Over 100 businesses in Boston have been helped to thrive and achieve their business goals thanks to a free programme offering expert advice, grant funding, and access to training.
The Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics, a Boston Town Board Towns Fund project, brought together the University of Lincoln and Boston College with local businesses in a unique initiative offering business support, learning, and grants.
102 businesses based in Boston town engaged with the programme which concluded at the end of 2024, and the project provided grants to businesses totalling around £250,000 towards equipment purchases.
The grants ranged in value from £548 – £10,000 which supported investment in resources such as production and catering equipment and transport.
Consultancy support from the University of Lincoln team was identified by businesses as facilitating a further £3.6M of private funding commitments.
Working with businesses operating in sectors such as food manufacturing, logistics, food retail, food supply, restaurants and cafes, and professional services, the programme supported businesses of varying sizes, including sole traders, SMEs, and an employer with a workforce of 800+ employees.
The nature of the support offered depended on the needs of the business but networking opportunities, equipment demonstration, access to research, innovation, and new technologies, and help with workforce development were all made available through the project.
In addition, through the programme 315 learners were able to access training from Boston College, achieving 532 qualifications. The programme was designed to respond to the needs of businesses, and as a result, 43 new courses were created by the college, including in subjects not previously offered such as AI in the Workplace.
The reach of the programme extended beyond the businesses participating, with events, seminars, and masterclasses taking place. The events covered a range of relevant topics, such as careers in agri-food. The programme also supported the Boston Food Festival in August 2024, a weekend of events hosted by Boston College and Boston Stump which saw around 5,000 people attend.
Mark Spurdens, Senior Lecturer & Consultant Food Manufacturing with University of Lincoln said: “This programme has brought significant investment to businesses, both in funding and in terms of capacity building through access to insight, expertise, knowledge, and learning.
“One of the key benefits of the project has been the increased confidence and aspiration of many of the businesses which participated in the programme.
“This was particularly apparent at the recent South Lincolnshire Business Awards where most of the award recipients were from the Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics programme.”
Jo Brigham, Chair, Boston Town Board commented: “It is fantastic to see the impact that the Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics has had in Boston, supporting a great many businesses to realise their ambitions.
“This programme was chosen as one of our Boston Town Board projects because the board understands the absolutely vital role that the food sector and related industries play within our local economy.
“The legacy of the Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics will continue to be felt within the town for years to come as a result of the support and funding that has been provided for the businesses enrolled onto this unique and important programme.”
Gemma Robinson, Director of Commercial Partnerships, Boston College said: “At Boston College, we believe in unlocking potential—of people, of industries, and of our region. The Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics project exemplifies our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and community impact. By working in partnership with the University of Lincoln and hand-in-hand with employers, we’ve not only shaped new opportunities for learning but also helped build a more resilient and future-ready workforce. This is what purposeful education looks like—rooted in local need, driven by ambition, and open to all.”
Cllr Anne Dorrian, Leader of Boston Borough Council said: “The food sector has long played a key role in Boston, offering vital products, services, and employment opportunities in the borough and far beyond.
“I am delighted that the Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics programme has been able to make such a difference to this important sector, helping a significant number of our businesses to develop and grow in ways tailored to their specific needs and ambitions.
“What is particularly pleasing about the programme is the variety of sizes and types of businesses that have been able to receive support, helping them to continue to play their part in Boston putting food on the plates of people across the country.”
Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics Case Studies
Some of the businesses which have benefited from the programme include:
East Lincolnshire Seafoods
East Lincolnshire Seafoods accessed grant funding through the programme that allowed it to buy crucial equipment. It has also received advice.
“We decided to work with the Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics as buying the equipment we needed would have been a very costly job for us to fund ourselves. The funding has helped us massively to get our equipment back up and running in good order.
“The support from Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics has made a difference to our business by making our equipment more cost effective to run, bringing it all back up to date and in good working order making it much more reliable.”
Will Fletcher, East Lincolnshire Seafoods
London Road Bakery
London Road Bakery has received support to consider development options and create a business plan for expansion.
“I’ve really appreciated the support and guidance that I’ve received from Janet, Mark and the team at Boston College.”
Jacqui Dales, London Road Bakery
The Greenhouse
‘The Greenhouse’ is owned and run by Dan Revell-Wiseman and Lee Revell-Wiseman and was one of the first businesses to join The Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics.
The Greenhouse needed to buy some items of kitchen equipment, and by joining the programme and taking up the Capital Grant option, they have been able to afford the equipment much sooner than would have been possible without the support.
“Joining this programme has enabled us to work towards our aspirations to grow the business.”
Dan Revell-Wiseman, The Greenhouse
Alpego UK
Alpego UK is an agricultural machinery supplier based on the Fen Road Industrial Estate and has received support from the programme.
“This opportunity came at an ideal time for our business. We had a need for some technical support to broaden our customer base and focus on new markets.”
Mark Dolby, Sales Director
Greencore Boston
Greencore worked with the Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics team to identify and prioritise business improvement opportunities, informing investment decision-making. Improvement opportunities realised include refrigeration system and heat recovery projects as well as production line upgrades and industry leading digitisation.
Batemans
Batemans engaged with the team to conduct a carbon/sustainability survey which supported their plans for an investment in tank systems that retain energy, for example, during the mash cooking processes.
Port of Boston
Through the support from the programme, the Port of Boston identified investment in materials handling equipment that was supported by an additional grant from Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics. Further work with the team resulted in collaboration with hydrogen fuel experts and the modification of material handling equipment engines to reduce the use of fossil fuel and exhaust emissions.
Lincolnshire Drainage Company
Lincolnshire Drainage Company provides land drainage solutions to agricultural land and building development in the East Midlands. The business received support to a bring pipe making in house, and support the development of an apprentice. This combination has addressed both short term efficiency as well as helping prepare the business for the future.