Road to success: how McCain is inspiring the next generation of street food traders

It’s a balmy spring morning in central London. In Covent Garden, the sun beams down on the piazza as businesses prepare for what promises to be a busy day. And nearby, within the cooler climes of KERB’s Seven Dials Market, a group of ambitious street food traders gather.

The ten individuals sat around the table of the Seven Dials Market Bookshop all have different stories to tell – they include Syrian refugees, second generation immigrants, and ex-offenders – but they are all there for the same reason, to try and take their street food business to the next level.

As participants in McCain's Streets Ahead initiative​​, they are all vying for the opportunity to pitch their food business idea to a panel of experts. Out of the 12 businesses pitching, those who impress the most will each receive an investment from McCain of up to £10,000, as well as an opportunity to trade at a KERB market.

For now, though, the collective focus of the group is on understanding of what it takes to run a successful street food business. This is one of three immersion days being held as part of the Streets Ahead programme and is designed to give the participants some hands-on experience at a trading street food market and get inspired by the bustling environment that celebrates food from all over the world.

This includes hearing from successful traders such as Tom Bickers, founder of London-based ‘finer diner’ Truffle Burger, who gives the cohort insight on how to write a unique, captivating menu; and Bridget Callaghan, co-founder of sustainably-focused sourdough pizza concept Well Kneaded, who talks about growing not only as a street food trader and restaurant business, but also within the event catering space.

There are also presentations from representatives from KERB and McCain that covers all the different considerations that need to be made by a perspective trader looking to launch their own street food business – from the importance of PAT testing and getting the highest food hygiene rating, to finding the best catering space and commercial kitchen equipment.

The road to success​

Launched in June 2022, the Streets Ahead initiative was born out of a partnership between McCain Foodservice Solutions, the UK’s largest branded potato supplier, and street food membership organisation KERB with an aim to provide individuals from less-advantaged backgrounds with the opportunity to bring their dreams of becoming a street food entrepreneur to life.

Reflecting an investment of up to £100,000 from McCain, the programme initially saw around 115 people sponsored to join the KERB classroom, an online food start-up course which helps take food business ideas out of people’s heads and make them a reality. To ensure the initiative reached those really in need of support, McCain worked with a range of UK charities including Food Behind Bars, a charity dedicated to improving food served in British Prisons, TERN (The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network), which supports refugees to become entrepreneurs, and the Westminster-based homeless charity Connections to find suitable candidates.

“We wanted to do something that was as inclusive as possible,” explains Mark Hodge, VP Marketing at McCain. “We are giving people who have an idea, or that burning passion to start a street food business the chance to have access to the training and resources they need to make their dream a reality.”

Those who successfully completed the KERB classroom have now progressed to the next stage of the Streets Ahead programme, which includes attending an immersion day and honing their business idea. From there the participants who are ready to do so have been invited to one of the final pitch days, which are set to take place on 7-8 June at Mission Kitchen in London.

Pitch perfect​

As well as helping to rejuvenate the street food sector in the wake of the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis, Streets Ahead has also been designed to ensure the hospitality industry remains as vibrant and diverse as possible by making it accessible to more people.

Indeed, what’s striking about the immersion day participants is how varied the different business ideas developed by the traders are. They include a Hawaiian barbecue concept, one that specialises in Syrian-style falafel, another that puts Uzbek street food front and centre, and one that focuses on Ugandan cuisine.

“Streets Ahead will really ensure authenticity and diversity across the street food ecosystem and enable us to engage with parts of society that we have previously overlooked,” says Gavin Dunn, managing director for social enterprise at KERB. “It really opens up the diversity of our offer down the line - and will bring life into the ecosystem.

“There is a real risk of the food industry, including street food, becoming a bit homogeneous. My worst fear is that you go down to a local street food market and it feels just like a high street - with no independent businesses there. This programme will not only help the individuals, but the whole street food scene.”

In turn, the immersion day attendees talk passionately about their concepts, which are all drawn from their own heritage and upbringing. As part of this, they are asked to explain what makes their concept unique and give details on a signature dish. This dish will eventually form a core part of their final pitches. Those taking part on the pitch days in June will each be required to prepare a hero dish for a group tasting session, as well as meet the judging panel to explain their business idea and talk through their pitch deck and funding application.

The panel itself will include representatives from both McCain and KERB. Each panel member will be required to establish a great understanding of each attending participants business concept; judge the viability of each participants food offering on today’s street food market; review pitch decks, taste each participant’s signature dish and score participants based on a selection criteria; and finally deliberate with other panel members to conclude on the day who will receive business investment.

Participants will be scored across four categories. They include clarity and quality of menu offer; clarity and quality of pitch deck; level of enthusiasm and engagement with the Streets Ahead programme; and passion and desire to get the business off the ground. Each participant will be marked out of 10 for each category, with the scores used to help the panel members decide on who will receive funding to make their street food business dreams a reality.

Further accelerating growth ​

As well as receiving an investment of up to £10,000, each successful participant will be offered a space on the KERB Inkerbator programme. This will give them the chance to accelerate the growth of their business even further, as well as gain exposure, take part in additional training and access more resources. They will also receive support in finding a trading spot in their chosen location, as well as being given a chance to trade with KERB.

Inevitably there will be some traders who are not selected to receive funding, but not being picked does not mean the end of their journey. As part of the Streets Ahead family, they will have access to a range of resources including paid work experience opportunities, market networking, and guidance on how to access funding. They will also be given pitch pointers, should they wish to present their business plan again in the future; and access to a library of kitchen equipment for free as they look to build their own business.

The final pitch days in June will mark the end of first year of the Streets Ahead programme, but it will also herald the beginning of the second year of the initiative that will see a new group of novice traders given the chance to develop their own business idea and compete for investment.

McCain’s ambition has always been to help a future generation of operators flourish, and in the years to come it is looking forward to seeing people from all walks of life reap the rewards of their hard work given to the Streets Ahead course and realise their dreams of owning a street food business.

“When you go into street food, we know it takes confidence to take an idea and make it a reality, adds Hodge. “If you have a less advantaged start in life and you don't have that support network or the resources around you, it's a real shame because the sector is missing out on that raw talent. We want to help those people and the hospitality industry so that there is a new wave of talent and street food concepts coming through.”

For more information on McCain's Streets Ahead campaign, click here​​. ​