Sleep Well joins Agropur’s Inno Accel programme
Sleep Well has been selected to join Canadian dairy co-operative Agropur’s Inno Accel programme, the largest open innovation initiative in the North American dairy industry.
Fifteen shortlisted businesses pitched to win a slot on the 2019 cohort, with Agropur selecting four dairy-related start-ups from Canada, the US and the UK to join the programme. The selected businesses will spend 12 weeks in Inno Accel, challenging convention and generating new solutions to maximise their chances of North American success.
Inno Accel will help Jersey-based Sleep Well develop products and market-appropriate solutions with a fully customised coaching programme. The Sleep Well team will be supported by two mentors – a successful entrepreneur and a member of Agropur senior management – and at least 20 coaches with different areas of expertise, from marketing and sales to R&D and strategy. The coaches will provide guidance and help Sleep Well develop in an environment that simulates real-life conditions in the business world and the agri-food industry.
“Agropur is North America’s biggest dairy co-operative and this is a huge opportunity for our brand and our product”, said Sleep Well founder Sam Watts. “Canada’s dairy industry is renowned for its creativity and innovation and to be selected from so many strong contenders for a place on the programme is an immense achievement for the business and the team.
“North America has always been high on our target list and this has the potential to accelerate our growth in one of the world’s biggest consumer markets. Above all, we are going to benefit from three months of intensive product and business development coaching and the expertise of a highly professional and experienced company, creating undreamed of opportunities.”
Caroline Miron, Agropur’s director for innovation, architecture and strategy said: “We want to team up with the best in order to come up with new ideas and create the dairy products of the future. From a pool of start-ups from around the world, we have therefore selected businesses that are innovative and ambitious to join Inno Accel.
“Thanks to our solid acceleration programme developed in collaboration with OSMO foundation, we can provide a springboard for start-ups that have a sound business model, products with a competitive advantage and strong growth potential and we believe Sleep Well has the potential to be part of the next wave of innovative dairy products.”
The popularity of Sleep Well – a natural milk drink that helps all ages over 12 months to relax and get a better night’s sleep – has increased rapidly since its launch two years ago. Available online at sleepwellmilk.com, Amazon.co.uk and selected online food retailers, Sleep Well is also sold in more than 200 independent stores across the UK and Channel Islands, including 110 Sainsbury’s stores.
