Turning Local Flavours into Global Success Stories
Helping ambitious food and drink businesses turn growth opportunities into commercial results.
We work with established small and medium-sized food and drink businesses, ready to grow beyond their current markets.
Whether you are a distillery looking to expand internationally, a premium producer developing new routes to market, or an established food business preparing for e-commerce or export, we help you make informed decisions about where to grow, who to target and how to get there.
Our work combines market intelligence, commercial strategy and internationalisation expertise to help businesses identify attractive markets, understand customer demand, strengthen their positioning and develop practical routes to growth.
How we can help:
- Identify and prioritise new markets in the UK and internationally
- Assess market demand, competitors and customer opportunities
- Develop export and internationalisation strategies
- Strengthen your brand and market positioning
- Identify appropriate routes to market and distribution opportunities
- Develop e-commerce and direct-to-consumer strategies
- Identify relevant funding and partnership opportunities
- Build practical strategies for sustainable, manageable growth
Our international experience spans the UK, Italy, France, Portugal, Latin America, the US and Asia, giving us the ability to combine local market understanding with an international perspective.
From established business to the next stage of growth
You don’t need to be a multinational to think internationally.
If your business has reached a point where £500k–£8m of annual revenue is no longer enough to define your ambitions, we can help you assess the opportunities ahead and build a strategy for the next stage.
Our Approach: How We Help F&B
Our International Food & Drink Expertise
Local understanding. International perspective.
Our work is shaped by international experience and a multicultural perspective, with expertise across the UK, Italy, Mexico and the US, alongside an operational presence and professional networks spanning Hong Kong, Rome and Lugano.
We help established food and drink SMEs understand opportunities beyond their existing markets and develop practical strategies for sustainable growth.
Whether you are looking to enter a new market, develop cross-border e-commerce, strengthen your positioning or identify new routes to market, we combine market intelligence with practical commercial strategy.
What We Do for Food & Drink Businesses
We work with established food and drink businesses — from premium producers and specialist food brands to distilleries and growing consumer brands — to help them:
- Identify and evaluate growth opportunities across Europe, North America and Asia
- Position brands for domestic and international markets
- Develop export and internationalisation strategies
- Optimise e-commerce and direct-to-consumer strategies for cross-border sales
- Understand market-specific compliance, including labelling, distribution and trade requirements
- Identify potential partners, routes to market and commercial opportunities
- Build brand positioning and storytelling that works across different cultural markets
- Identify relevant funding and support opportunities
We combine on-the-ground knowledge with global market awareness, helping businesses make informed decisions about where and how to grow.
Why Work With NorthStar?
Growth without losing what makes your business distinctive.
International expansion doesn’t have to mean becoming less authentic, less agile or less connected to your customers.
We help established SMEs find the right balance between commercial growth and the qualities that make their business valuable in the first place.
Our approach combines:
Market intelligence — understand where the opportunity really is.
Internationalisation — identify and assess markets before committing resources.
Commercial strategy — turn opportunities into practical routes to growth.
Cultural insight — adapt your approach without losing your brand identity.
Evidence-based decision-making — invest your time and resources where the potential is strongest.
Case Highlights
Wine and Spirits: Internationalisation
We supported a boutique winery in refining its e-commerce strategy and developing targeted international marketing approaches for niche wine markets in the UK, China, and the US.
Our work included advising on digital tools, identifying strategic partnerships, and providing guidance on navigating legal and compliance requirements around licensing and customs in export markets.
Artisanal Foods: e-commerce and global reach
Focus: Market entry strategy, logistics coordination, brand positioning for multiple local food producers.
We supported the launch of an online marketplace featuring local producers’ olive oils, cheeses, and sweets from the Ciociaria region of Italy.
We further delivered strategic advice on cross-border sales, coordinated the promotional campaigns in multiple languages (German, English, French and Italian), and coordinated local market activation events such as farmers’ markets to increase visibility and sales.
Perishables: Commercialisation and business launch
Focus: Expanding Reach & Increasing Sales of Perishable Goods.
We supported an artisan bakery in developing a digital growth strategy aimed at boosting seasonal sales and attracting tourist-driven footfall.
Our work included guidance on social media content planning, establishing local partnerships, and optimising the online ordering and payment infrastructure to enhance peak season performance while building long-term brand visibility and customer engagement.
Artisanal Beer: Commercialisation and Internationalisation
We’re proud to be helping a green beer producer launch their own beer in Europe — uniting Spanish rural craftsmanship with the rich Belgian brewing tradition. Rooted in a strong eco-friendly pledge, every step of the process is designed to be sustainable, ensuring that great taste goes hand in hand with care for the planet.
