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Food Biz Blog

Food Entrepreneur Discussions is open to individuals who would like to share news and comments with the Food Biz Startup community. Comments and link backs are welcomed. Join in the discussion!

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  • 09-Mar-10 07:40 | John Henry Wells (administrator)
    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.

  • 05-Mar-10 21:31 | John Henry Wells (administrator)
    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.
  • 04-Mar-10 14:28 | John Henry Wells (administrator)

    (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.

  • 02-Mar-10 07:18 | K. David Marple
    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
  • 10-Feb-10 22:10 | John Henry Wells (administrator)
    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 

  • 25-Jan-10 22:08 | John Henry Wells (administrator)
    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.
  • 17-Nov-09 13:30 | John Henry Wells (administrator)
    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.
    091117-Almonds.jpg

  • 17-Nov-09 12:00 | John Henry Wells (administrator)

    UPC-A barcode imageImage 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.

    Related articles by Zemanta

    Other Links

    • GS1 Manufacturer Prefix Database
    http://gepir.gs1.org/V31/xx//gtin.aspx?Lang=en-US
  • 06-Nov-09 11:08 | John Henry Wells (administrator)
    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
  • 03-Nov-09 16:53 | Midori Karasawa
    I have been seeking Organic, HACCP and Gluten Free certified co-packers that can produce frozen foods in Oregon and Washington areas for the past 2 months, but no success... Does anyone recommend start up friendly reputable co-packers in the area? Any leads would be greatly appreciated!
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