’s a very dynamic piece of kit,” said Asgar. “We wanted to get experts in to advise us of the best way of doing this, and the grant has given us the opportunity of developing this new part of the business.” The software installed has also helped the company to improve its marketing, with personalised email promotions to its customers. “The Innovation Support Grant gives companies the opportunity of really excelling and investing money in the business,” added Asgar. The company is already looking at how the software can be used to personalise other gifts within its product range. Rachel Linstead, Lincolnshire and Rutland adviser for the Food and Drink iNet, said: “This is an excellent example of how Food and Drink iNet Innovation Support Grants can help a business, and we hope this will support the next chapter of this firm’s history. “The grants are designed to make a real difference to a company’s prospects, such as helping the development of a novel technology or process, or a new product, service or way of doing business. This fitted the bill perfectly.” The Food and Drink iNet is aiming to foster innovation in the region’s food and drink sector, but providing practical support to businesses wanting to turn new ideas into reality through the development of new technologies and products. Funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda), the Food and Drink iNet is one of four Innovation Networks set up to stimulate new processes and business growth in the East Midlands Region. Through the Innovation Support Grants, support valued at up to £10,000 is available per business, providing that 50% match-funding is given by the company in cash or in kind. The money can be used to fund external expertise and knowledge to help manage innovation projects more effectively – giving businesses a route to some of the most up-to-date and comprehensive information available to help them kick-start their idea. The Food and Drink iNet can work with small and medium sized businesses as well as larger companies in the sector across the East Midlands. Information on the Food and Drink iNet Information of Food and Drink Businesses in the East Midlands