Taste 4 Success Skillnet has announced the return of BrandBite, the brand acceleration programme, an industry expert led initiative designed to support food and drink producers across Ireland in building stronger more competitive brands.

The upskilling programme is an initiative in collaboration with The Art of GRATE food, and Blas na hÉireann/Irish food awards.

Launching BrandBite 2026, Bridie Corrigan Matthews, network manager at Taste 4 Success Skillnet, said that BrandBite has already proven its value in helping Irish food and drink producers elevate their brands and grow their businesses.

"We're excited to bring an expanded programme to the sector in 2026, offering deeper learning and broader support," she said.

BrandBite was designed for start-up, emerging, and scaling food and drink businesses based in the Republic of Ireland that want to build a compelling brand, understand their consumer, strengthen their messaging, and gain insights into what makes a successful product.

Programme to support food and drink producers

The six core modules will cover:

Brand foundations and competitive positioning;
Understanding the consumer;
Brand storytelling and tone of voice;
Communicating with impact across channels;
Preparing for retail pitches;
Final reflection and industry fireside chat with a leading food brand founder or buyer.

Maebh O'Malley of Achill Island Sea Salt said that BrandBite helped the enterprise bring the brand beyond a product and strategically position it to align with modern food culture.

Janet Drew of Janet's Just Delicious said the initiative helped her own her clean label point of difference on shelves through bold packaging design and clear pack hierarchy.

For 2026, the online programme has been significantly enhanced, according to the organisers.

The academy offers practical brand frameworks and tools; interactive small group learning; direct access to guest speakers from the food press and retail buying sector; recorded sessions and practical templates to support implementation.

Participants will leave with practical tools they can immediately apply to their business.

BrandBite 2026 also brings together some of Ireland's leading brand and marketing experts including:

Annie Dunne, who has worked with the likes of Kerry Foods and Harrods, and is the founder of The Art of GRATE Food, a food innovation and brand strategy consultancy;
Pat Kinsley, one of the original brand thinkers in Ireland and founder of Neworld;
Sharon Noonan who produces and hosts the Best Possible Taste, Ireland's longest running food and drink radio show and podcast;
Bernie Coyne, founder of Coyne Research, a multi award-winning independent market research agency;
Award-nominated food photographer and stylist, Loraine Cox.

The deadline for applications for BrandBite 2026 is Friday, April 10, and the programme will begin on Tuesday, April 21.