Food Biz Startup LLC Food Biz Blog

The Sassafras Adventure So Far

Tricia Butler — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:17:31 GMT

Hi all,

I thought I would share my story of where I am in the process of getting my products to market. I started in the Spring of 2009 by going through the Getting Your Recipe to Market class and producing a line of single serving frozen savory pies. The pies were a hit when I made them for friends, but freezing and packaging them presented some issues. After spending time looking at our cost of goods, I realized that they were too expensive to create, and the best thing to do was abandon the products altogether. Lesson learned: always know your costs.

I then went back to an idea I had in 2003 to produce a line of organic chutneys and relishes. I grew up making and eating them, and I knew that they were unique to the Northwest (and delicious!), so I started canning and testing them out at a small farmers market. They were successful, so I kept making more and more every time the main ingredients were in season. I would have liked this process to move along faster, but I'm committed to using local and seasonal produce - you can only produce so much in short time frames (ex: figs may be in season 4-5 weeks out of the year, so you have to capitalize on that time period or wait until the next year).

I'm now learning about how to balance a commitment to local and seasonal vs. cost of goods. We prefer to work directly with small farmers, so they may or may not have the produce you are looking for at the price you want to buy it. Foodhub has helped us connect online with farmers, and the Farmer Chef Connection has become our "not to miss" event in the Spring - I don't know how I lived without this website and event before now. Yet when the cost of ingredients goes up, you have to make some hard decisions. Just this year I had to increase our product price by one dollar.

We now have a decent inventory of product built up and have tested the viability of our products at local markets, so I think the time has come to expand into some larger stores. Our current focus is re-tooling our labels to include UPC codes and more information about expiration dates.

We will see where this takes us - hopefully I can come back in six months to a year and report on sales, distribution, etc.

Best of luck in starting your food business. Add your story to this blog so we can all benefit from it!

Tricia Butler
Sassafras Southern Kitchen
www.sassafrassouthernkitchen.com

Shared Space

Cameron MacMullin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:59:50 GMT

Looking to share a space if anyone has one available or is interested in going in on one. Must be gluten-free for our product.

Please call: 503.432.9754

Or email: cameron.macmullin@gmail.com

Cameron

Brazi Bites, LLC

Co-Packer

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:22:36 GMT

Hello!

I will be contacting co-packers for my Feta Spread product. Does anyone have some advice as to what kinda of markup I am looking at once I start using a co-packer?

I wanted to at least have an idea as to what kinda of profit margin I will be looking at.

Thanks!!!!

Commercial Kitchen

Jackie Brown — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:31:31 GMT

I am looking to share a commercial kitchen with someone in the Hillsboro/Beaverton area. I am having a challenge with researching available kitchens in my area. Anybody have any suggestion?

Commercial Kitchen with Gelatto/Ice Cream Machine

K. David Marple — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:44:10 GMT

Howdy,

The title says it all (almost). I'm not looking for a soft serve machine, but rather a commercial kitchen with an ice cream machine & a blast freezer.

If you don't know the difference between a soft serve & a machine designed for producing ice cream to be frozen & consumed later here is an easy way to tell, because you may be using a kitchen with just such a machine & not know it. If it looks like it could/would dispense 2 flavors or 3 for a swirl, then it is a soft serve. Even if it looks like it will dispense one flavor it most likely is a soft serve as well, because when making ice cream to be frozen in pints/quarts/gallons you remove the ice cream in large quantity...sometimes there is a small ramp where the ice cream would come out.

Thanks so much for keeping an eye out or if you already know of one.

K. David Marple
opossum at rocketmail dot com

Where is the World is the Wild Alice Bar

John Henry Wells — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:07:57 GMT

Hello all,

The Milwaukie Farmer's market has begun! Come visit me Sundays, between 9:30 and 2:00 p.m in downtown Milwaukie for some Wild Alice Bars and chit chat. :-)

Also, Wild Alice Bars are now available at the very relaxing and cozy Columbia River Gorge Guest House in Washougal, WA. I highly recommend going there for a retreat and a visit with its wonderful hosts, Steve and Elsie. It's far enough away from civilization to feel like you're out in nature. It's close to hiking (the Cape Horn hike), rock climbing (the Ozone Wall), and it's only 18 miles away from Portland/Vancouver area. Check it out at from my Wild Alice Bar Sightings page at www.wildalicebar.com under Washington sightings.

Lastly, check out the documentary, "Deep Green" by producer, director, writer, Matt Briggs, coming to the Bagdad Theater in June. Please read below.

Thanks.

Wild Alice

Alice Tarachow
Wild Alice Enterprises, LLC
www.wildalicebar.com
503-313-1141

Scales and Banances

John Henry Wells — Fri, 14 May 2010 13:41:51 GMT

Weighing out all your ingredients is essential in developing a product formulation.

I checked around this morning and found that the go-to places for scales in the Portland are:

A-1 Scales

2330 NW Raleigh St. Portland OR 97210
http://abm.a1.industequip.goods.officelive.com/food.aspx

Phone: 503-248-0711

Dunay Scales Systems
PO Box 1588, Beaverton, OR 97075
http://www.scalesandweighing.com/scalefinder.html
Phone 503-644-8271

My sense is that you will need to spend between $200-500 for an entry level commercial grade scale. However, there are (or have been in the past) some pretty good kitchen scales from places like Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table (Sur La Table appears to carry the Terrallion Precision 300 Dietary Scale; other searches of this model indicated that it can measure to 0.1 g)

Another, approach might be to pursue a Jewelry Balance (also called pocket scales/balances) for smaller measurement amount requiring more accuracy (http://pocket-balances.com/acculab/pocket%2Bscales.html) combined with a kitchen scale for larger mass measurements.

A couple of scale and balance websites that I found are:

Garden Green Garbanzo Beans in Costco

John Henry Wells — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:32:30 GMT

We have the opportunity to place our Garden Green Garbanzos™ in select Costco stores this week. Check them out on our website: <http://www.clearwatercountry.com/> They will be offered in the produce section of Costco's in Seattle, South Center, Kirkland, Issaquah, Everett, Woodinville, Silverdale, Aloha, Eugene, Spokane, Clackamas, Bend, Tigard,Vancouver, & Albany.

It’s pretty exciting, but scarey at the same time. We really need your help. Please send this to anyone/ everyone you know in Seattle, Everett,
Portland, Eugene, Bend, and Spokane areas. If they would please send onto 20 friends and relatives and ask for recipients to do the same. I know it’s a lot to ask & kind of crazy, but it’s grassroots marketing at it's purest! Thanks so much. Doug & Judy

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/apr/07/garbanzos-going-green-at-costco-stores/

April 7, 2010 in Food Section
Garbanzos going green at Costco stores
Lorie Hutson The Spokesman-Review

Tags: Costco fresh sheet

We all know garbanzo beans. The dried, blond beans, aka chickpeas, are fantastic in hummus and other Mediterranean dishes. Right?
Starting tomorrow, Costco shoppers will get a chance to try garbanzos that are a little bit different – they’re green.
Sixteen Costco warehouse stores in Washington and Oregon will begin carrying Garden Green Garbanzos from Doug Moser and Clearwater Country Foods of Genesee, Idaho.
On Saturday, the green garbanzos will be offered among the samples at both Costco locations in Spokane, 5601 E. Sprague Ave. and 7619 N. Division St., where they will be sold. The beans are not being introduced in the Coeur d’Alene store right now.
The garbanzo beans are harvested fresh and flash frozen. Eating the fresh beans is not unheard of, but they are generally only available seasonally in areas where they’re grown.
Moser suggests serving the fresh beans as a side to entrees, in green and pasta salads or pureed into dips and spreads. The beans can also be added to soups or seasoned and served as snacks.
Think of it as something like eating fresh soybeans, or edamame. There is a host of recipes available on the company’s Web site (www.clearwater country.us) and a few on the package.
Pick up next Wednesday’s food section for the full story on Moser, a fourth-generation Palouse farmer, and the long road from growing garbanzos to innovating a way to harvest the beans while they’re green to getting the Garden Green Garbanzos to the market.

We’re always looking for fresh food news. Write to:

The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call (509) 459-5446 Fax to (509) 459-5098 or send an e-mail to

lorieh@spokesman.com.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************Also

Check out:

Face Book - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Genesee-ID/Clearwater-Country-Foods/112366428778981?ref=ts

Twitter – https://twitter.com/clearwaterfoodsWeb-site: http://www.clearwatercountry.us

Food Entrepreneur's Wanted

John Henry Wells — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:56:24 GMT

I am interested in interviewing a food entrepreneurs for an article series to be published in a regional newspaper.

What is a food entrepreneur? Anyone who makes and sells a homemade or commercially made food product i.e. jams, jellies, pickled veggies, seasoning mix, pasta sauce, sausages etc. I am also interested in home-based bakery owners, cake decorators, pound cake makers who bake from home and sell to the public or to a food distributor.

Please email me with details about your business, full name, phone number and email. I am particularly interested in the journey of your start-up from kitchen to market. My email is denay@cookingwithdenay.com. Contact with any questions.

Thank you!

p.s. A photo of your product(s) is recommended.

Solstice Bakery Rolls Out New Product Line

Reiner Bohlen — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:59:11 GMT

Greetings everyone!

We're proud to announce a new product line to the family: Solstice "Rice Hippie Treats"

It's a fun new line of vegan Rice Krispie Treats with no gluten-containing ingredients, and comes in 3 flavors:

* Chocolate Mint
* Lemon Ginger
* Cherry Dreamsicle

The press release just went live today:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/03/prweb3771744.htm

Join us on our facebook fan page for ongoing contests to win a free Solstice Six Pack, or check out our new online store with customizable cases and lower minimum orders (www.solsticebars.com)

Cheers!

Reiner

Co-Founder, Solstice Bakery

Available Kitchen Share

John Henry Wells — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:46:16 GMT

Dan Pitman has a tenant that is offering a 1/3 share in a commercial kitchen. It is located in SE at Clay and 3^rd. It is a fully equipped kitchen of 1600 sq ft. The rent is $800/mo plus 1/3 utilities. The contact is Sharon Bailey with Potluck in the Park at 503-890-6419.

Alan W Stubbs

Business Finance Officer
Portland Development Commission
Urban Development Dept - Business & Industry
503-823-3199
503-865-3805 fax
www.pdc.us

Divina Sangria: Enjoy Life!

John Henry Wells — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:52:29 GMT

Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) extended congratulations to Divina Sangria for winning the Seed -Stage investment award for OEN Angel Oregon! via Twitter announcement.

On an earlier posting to the OEN blog (http://community.oen.org/blogs/oen_blog/2010/03/03/divina-sangria-enjoy-life) Divina Sangria's business was sized up to its competition.

Divina Sangria founder Maria Corbinos never planned to start a beverage company. She moved to the United States from her native Barcelona, Spain, to complete an MBA.
     On March 5, Divina Sangria – also known as Enjoy Life LLC – will compete with seven other seed-stage finalists at OEN’s Angel Oregon, in hopes of winning a $25,000 investment prize.
     Divina Sangria was sparked by Maria's desire to "enjoy a little bit of Spain in the U.S. in the form of sangria," a traditional Spanish drink made with premium wine, fruit and a few secret ingredients. Maria brought sangria to gatherings with friends and colleagues, made according to the recipe her family has used for more than four generations.
     "Friends and family kept asking why I didn't sell the product," Maria says. "I also realized there is an underserved market of female consumers looking for a high-quality alternative to wine and beer."
A Business is Born
     Maria enrolled in the "Getting your Recipe to Market" course taught at Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center in Portland.
     Faced with the choice of taking a new job or pursuing her own business, "I chose to start Divina Sangria. With our authentic sangria recipe rooted in more than 150 years of family tradition, we are confident that we have a differentiated value product for our target audience."
     Maria and her business partner, Magdy Salama, shared their business idea with friends, who encouraged them to start bringing the sangria to celebrations as a kind of market test.
     "People liked it so much that I started receiving calls to check what time I – and my sangria! – would be arriving at celebrations and events," Maria says. "It was always gone very fast. The product was hot!"
     Maria's and Magdy’s friends started taking bottles of sangria to events, and people kept asking where they could buy it. This confirmed for the partners that they were filling a real gap in the beverage market.
     "We tested our sangria with beverage and wine experts and specialty stores such as New Seasons Market, and received very positive feedback about the taste, branding, and market opportunity," Maria says. “It is the ideal product for the retailers to cross-sell with fresh fruit, starters, chips and dips.”
     High-end catering services, bars, and restaurants are also enthusiastic about Divina Sangria. “Managers at Jake’s Famous Crawfish and Jake’s Grill told us Divina is a wonderful stand-alone drink and fantastic base for amazing cocktails. They are waiting for us to launch the product.”
Getting the Details Right
     Starting a food business – and especially, an alcohol-related business – is rife with bureaucracy. But Maria says there’s an advantage to those hurdles: They pose a barrier to entry for potential competitors.
     Maria and Magdy worked with the Food Innovation Center to craft a manufacturing process that would allow them to ramp production as demand increases. “Their guidance and expertise helped us very much in achieving our production goals,” Maria says.
     Maria and Magdy are in the process of securing their trademark and have been attending trade shows. “The Fancy Food Show in San Francisco was a proof point,” says Maria. There the partners saw how well their sangria compared with other new food products. They also observed that appreciation of Spanish cuisine and beverages is still growing.
Building a Board
     “Our brightest green light was the interest from highly regarded professionals,” says Maria. Divina Sangria’s advisory board now includes Evan Bellinger, who’s responsible for managing 15 vineyards; Lisa Herlinger, owner and founder of Ruby Jewel ice cream, which distributes products in 10 states; and Sarah Masoni, who has more than 30 years’ experience in food product development.
The Next Step: OEN’s Angel Oregon
     With so much encouragement and validation from food and beverage experts, it’s time to raise capital. Angela Jackson, a well-known Portland investor, recommended that Divina Sangria apply for Angel Oregon.
     "Angela had reviewed our business plan several months ago and believed in the product, the company, and the team," Maria says. "The next thing we knew, we were finalists! This gave us a boost of energy."
     Divina Sangria has received assistance from other Oregon Entrepreneurs Network members, too.
     “Irving Levin has been a great support in connecting us with key professionals in the wine industry,” Maria said. “Abe Cable and Angela reviewed our business plan and provided valuable advice.”
     It was a former Hewlett Packard Co. executive who recommended Maria and Magdy join OEN: Michael Thompson, an OEN member who was María ’s manager at HP a dozen years ago. Maria is now a volunteer with OEN’s education committee.
Divina Sangria’s Competitive Advantages
     The market has already accepted other companies’ versions of sangria, including Bacardi’s “Silver Signature Sangria” and even a sangria-flavored chewing gum. Tapas and other Spanish dishes are still growing in popularity, and sangria is the perfect accompaniment to Spanish cuisine as well as other cuisines.
     Divina Sangria is not only launching at the right time, it also has the advantage of a personable spokeswoman: Maria, a modern Spanish woman rooted in strong tradition who exemplifies the Spanish love of good food and drink.
     “Magdy and I are motivated by sharing our Spanish culture and heritage with the American people,” Maria says.
The partners are highly motivated by the prospect of delivering a great return for investors. They also want to help local food banks and the American Cancer Society.
     “That will be our success,” Maria says, “when we can deliver a higher-than-promised return on investment, and contribute to our local community.”

Source OEN: http://community.oen.org/blogs/oen_blog/2010/03/03/divina-sangria-enjoy-life.

Wild Alice Bar Sightings in the Pearl

John Henry Wells — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:32:45 GMT

Hello all. Here's an update of Wild Alice Bar sightings and Wild Alice Bar events coming up.

Update:

If you are ever in the Pearl District, such as First Thursday, and you're hungry for a Wild Alice Bar, stop in at Seven Planet in Chinatown at NW 4th and Couch: http://www.sevenplanet.com/

Events:

Saturday, March 13th, from 11:00 to 2:00 pm: Food Front in NW at 2375 NW Thurman St. is having a Local Food Artisan Day.

Saturday, March 20th, from 3:00 to 6:00 pm: Whole Foods on E. Burnside and 28th is having a Gluten-Free Food Fair.

This is a big one: Saturday, March 27th, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm: The Better Living Show will be at the Expo Center. http://betterlivingshow.org/

Hope to see you there. Thanks.

Wild Alice

Alice Tarachow
Wild Alice Enterprises, LLC
www.wildalicebar.com
503-313-1141

Do something wild. Eat something wild.

Sassafras Catering Introduces Five New Products at PSU Farmers Market

John Henry Wells — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:29:33 GMT

(Portland, Ore.) Sassafras Catering will introduce its new line of five artisanal relishes, chutneys, and preserves at the PSU Farmer's Market later this month. "We're very excited that the tasting jury picked us to be one of the vendors at the Farmer's Market," says Tricia Butler, proprietor. "Out of 660 vendors who applied for a spot, only 140 were accepted. We can't wait to show up on opening day and introduce our products!"

This year marks the first time Sassafras Catering has been invited to join the PSU Farmer's Market in downtown Portland. The market opens its 2010 season on Saturday, March 20. The five new products Sassafras Catering will sell are Sunchoke Relish, Fig Preserves, Windfall Apple Chutney, Peach-Cranberry Chutney, and Watermelon Rind Pickles. All of these products are made by hand in small batches in Portland, Oregon, using ingredients from local growers. Here's more about each of them:

Sunchoke Relish: Sunchokes, aka "Jerusalem Artichokes" are the star ingredient in this tangy, crunchy relish, inspired by a recipe from the South Carolina Lowcountry. Pair with a sharp cheese and crackers or bread as an appetizer, or chop ﬁnely and mix into deviled eggs or potato salad instead of mustard. http://www.sassafrascatering.com/home/our-food/sunchoke-relish/

Fig Preserves: Made from locally grown figs, Fig Preserves are one of Sassafras Catering's most versatile products. Serve as part of an appetizer or on a charcuterie plate, paired with cheeses, or serve it with dessert warmed and poured over ice cream. Add a spoonful to your morning oatmeal or spread onto of a pork loin or chop just before it's finished cooking. http://www.sassafrascatering.com/home/our-food/fig-preserves/

Windfall Apple Chutney: This chutney is made with local apples in small batches, along with chunks of apricots and candied ginger. Mix it into chicken salad with curry, grapes, and toasted nuts, or pair it with melted Brie and serve with crackers. http://www.sassafrascatering.com/home/our-food/apple-chutney/

Peach & Cranberry Chutney: Tastes great on pulled pork, on grilled salmon, and in turkey sandwiches.

Watermelon Rind Pickles: Add them to a charcuterie plate and as a tasty alternative to ordinary pickles. It's perfect in tuna salad, as a garnish to deviled eggs, or in a Bloody Mary.

Commercial Kitchen

K. David Marple — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:46:38 GMT

Howdy,

I have seen several posts from people looking to share or rent a commercial kitchen. I am interested in space in one as well, but am in the stage of very limited production.

I am interested in one with the ability to produce gelato/ice-cream & am wondering what I could expect to be paying.

Are these contracts based on per hour, day or month?

A nudge in the right direction would be most appreciated, I don't think anyone here has made it to this point by being hand fed & I will not as well.

Thank you,

K. David Marple

Commercial Kitchen Space in Portland

John Henry Wells — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:12:42 GMT

Hi guys,

I learned of a nicecommercial kitchen space available in St Johns now that Dovetail Bakery has moved into her own space. Contact is Roy Carmen, NW Commercial Contractors, 503.534.9500, nwcommercial@comcast.net - Tell him Christy Hall sent you (my client) who is also a tenant of his, she'll get points.

Also. Berhane Sebhatu, a PDC client, has a kitchen that was for sublease at off hours that is pretty nice, on MLK, contact by phone: (503) 288-8585.

Bridget Bayer, 503.290.4377
Small Business Development Center

Wild Alice Bars

John Henry Wells — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:09:05 GMT

Hi Everybody,

Wild Alice Bars is now on Facebook! Here's the link to become a fan: http://www.facebook.com/gettingstarted.php#/pages/Wild-Alice-Bars/416393335458?ref=ts

Thanks.

Wild Alice

Alice Tarachow
Wild Alice Enterprises, LLC
www.wildalicebar.com
503-313-1141

Do something wild. Eat something wild.

What difference does processing make on nuts?

John Henry Wells — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:48 GMT

One of the ways to assess the impact that processing has on raw agricultural ingredients is to use standard nutrition database values for comparison. In the below example I have used NutritionData.com to determine the nutritional content for same mass amount of plain almonds compared with the same both dry roasted and oil roasted almonds.

While dry roasting could have an impact on a product's moisture content, the actual quantity of minerals (and nutrient compounds) are not destroyed during heating. Thus the percentage change in nutrient component expressed in the familiar Nutrition Facts is a result of loss of moisture (a concentration effect for the remainder of the constituents originally in the nut). On the other hand, oil roasting could result in a combination of moisture loss and oil absorption.

How do I obtain a UPC bar code?

John Henry Wells — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:03:12 GMT

Image via Wikipedia

Assignment of UPC codes are coordinated by GS1 (http://gs1.org/barcodes/need_a_bar_code). Obtaining a Universal Product Code (i.e. UPC barcode) is a two step process:

1) Apply for membership with the GS1 US (formerly Uniform Code Council) to obtain a registered prefix that identifies you as product manufacturer and to reserve a range of suffix numbers that you will assign to your various products; and
2) Secure a method to print the UPC as part of your label design.

GS1 US is the sole organization that maintains the standard usages for the UPC as part of the global standard of information and data exchange. Your application to GS1 US will secure a unique prefix portion of the UPC for your company and reserve 100 continuous product suffix numbers into the future. At that point you can then purchase additional prefixes to reserve more product numbers.

There are various UPC brokers that will sell you a single UPC number, but I would beware of the following:
(A) brokers may offer as their primary service may printing or data collection (or something else) and not actually UPC maintenance, and
(B) brokers may be leave you responsible for GS1 membership and subscription fees at the time of your annual renewal.

Also when using a broker you get only one number and have to purchase additional single numbers for each product. In using UPC numbers in a grocer’s database you will need different numbers for each item, flavor, size, etc. and you may be required to place a UPC number on secondary (or case) packaging with different UPC numbers for each different case size.

My recommendation is that you secure UPC registration by application with GS1 US (see http://barcodes.gs1us.org) and work with someone who can produce a high resolution jpeg graphic of the UPC that can be used in your label design and printing.

The GS1 US application approach will cost more initially than purchasing bar codes one at a time from a broker, but in the end it could save you time and money.

Kieth Kulberg - Got his Recipe to Market

John Henry Wells — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:12:55 GMT

Hello friends from Recipe to Market,

I wanted to let you know we have finally launched this week at New Seasons Market!   Believe it or not I put in five months hard work getting ready for this since June 30. It seems that if something could go wrong it did - from a failed Willamette valley bean harvest that forced a last minute change of suppliers and a label redesign, to ink, adhesive problems to mis-printed lids. We barely got all the pieces together the day before we needed to go into production.

I went to Pack Expo in Las Vegas and learned a lot about packing equipment and bought a label applicator. I brought back lists of equipment suppliers for various types of products which I am giving to John Henry Wells to post on Food Biz Startup. My hope is that this information might save other food entrepreneurs time to locate any equipment you need.

I would really appreciate if you could stop by your nearest New Seasons to try out one or more of our products. The early days of a product launch are critical and your support to generate early sales movement would be most appreciated.

We are making three products currently:
     Skillet Refried Black Beans,
     Skillet Refried Red Beans and
     Oregon Organic Whole Black Beans (from the Snake River valley)

If you would like to learn more see
http://www.betterbeanco.com
For locations of New Seasons Stores see:
      http://www.betterbeanco.com/wheretobuy.html

Keith

--
Keith Kullberg, Proprietor
The Better Bean Company
m: +1.503.310.0123
w: www.betterbeanco.com