A Northamptonshire company is calling on local businesses to
help them deliver an innovative range of self-heating meals into
the UK market.
Mainstay Enterprises Ltd, the sole supplier of HOTBOX Self
Heating Meals in the UK, has posted the product to the East
Midlands Development Agency's (emda) new, online innovation
Exchange (iExchange) service.
Hosted on the East Midlands Innovation portal
www.eminnovation.org <http://www.eminnovation.org>
.uk/iexchange, the iExchange allows businesses, universities and
other organisations to showcase and discuss innovative ideas, ask
for help or find funding and support.
The meals, which heat up at the push of a button, are used by
campers, hikers and care homes and HOTBOX has a number of European
clients including Spar, Carrefour, Shell and the Dutch and Swedish
armies.
Kevin Murphy, Managing Director of Mainstay Enterprises Ltd,
said: "We are looking for potential partners and investors from the
East Midlands to help sell the products into forecourt and
emergency services, as well as the retail sector. We also supply
the meals to Local Councils and emergency services including the
Police and Fire services and would like to target Relief and
Disaster Aid organisations.
A new range of products, including self-heating soups and drinks
as well as microwavable meals will also be launched in the UK by
November 2010.
"The HOTBOX product is relatively new to the UK market and
self-heating is the most exciting area of the rapidly developing
'meals on the go' marketplace, so the iExchange is an invaluable
resource to help raise its profile and connect us with other
organisations looking to form potential partnerships," continued
Kevin.
Martin French, emda's Head of Innovation, said: "Around 2,000
individuals and organisations from across the East Midlands have
registered on eminnovation.org, the innovation portal website,
which hosts the iExchange. A number of exciting and potentially
lucrative business propositions and ideas have peen posted since
the launch of the iExchange at the start of the year, with a number
already making good progress in finding partners."