Two-day program designed for those considering a
food-based startup
All across kitchens in
Western North Carolina and beyond, thousands dream of using grandma’s
generations-old recipe to become the next Mrs. Fields or Ben & Jerry’s.
Tinkering with food combinations and formulas, they fine-tune the ingredients
and proportions to craft a winning recipe. But going from winning recipe to a
winning business requires an entirely different set of ingredients:
financing, inventory sourcing and management, production, compliance (FDA),
legal issues, packaging and marketing.
Learning the behind-the-scenes basics of building a
successful food-based business is the focus of “The Biz behind the Food Biz:
from Winning Recipe to a Winning Business,” a two-day program for individuals
considering a food-based startup. Co-hosted by Blue Ridge Food Ventures and the
Asheville Center for Professional Studies, the program will feature
professionals who are working both “in” the business – fellow food-based
business owners – as well as experts working “on” the business:
accountants, attorneys, grocery store executives, marketers and financing
representatives.
Scheduled for Nov. 6 and 7, the series will be held at
Asheville Center for Professional Studies, 1465 Sand Hill Rd., Candler, N.C.,
just outside of Asheville. Cost to attend the 16-hour program is $375, and
registration is available online at www.AshevilleProfessionalStudies.com.
“The Biz behind the Food Biz” comes at a time when sales of
specialty foods are reaching an all-time high. According to the Specialty Food
Association, the sector now commands $88.3 billion in annual sales, a 47
percent increase since 2008, with an 18.4 percent growth since 2011. Eighty
percent of these sales are at the retail level, and the major driver – 70
percent – for the growth is the demand for locally made products.
Compounding the challenges for growth is the increased
competition for shelf space in grocery stores. Consumer Reports notes
that there are now some 47,000 products on grocery stores shelves.
“Grandma’s great tasting recipe is no longer the sole
determining factor in whether a business succeeds,” notes Chris Reedy,
executive director of Blue Ridge Food Ventures. “While consumers appreciate
locally sourced foods, they also now have a level of sophistication and
expectation with their food purchases. Our goal is to help educate individuals
on all facets of taking their food-based business from the kitchen to the
check-out counter.”
The schedule for “The Biz behind the Food Biz” is listed
below. For more information, contact Katherine Morosani at KatherineMorosani@abtech.edu or
at (828) 398-7100.
The Biz behind the Food Biz: From Winning Recipe to a
Winning Business
November 6 – Day 1
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|
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9 –
11 a.m.
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Panel discussion of successful
food-based business owners
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11
a.m. – 12 p.m.
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Compliance (local, state and
federal regulations)
|
1 –
3 p.m.
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“Been There, Done That”
(Food-based business owners share their steps and mis-steps in building their
companies)
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3 –
5 p.m.
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Tour of the commercial kitchens
at Blue Ridge Food Ventures
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November 7 – Day 2
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|
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9 –
11 a.m.
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Marketing
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11
a.m. – 12 p.m.
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Funding & Support (an
overview on available financial options)
|
1 –
3 p.m.
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The View - From the other side of
the grocery shelf
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3 –
4 p.m.
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Now it’s YOUR Turn:
Participant Tastings
|
About Blue Ridge Food Ventures
Blue Ridge Food Ventures is an 11,000 square-foot shared-use
kitchen and natural products manufacturing facility that offers support in
product development, guidance through the maze of government regulations,
equipment for bottling and packaging, advice on marketing and label design, and
much more. Since its launch by the nonprofit AdvantageWest Economic Development
Group nearly a decade ago, Blue Ridge Food Ventures has helped more than 230
businesses get their start, many with distribution across the U.S. More
information is available at www.blueridgefoodventures.org.
About Asheville Center For Professional Studies
The Asheville Center for Professional Studies is the premier
career and professional development training site for Western North Carolina.
Affiliated with the Education and Entrepreneurial Development Foundation,
the Center specializes in leadership / management, information technology,
entrepreneurship, performance improvement, career development training, and
professional / technical, Lean/Six-sigma, and CEU/PDH certification. For more
information, contact Katherine Morosani at KatherineMorosani@abtech.edu or
(828) 398-7100.
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