The Virginia Foodie

I’m sure many of you can relate to this!

We've all been through those big moments that suddenly shake up our lives and make us rethink everything – it could be an unexpected illness, a family emergency, a career setback, or even a surprise accident. These are the moments that can turn our world upside down in the blink of an eye.

As a marketer, I totally get how these life-altering events can throw entrepreneurs into a loop. So, let's talk about what we, as entrepreneurs, should do when life hits us with significant moments. How can we deal with these disruptions and keep our businesses moving forward, or sometimes, knowing when it's okay to hit the pause button? The key here is having solid plans ready for unexpected business disruptions.

I recommend taking time now, before a crisis, to develop a three-tiered plan coded green, yellow, and red like a traffic signal. Green represents your desired state, yellow is your caution zone, and red is the folder you may never want to open, but is there to guide you through the toughest of all decisions.

As a leader of my own small business, I completely get how tough it can be to face these situations. But here's the silver lining: having a well-thought-out plan can actually make it a lot easier to navigate these challenging moments. It's like having a trusted friend to guide you through, providing a clear sense of direction and a roadmap to follow when the unexpected comes knocking.

And now, I'd like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for joining me on this year's journey. As we approach the end of 2023, I want to let you know that this marks the final episode of the Good Food Marketing podcast. But hey, it's not goodbye – it's more of a 'see you later'!

Keep on growing and innovating with your amazing good food businesses!

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Hitting that low sales number without a plan can often instill panic, causing you to grab whatever comes your way which may not be the right kind of partner for a healthy, thriving business. - Georgiana Dearing
Creating your own color-coded plan is a way to decide what items are the most important to you about your business, then you get to make a plan that provides solutions that fit your style. - Georgiana Dearing
Facing tough decisions is never fun, but when you've left yourself a road map, It gets a little bit easier. - Georgiana Dearing
Even if it's just a short-run miniature product line, please make sure it's profitable. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

It is not common for Entrepreneurs to encounter life events that can abruptly shift their priorities
The three-tiered plan – coded green, yellow, and red – is used to deal with life events and business planning
- Green stands for your ideal business model
- Yellow represents your alert stage
- Red is your emergency status defining how to wind it all down
Having plans and roadmaps makes tough decisions a little bit easier
Emily Harpster of Sugarbear Cville demonstrated resilience and innovation during challenging times through creating unique ice cream flavors inspired by a personal life event

Other Resources Mentioned:

SugarBear

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“You don't know what you don't know until you're in it."

Says Emily Harpster in our recent conversation about the growth of her ice cream brand, SugarBear Cville.

And she is right. You really don’t know what you’re getting into unless you try it. No amount of planning and studying will make you totally ready (but of course, careful planning and strategizing will help a lot in managing your business)—because some things will always come as a surprise! Before Emily launched her craft food business, what she didn’t know was how fast her brand would grow, how many flavors she could offer, the number of collaborations she would encounter, and how ice cream is an all-season favorite! But all these are sweet surprises Emily welcomed with open arms, and she’s ready for more!

In the third installment of our “Year of ice cream,” Emily opens up with the challenges that come with the growth of a new brand, how she manages all the rapid changes as a solopreneur, and how ready she is to continuously share the SugarBear Cville brand through many more channels.

It’s really a delight to witness a Good Food brand’s growth and success!

Key Points From This Episode:

Emily Harpster is back on the podcast to talk about the recent improvements of her craft ice cream brand, SugarBear Cville.
SugarBear Cville is a Good Food brand manufacturing ice cream from locally sourced ingredients.
Emily has been able to grow her food brand in part because of support from the tight-knit community of Charlottesville, Virginia.
During the fourth quarter of 2022, Emily realized that summer is not solely the “big season for ice cream.” With the right retail business connections, ice cream can become an all-season bestseller.
Playing with seasonal flavors and themes for the holidays has become Emily’s way to keep SugarBear Cville’s product line interesting and enticing all year round.
Narrowing down the flavors to a standard set plus adding a rotation of seasonal flavors has become a promising strategy for SugarBear Cville to maintain predictable cost controls.
Since one of the missions behind this Good Food brand is to build community, SugarBear Cville has been active in collaborating with other brands and businesses. She recently did a kitchen takeover with Bowerbird Bakeshop, gave the flavor of the month proceeds back to a local nonprofit, and is currently planning a collaboration with Charlottesville High School through their urban farming program.
As a solopreneur, Emily is still learning to balance the growth of her brand and the volume of units she can produce and sell. But she has developed systems that work for her now, and she can adapt them as her company grows.

More About the Guest:Emily Harpster is the owner of SugarBear Cville, a very new, very fun, and very local ice cream brand in Charlottesville, Virginia. They make ice cream from scratch featuring local ingredients sourced throughout Central Virginia.

Connect with Emily Harpster/SugarBear:

Website
Instagram
LinkedIn

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Summer 2020 was not the best, but we found pleasure in simple things: like big scoops of craft ice cream. In this episode, we are talking to the owners of Blue Cow, a craft ice cream business here in Virginia. Husband and wife team Jason and Carolyn Kiser offer their insights on what it takes to run a small food business, and for them, it’s all about sourcing as many of their products as possible locally. Their philosophy is one of using wholesome ingredients that are produced in the area and collaborating with local businesses to create a uniquely local product, thereby not only creating a novel experience for their customers but also promoting the welfare of the community at large. With two locations and a third in the pipeline, the Kisers are excited about their journey ahead, despite the challenges they had during the height of the pandemic. The two also talk about their production facility, their hopes of eventually serving wholesale accounts, and the exciting flavors they are working on for the fall and winter.
Key Points From This Episode:

When they started their business, opening another location, and future expansion plans.
What’s in a name: Why Blue Cow is a nod to the Blue Ridge mountains
Jason talks about the pandemic and their fast pivot from walk-up scoops to take-home pints.
Blue Cow’s expansion to a new production facility.
The Kiser’s philosophy on small-batch ice cream and sourcing the ingredients.
Small batch is really small: including basil sourced from a micro-farm in their neighborhood.
Hear about their key partnerships with local companies and some examples of collaborations.
Jason talks about making small batches and their plans to supply other foodservice outlets.
Their most popular flavors and the new ones to look forward to in each new season.
How their family life and kids inspired them to fill the need for craft ice cream in the area.
How to connect with and become a customer of Blue Cow!

Tweetables:

“Most customers are very understanding of the situation that we are in as well, trying to serve a different way and they are aware of the guidelines and they follow the guidelines for mass requirements such as distancing.” — Jason Kiser [0:06:34]

“Our philosophy to ice cream making is, we want to create a great craft product for our customers to enjoy. In the process of making the ice cream, we want to source our products as close to home as possible. If we do have to buy outside of local, we seek out the best products we can buy through our supply chain.” — Jason Kiser [0:09:19]

Connect with Jason & Carolyn Kiser of Blue Cow Ice Cream:

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co.
Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. on Instagram
Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. on Facebook
Red Rooster Coffee
Three Ships Coffee

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

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Just a few months after our last conversation, Emily Harspter of SugarBear Cville is back on the podcast to give us the latest updates about the progress of her ice cream brand.

It’s truly an adventure, she says, to be a one-woman team who has now grown the brand by partnering with seven individual businesses. But it’s a rollercoaster ride worthy to be enjoyed nonetheless.

In this sweet conversation, Emily will take us on her journey of growing her good food brand, what she is currently doing, and what she is planning next. SugarBear Cville’s story is also a great testament to how significant your community is in growing your business.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

I feel like I figured out a few systems and other things that are going to allow me to grow and aim for this next phase with a little bit more intention. - Emily Harpster
I had this idea to build out a brand that was really a platform for showing off local stuff. - Emily Harpster
[The photographs] sent me down this rabbit hole of realizing I could focus on taking pictures of strong, beautiful people, doing interesting things in and around Charlottesville, and use the tiny light I have to shine a light on their work and what they're up to. - Emily Harpster
These are just unbelievable people doing great things. And I want to celebrate that—some are more visible in the community and people know about it, while some are the kind of quiet thing that doesn't get celebrated as much but is still really incredible. And so I would love to diversify and build out that roster and make it really inclusive, interesting, and engaging. - Emily Harpster

Key Points From This Episode:

A catch-up session to update how SugarBear is doing so far from its launch in 2022 and the initial conversation with the VA Foodie in June.
SugarBear has been able to establish organic relationships to collaborate with seven individual businesses, in part thanks to Charlottesville’s tight-knit local food community.
Production as a one-woman team with seven ice cream outlets is a wild adventure, so figuring out a system that works is vital to the growth of the brand.
Charlottesville’s tight-knit community has also allowed SugarBear to easily find a supply of local ingredients even as the demand for the ice cream has increased.
After trying out 63 different flavors during her first season, SugarBear is now moving to a curated list of flavors. Having a huge variety of flavor offerings, though, has helped in the company’s market research.
SugarBear’s website is still reflecting the changes happening to this small business. The plan, however, is to update the site with beautiful marketing photos of Charlottesville’s locals in an attempt to weave SugarBear into the community and to highlight the beautiful and interesting work and life of the townsmen.
SugarBear has a growing list of wholesale partners: coffee shops, cafes, and wineries, and from here, the ice cream brand is looking for interesting partnerships that are strategically sustainable on both ends.
The next step for the business involves strategizing for these areas: Branding, packaging, marketing, social media, and partnerships.

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One of the scariest (or bravest) things a food brand could do is go straight from a recipe idea to the shelf. No market testing or selling in a specialty store. It’s every startup’s dream - or nightmare if done poorly!

Emily Harpster of SugarBear Cville has done just that, and her story is a great opportunity to learn about a startup retail brand in the very early stages of development. In this episode, we speak about some of the challenges most startup food brands face and why vision and determination play a huge role in achieving and sustaining success.

SugarBear is off to a good start, thanks to some careful plans Emily put in place for her product development. And it’s paid off so far – her ice cream quickly caught the attention of ice cream aficionados like me and other local establishments who are committed to living the good food, good people, good brand life.

Emily has graciously offered to keep us up to date with her progress as she tackles the challenge of building a strong regional brand. Listen to learn more about the behind-the-scenes and ups and downs of a locally sourced retail packaged food brand. It’s a rare opportunity to watch a new brand grow from its literal beginnings in retail, and you’ll get the inside scoop from a ringside seat.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Ice cream is a thing that really makes people happy. - Emily Harpster
Ice cream is a little bit disarming and really charming. A lot of times, when I share with people that I do ice cream, they want to tell me about their favorite ice cream memories or a happy story or their favorite flavor. And it's a really wonderful moment to have. - Emily Harpster
When you're running a scoop shop, you're running a restaurant. It's a location, it's the interior design, it's the staffing, and then you have to get the foot traffic. It's a whole different way to market your business. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Charlottesville has a growing food scene that is beginning to rival nearby Richmond, Virginia.
SugarBear is carried by a fan favorite over on vafoodie.com, Maribette Cafe and Petite Maribette.
It’s essential to connect with like-minded brands to help establish your brand.
Startups with an eye at grocery retail should consider SugarBear’s approach and go straight to packaged retail products bypassing farmer’s market and pop-up shops.
Watching a new brand grow from its literal beginnings in retail is a chance to uncover answers to those burning questions:
- What makes a startup tick?
- What choices do startups face?
- What marketing challenges do they need to overcome during the first year as a startup food manufacturer?
Having a clear vision and determination can shift a dream to a goal with an actionable business plan.

More About the Guest:

Emily Harpster is the owner of SugarBear Cville, a very new, very fun and very local ice cream brand out of Charlottesville, Virginia. They make ice cream from scratch featuring central Virginia ingredients.

Connect with Emily Harpster/SugarBear

Website
Instagram
LinkedIn

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

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The Virginia Foodie on Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
VA Foodie on Twitter

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“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” says a popular adage.

We like to think we can see past a first impression, but that’s not always the case. And in CPG sales, it’s rarely true. Plenty of shopper research shows how fickle consumers can be right at the last moment of putting your products into their cart – whether it’s in real life or online.

Your packaging has to do some heavy lifting: Your entire brand story needs to be available for split-second decisions. Packaging is the silent salesman for your brand; it’s there to speak for you when you aren’t around.

In almost two years of podcasting, I’ve found my guests open and generous with their insights into the good food industry. Packaging is a topic that has come up time and again. In this episode, I’ve pulled several clips that speak directly to the challenges small food brands face: design, budget, and getting shoppers’ attention.

I’m sharing tips about conducting market research before you begin a design project, new technology that is accessible to small brands, ways to extend your mission of sustainability into your packaging choices, leading your packaging design process with your brand strategy, and how a package redesign project directly impacted the sales success of a small regional brand.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Packaging is your silent salesman. Your package design needs to tell your brand story when you aren't there to explain it to the shopper. - Georgiana Dearing
Confusing your audience and making it hard for them to use your product is never a good idea no matter the cost savings. - Georgiana Dearing

Links to the Full Episodes:

Sharing the Joy of Pasta with Chef Stephanie Fees
Packaging 101 with The Packaging Chic
Scrumptious and Sustainable Cookie Biz | Julie Strange
Reach For It! Product Packaging Secrets with Watermark Design Packaging
Elevating Home Bartending | Crescent Simples
Strategy-Led, Design-Driven Branding with Steve Redmond of Rival Brands
Is Your Packaging Helping or Hurting Your Sales?

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Marketing Made Easy

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Your website is one of a good food brand’s biggest investments. It is the research hub for both consumers and retail buyers alike. In an industry fraught with ever-thinning margins, it is easy for you to worry that you aren’t getting a big return on that big marketing spend.

It may help to consider your website part of a complete marketing system where all communication channels work together. This is where the concept of evergreen content comes into play. “Evergreen” content is writing or imagery that is used beyond a single project. That’s why they’re evergreen—they’re perpetual.

But if websites are the most evergreen content, how do you spread that spend across your other communications channels? By repurposing the foundational text to other channels.

I get it, though. You got into this business to make food and share it with people. It can be overwhelming to decide what to focus on or know how to choose a vendor partner to help you complete your marketing projects.

In episodes 75and77, I’ve talked you through the ways you can the ROI of your photography and writing assets. Now, in this third and last episode of our conversation about evergreen content, I’ll share with you tips on extending the life of your website content, because your primary web pages should be the most evergreen content of all.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Evergreen content is writing or imagery that you create that is used beyond a single project. The opposite of evergreen content is trending content. - Georgiana Dearing
You definitely want to use trending topics, especially when they're appropriate for your brand, but you shouldn't spend too much time or money on fleeting messages. The core of your marketing investment should be in content that reaches as far as it can. - Georgiana Dearing
A website is one of the biggest investments a brand can make, and your primary web pages should be the most evergreen content of all. - Georgiana Dearing
It's very, very easy to spend a lot of money on marketing projects that end up not earning you any money later. You sort of just start throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks if you head off without a strategy. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Evergreen content refers to content—whether through writing or imagery—which you create and is used beyond a single project.
Trending content is the opposite of evergreen content, and while trends are useful for certain brands and for a period of time, you shouldn’t spend too much time or money on fleeting messages.
Your website is the biggest investment that you can make and is a primary source for your evergreen content.
In order to maximize the return on your website investment, partner with creative vendors who will add value to your brand story.

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

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VA Foodie on Twitter
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Marketing Made Easy

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One of the missions that Good Food brands strive for is sustainability. But in order to foster sustainability, especially in the field of agriculture—the genesis of the Good Food movement, we need to support the ones who cultivate it: our farmers. While farmers are undoubtedly great at growing fresh and healthy produce, finding sustainableways for their products to reach the tables of their target market isn’t always an innate skill.

This is where Myrna Greenfield comes into play as the “good egg”who helps farms and farmers in need. As the “top egg”of Good Egg Marketing, a company she hatched in 2010 that offers professional advice to small food-related businesses and other non-profit organizations. Over the years, Myrna has worked with several farmers, and she discovered one common problem: planning their marketing strategy can be daunting for farmers.

In this episode, Myrna shares some practical marketing solutions that farmers and other small businesses can use to build loyal customers and increase revenue.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

The simplest possible advice you could give is to create a consistent look for your labels. - Myrna Greenfield
If you’re doing a particular promo, you can send them to a particular landing page on your website. - Myrna Greenfield
I enjoy being in this sector and getting a chance to work with the small producers and help them figure out ways to tell their stories more effectively. - Myrna Greenfield

Key Points From This Episode:

Good Egg Marketing hatched from Myrna Greenfield’s idea to combine marketing services for farms, farm markets, and food-related brands.
Farmers are the clients closest to Myrna’s heart as she appreciates the work that goes into the farms.
Justamere Tree Farm’s label is one of the examples of how she applied simple and effective tweaks for the business.
Myrna’s speed marketing plan fits farms that may get overwhelmed with developing marketing plans.

Other Resources Mentioned:

Book
Website

More About the Guest:Marketing Your Farm author, Myrna Greenfield, is the “Top Egg” at Good Egg Marketing, a Massachusetts-based business that offers sales and marketing strategies, branding, and digital services for farms and food companies, small businesses, and non-profits. Greenfield hatched Good Egg in 2010 to promote good food and good causes. She’s taught workshops and provided services to more than one thousand farmers.

Connect with Myrna Greenfield/Good Egg Marketing:

LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

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VA Foodie website
VA Foodie Instagram
VA Foodie on Twitter
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Marketing Made Easy

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“But I don’t know what to SAY about my brand!”

That’s a common complaint of food brand managers. As a food producer, you are probably very creative in the kitchen, but for most people, one area of creative expertise doesn’t always extend to writing.

Food bloggers, influencers, recipe developers, writers, writing dashboards and marketing experts are all place you may consider spending marketing dollars to get your brand story told. There are so many options, it’s hard to wade through the choices.

So in today’s episode, I talk about how and where to invest in writing for your marketing content, and ways to extend the reach of your budget by planning for and leveraging evergreen topics.

Evergreen content can live beyond the initial investment – evergreen topics can be repurposed time and again over the life of your product line. It’s an excellent way to the maximum return on your investment in marketing. You can learn more about evergreen photography decisions in Episode 75.

Check out the full episode to learn how, where, and when to invest in several types of writing partners..

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

When looking to work with food bloggers, look for bloggers who are a good fit for your brand. - Georgiana Dearing
Before you sign any contracts with a food blogger, ask for use rights for the recipe and the photographs. - Georgiana Dearing
It's a confusing industry. So, you’d want someone who can add insights to your brand, not someone that you’d need to educate. - Georgiana Dearing
Never consider paying an influencer with free products. - Georgiana Dearing
A food blogger who posts on their site can help raise awareness of your brand to a new audience and provide validated backlinks to your site, which helps improve your organic SEO search results. - Georgiana Dearing
One way to get evergreen content is to form a relationship with a writer who will develop your brand story over multiple posts. - Georgiana Dearing
Hiring a marketing expert is going to be your biggest investment but don't let the price scare you away. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Explore these written content investments to upscale your website and business:
- Food Bloggers
- Recipe Developers
- Paid Writing
- Marketing Experts
Food bloggers offer unique content and viewer traffic that links from their site to yours.
Recipe developers are direct hires whose contents stay within your domain.
Professional writers have different expertise levels and areas.
It is more cost-saving to hire from a writing dashboard over time.
Marketing experts focus on strategizing content to drive your sales goals

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

VA Foodie website
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VA Foodie Instagram
VA Foodie on Twitter
Work with George Dearing
Marketing Made Easy

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I’ve discovered a new word—salad-centric! And I’m excited to share its meaning with you, as well as its inventor, Kat Johnson, aka Kat the Farmer.

When I first heard the word, I wondered how can a business be so specifically centered on salad. What does it take to run a farm that produces naturally grown crops and herbs while also managing a business that creates packaged value-added food products?

In this episode, Kat shares with us how she grows and makes all things salad-connected. This conversation is a walkthrough of her ways and means as a solopreneur: from farming salad crops organically, to making salad dressings, bringing quality products to market, undertaking the standards of being a Certified Naturally Grown brand, and most importantly, living out the Good Food mission.
Virginia Foodie Essentials:

I grow and make things that belong in salads. So everything I grow is tailored to that genre of food and eating. I grow salad crops and herbs. I make salad dressings and I also prepare salad kits. - Kat Johnson
Floyd County is a really special place, and community is a key word to describe it. It's very rural, in Southwest Virginia, and it's an agricultural community. So there are lots of farmers, beef, cattle farmers, and veggie farmers. There are lots of farmers who are like me growing and using organic practices, which is pretty special. - Kat Johnson

Key Points From This Episode:

Kat the Farmer is a salad-centric farm and food company based in Floyd County, Virginia.
A salad-centric farm and food company means that Kat grows and makes things that belong to salad—grow salad crops and herbs, make salad dressings, and prepare salad kits.
She manages what she calls a “farmlet”—a quarter acre of land where she grows her salad crops and herbs.

More About the Guest:

Kat Johnson is known in their community as Kat, the farmer. Growing food is her life’s work. In fact, organic farming has been part of her life since she first began working in agriculture in high school. Since then, she worked on seven different farms across the country and learned from many skilled growers along the way. She was fortunate to put down roots in Floyd County, where she built a beautiful home by hand with the love of her life, Joshua. The food-filled, community-centered, creative, and meaningful work of growing and selling organic food speaks to her heart, urging her to establish this little farm and food company in January 2021. She envisions it becoming a beautiful, productive, and sustainable small farm that provides a joyful life, a livelihood, a classroom, and a community gathering space.

Connect with Kat Johnson:

Website
LinkedIn
Instagram
Youtube
Facebook

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

VA Foodie website
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VA Foodie Instagram
VA Foodie on Twitter
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Marketing Made Easy

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Photography can make or break a food brand. Your photos set customer expectations and help create appetite appeal when you aren’t there to sell your brand or offer someone a sample to try.

Photography can be an expensive investment, yet powerful images are vital for your brand’s message. When you finally decide to invest in new images, ensuring that these photos will serve you for several seasons and reasons is also a must.

Understanding how and where you will use your images beyond the immediate project can help you maximize your return.

Creative freedom and terms of use are on the pricier end of the spectrum. But there are affordable services you may use in the market, too. Hence, the emphasis on careful planning when allotting a chunk of your budget to marketing materials.

In this episode, I cover 3 sources of food photography, give a range of cost expectations, and provide tips to consider how, where, and why to spend on each type of imagery. From online services for catalog photos to hiring a studio photographer or collaborating with food bloggers, I got you covered!

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Evergreen content is anything you create that can live beyond a single use. - Georgiana Dearing
When planning your budget and deciding how to invest in your marketing assets, be sure to consider the life of the content. - Georgiana Dearing
People love to support craft beverage brands by making work-in trade. What you need to remember is that nothing is really free. - Georgiana Dearing
A pro photographer should be the person you turn to when trying to capture lifestyle imagery and very specific brand messaging. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

You control content in these 5 places:
- Your Website
- Your Packaging
- Your Sell Sheets and Catalogs
- Email Marketing
- Social Media Streams
Evergreen content is a way to make your marketing budget stretch further. Evergreen content is anything you create that lives longer than a single campaign.
The opposite of evergreen content is trending content or anything with a limited lifespan in your communication channels.
Planning photography beforehand ensures you can get the most use out of the photos you purchase. Plan your photoshoots before you seek quotes.
Catalog photography is necessary for eCommerce and your sell sheets and catalogs.
Catalog photography can also be used in social media and email marketing, especially if you are able to change the background to a more exciting, topical style.
Professional photographers are your most significant investment, giving you the broadest creative control.
Hire Professional photographers for lifestyle photography and photos that convey a brand message.
Food Bloggers are another resource for photography, but they give you limited creative control.
Use stock photography and copyright-free images thoughtfully and with caution.
Read the fine print of your contracts and licensing agreements.
Hiring a photographer can be complicated and expensive, but you can get the most potential out of your product.

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

VA Foodie website
The Virginia Foodie on Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
VA Foodie on Twitter
Work with George Dearing
Marketing Made Easy

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“You don't know what you don't know until you're in it."

Says Emily Harpster in our recent conversation about the growth of her ice cream brand, SugarBear Cville.

In the third installment of our “year of ice cream,” Emily opens up with the challenges that come with the growth of a new brand, how she manages all the rapid changes as a solopreneur, and how ready she is to continuously share the SugarBear Cville brand through many more channels.

It’s really a delight to witness a Good Food brand’s growth and success!

Key Points From This Episode:

Emily Harpster is back on the podcast to talk about the recent improvements of her craft ice cream brand, SugarBear Cville.
SugarBear Cville is Good Food brand manufacturing ice cream from locally sourced ingredients.
Emily has been able to grow her food brand in part because of support from the tight-knit community of Charlottesville, Virginia.
During the fourth quarter of 2022, Emily realized that summer is not solely the “big season for ice cream.” With the right retail business connections, ice cream can become an all-season bestseller.
Playing with seasonal flavors and themes for the holidays has become Emily’s way to keep SugarBear Cville’s product line interesting and enticing all year round.
Narrowing down the flavors to a standard set plus adding a rotation of seasonal flavors has become a promising strategy for SugarBear Cville to maintain predictable cost controls.
Since one of the missions behind this Good Food brand is to build community, SugarBear Cville has been active in collaborating with other brands and businesses. She recently did a kitchen takeover with Bowerbird Bakeshop, gave the flavor of the month proceeds back to a local nonprofit, and is currently planning a collaboration with Charlottesville High School through their urban farming program.
As a solopreneur, Emily is still learning to balance the growth of her brand and the volume of units she can produce and sell. But she has developed systems that work for her now, and she can adapt them as her company grows.

Connect with Emily Harpster/SugarBear:

Website
Instagram
LinkedIn

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

VA Foodie website
The Virginia Foodie on Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
VA Foodie on Twitter

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“If you want steady sales, you need steady marketing.” I heard this first from my friend and mentor, Ilise Benun, but I will never tire of sharing that bit of wisdom.

But what does steady marketing mean for the Good Food industry?

Well, it means many of the same things as for any business. A healthy, thriving, steady marketing program relies on five components:

Your sales strategy
Your annual marketing plan
A reasonable budget
A consistent schedule
Reliable systems for deploying your tactics

Steady is the operative word here. Many leaders, from large to small businesses alike, take marketing for granted. So many resources are invested in creating a product, and marketing often comes secondary to production. A common misconception is that sales will come naturally as long as products are made available.

Marketing draws buyers to you. Your products won’t sell if they can’t be found. You need a consistent schedule with reliable systems for deploying your tactics, all leading to what every business wants to achieve—sales and growth. This is why I see time-blocking as an integral part of creating a marketing plan.

As a leader of your own Good Food business, I know you’re juggling a lot of things at once. That’s why you can’t afford to lose time on those critical marketing projects. Segregating your activities into the right time blocks will help you efficiently manage your business and drive it toward success.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

A healthy, thriving, steady marketing program relies on these five components: your sales strategy, annual marketing plan, a reasonable budget, a consistent schedule, and reliable systems for deploying your tactics. - Georgiana Dearing
As a leader, time management is one of the hardest things you may have to face. - Georgiana Dearing
Putting marketing on your calendar as a task to attend to is central to having a steady, consistent marketing machine that pulls prospects to you in ways that support your sales goals. - Georgiana Dearing
Living in a perpetual state of urgency can cause burnout and even result in some health issues. Time blocking is one tool that allows you to focus on specific functions of running your business during specified times. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Like any other business, Good Food brands need a healthy, thriving, steady marketing program that relies on five components: sales strategy, annual marketing plan, reasonable budget, consistent schedule, and reliable systems for deploying tactics.
As a leader, it isn’t easy to manage time, so it is essential that you set an effective time management strategy.
Sometimes you can’t adhere to your time-blocking plan, especially in sickness, crisis, or other unexpected events, but it’ll help get you back on track.
Marketing projects won’t happen unless you prioritize them.
What time-blocking looks like for me and my business: Monday is for marketing, Tuesday’s for outreach, Wednesday is set for money, Thursday is for coaching, and Friday is for thinking and any overflow tasks.

Other Resources Mentioned:

Marketing Made Easy

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All Good Food brands are made up of two integral parts: a mission and a vision.

Your mission as a Good Food brand is what sets you apart from the big players in the food industry. It’s what makes you unique. Your vision is how you see yourself as a brand and a player in the food industry in the future.

The challenge is this: how do we close the gap towards the vision while staying true to your mission as a Good Food brand? The answer should be easy—strategy. You create a company, create your product offering, sell it to as many people as possible—that feels like a strategy. But is it a sustainable tactic to grow your company?

Steve Redmond of Rival Brands believes that everything should be rooted in a fleshed-out strategy that is true to the core and message of the brand. His origin as a graphic designer makes him confident in saying that good branding doesn’t come from the design, packaging, logos, and all that—they all make a whole, and they’re all founded in a good strategy.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

I operate in the idea that a brand is simply an idea. And you create a product as the primary way to share that idea. - Steve Redmond
That's the gist: there's a whole bunch of ideas that generally need to exist inside and outside of your business. And as the leader, you are likely the one that has to be t in command of what those ideas are. They all have to be in sync. - Steve Redmond
Having a strategy in place means that a lot of the decisions that go into the packaging are no longer subjective. They're based on specific things that you're trying to communicate. - Steve Redmond
Strategy sets the standard, the priorities, the messages, and it gives you the script. There are still a lot of ways it can manifest graphically, but at least, it allows you to come up with solutions that all meet the same criteria. - Steve Redmond

Key Points From This Episode:

Steve Redmond started as a graphic designer and evolved to an art and creative director and then to launching his own business. Currently, he owns Rival Brands, and he’s been serving the food community for about two decades.
He likes working and connecting with food brands that have a clear mission and are defying the trends and the structure already established in the food industry.
More than leading a design-driven branding and packaging studio, the solutions that his company, Rival Brands, offers are not only through visuals but are founded and focused on strategy.
In his speaking engagement at the Winter Fancy Food Show, “Your Revolution Needs to be Synchronized,” Steve talked about how a brand is just an “idea.”

More About the Guest:Rival Brands is the culmination of the 25+ year career of Design Director and Designer, Steve Redmond. Steve is an award-winning designer and has had his work selected for publication in various design annuals such as Communication Arts, Print Regional Design Annual, and Graphic Design USA's Packaging Annual. He has worked for a variety of Vermont's specialty food producers as well as producers spanning the U.S.

Connect with Steve Redmond

Website
LinkedIn
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It’s a fact, defining goals without creating any supporting actions means your targets will never be attained. If you are reaching for steady sales, you need steady marketing to pull those opportunities toward you.

Like many of you, I own a small business and all too often the urgency of day-to-day operations takes priority over my own marketing. Having your marketing calendar set for the year helps turn marketing into daily and weekly practices, and not a last-minute rush to hit that promo deadline.

In today’s follow-up to my goal-setting episode 69, I’m sharing five steps to creating an actionable marketing plan for the coming 12 months. I’ll start with an update to my own goal-setting work, then walk you through steps you can take to calm the chaos of your own good food marketing. And I’ll close with a preview of some coming attractions for Good Food Marketing in 2023 with me, The Virginia Foodie.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

We all struggle with the constant issue of operations getting in the way of marketing. By operations, I mean the day-to-day running of a business, a department, or even your primary job description within a good food brand. - Georgiana Dearing
Most of the information I share stems from mistakes I’ve made in my work and the lessons I learned to avoid making them again. - Georgiana Dearing
The beauty of setting smart goals for yourself is that you'll still make progress, especially if you're checking in on your strategic plan regularly. Sometimes the progress you are tracking is reflected as refinement, and that's okay. - Georgiana Dearing
It is lovely to have a mission-based business, but not one of us should be so altruistic that we will do all of this work for free or low pay. - Georgiana Dearing
Content buckets are the underpinnings of your brand messaging, and for good food brands you have four natural buckets to start with: your mission, your products, your products in use, and your community. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Goal setting should be comprehensive, specific, and as succint as possible.
When creating your list of goals, you should start with a clear description of the end result you want to achieve.
After clearly defining your goals, the next step is to create an action plan to help you hit your targets.
To create your annual marketing plan, start with these 5 steps:
- Step 1: Create a marketing calendar
- Step 2: Block in your marketing tactics
- Step 3: Set your brand holidays
- Step 4: Create content themes
- Step 5: Define your content buckets
If you are interested in more guidance, pre-register for my QUICK START: Social Media Calendar. I outline the Annual Marketing Plan because it’s the foundation for a year of content planning, too!

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How do you assure customers that the food you are selling is healthy, safe, and nutritious?

The organic label has long been a hallmark of the GOOD FOOD industry, but it can sometimes be difficult to source every ingredient from organic farmers, which keeps your brand from sporting that highly-regulated logo.

Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) may be an answer to the issue of mindful ingredient sourcing. CNG offers peer-review certification to farmers producing food for their local communities through natural ways and without relying on synthetic chemicals or GMOs.

In this conversation, we are visited by Alice Varon, Executive Director of Certified Naturally Grown, to share us with the CNG label, the organization and what they do, their mission is, and how they support farmers to do what’s best—sustainable agriculture.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

[Certified Naturally Grown] is an assurance that the food was grown without any synthetic chemicals or GMOs, with attention to soil and ecological balance. - Alice Varon
The cool thing about our certification program is the participation in the program involved. More than just getting the label, you actually have to be engaged and agree to conduct an onsite peer review. - Alice Varon
Most of the farmers who join Certified Naturally Grown are joining because this is how they farm. It reflects their values. They're committed to working in harmony with nature, and they want to get some credit for that beyond just saying, so they want a certification to verify that this is how they farm. - Alice Varon
It's a big leap not just financially to become “certified organic,” but it's a knowledge-intensive occupation to farm this way, and so conventional farmers really need support in making that transition as well. - Alice Varon

Key Points From This Episode:

Certified Naturally Grown is a badge in the marketplace that assures the food was grown without any synthetic chemicals or GMOs, with attention to soil and ecological balance.
Certified Naturally Grown takes pride in its high standard of certification as it attracts farmers who have high standards for themselves and involve them in peer-reviewing the ways and means of other participating farmers.
Certified Naturally Grown is a label different from Organic. While CNG also follows the USDA standards, its certification model is tailored for direct market farmers who are growing food for their local and regional communities.
Their certification model relies on peer review inspections that are carried out by participating farmers, which allows them to connect with one another, share their knowledge, grow, and learn from the experience of having that peer review inspection.
There are standards and criteria set for the peer review and it leans in on transparency by posting inspection reports on the website.
The transition from conventional farming to organic is a difficult thing to do, so farmers who would want to go through that transition should be supported.
The CNF certification also fits other business models.

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The New Year’s Resolution is entrenched in pop culture. There can be a lot of social pressure to make yours on January 1. But while making your list of this year’s to-dos has been a tradition, following them is often a struggle. There’s not much structure behind how you’ll reach your new life-changing goals.

I prefer to set strategic goals for myself and my business. You can create new strategic goals at any time of the year. Still, I encourage you to spend some time during January to craft a thoughtful sales strategy backed by measurable goals for your food business.

What I also like about setting up strategic goals is that, unlike the New Year’s Resolution, it is more systematic. You can put a structure behind each target to guarantee it is attainable. In this episode, I summarize 10 mistakes you might commit and should avoid when setting up your goals.

How to turn these common mistakes into a list of accomplishments on track for success? Tune in to this episode to find out!

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

I am not a big fan of the New Year’s Resolution. My aversion is that I think, for most people, it’s a fabricated marker. They’re hoping to reinvent themselves just because the calendar has turned a new page. - Georgiana Dearing
The New Year’s Resolution is so entrenched in pop culture that there’s a lot of pressure to make one on January 1. Yet, there’s not much structure behind the process of creating and then keeping it. - Georgiana Dearing
You need a method to keep your goals visible so you can review them monthly, weekly, or at some other regular interval. - Georgiana Dearing
Deadlines create a sense of urgency. It is a marker that forces you to pay attention to your long-term plan. - Georgiana Dearing
In most of your day-to-day accomplishments, your goals should push you and not break you. - Georgiana Dearing
The true benefit of setting goals isn’t the payoff of hitting them. The growth happens because you’re trying to reach new heights. - Georgiana Dearing
Setbacks will happen to you too. But with clearly defined goals -- created with an understanding of where each goal fits within your strategic plan -- when lightning strikes, you’ll be able to pause, take a breath, pick up the threads, and move onward. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

The New Year’s Resolution is a fabricated marker with no structure or process, making it harder for most people to achieve.
Instead of a New Year’s Resolution, a more feasible way to begin the year is to set strategic goals for yourself and your business.
January is a slow time of the year for most of the food industry, so this month is an excellent time to review your business and marketing strategy.
Most people make these common 10 mistakes when setting goals for themselves and their businesses.
Knowing these common mistakes will help you turn them into a list of accomplishment tracks for success.
The positive aspect of setting goals isn’t about hitting your target but the growth and development you get from working toward a goal.

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To say that 2022 was a rollercoaster year is a vast understatement. Everybody was rushing to rebuild, recalibrate and rectify post-pandemic, while most of us want to start fresh in 2023.

Fortunately, I’ve witnessed some fantastic successes in the craft food industry. Whether restaurants, catering, or packed foods, the food business has taken a massive hit over the past two years. So it’s inspiring to see - and be part of - stories of overcoming obstacles and crises averted.

This episode chronicles stories from five specialty food & beverage businesses. Listen to the practical lessons from these good food brands:

Edwards Smokehouse: the value of sticking to the principles of being a good food steward
Back Pocket: maximizing the off-season to connect with your network of suppliers
JoyeBell’s: strategically switching from a small bakery brand to a manufacturing business model amidst a crisis
Nopalera: understanding the retailer you are choosing to partner with
Crescent Simples: how strategic investment in design helps grow sales

I am sharing tips from these five brands that have succeeded in retail while staying true to their commitment to locally-sourced quality ingredients with responsible, ethical practices. I hope it inspires you to do the same. Because when we are authentic and stay true to our commitment to the good food economy, it’s the consumers who end up being the winners.

Key Points From This Episode:

Stay focused on heritage, organic, and quality ingredients
Form strong partnerships with your farmers
Recognize that getting into retail chains takes a LOT of time, so plan for slow growth.
Do your homework and choose those retail partners wisely
Invest in good package design to be sure that your hard-won spot on the shelf continues to work hard for you

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In the last episode, Anna Bradshaw and I talked about conversion copywriting and how investing in it and your website’s content could help generate sales for your good food business. There were many important topics in that conversation about conversion copywriting, creating good content, and drawing in customers to your business website. I thought the issue deserved a closer look.

A frequently overlooked part of the business, copywriting is the foundation of everything your customer experiences. Investing in great content should increase your ROI, especially if you repurpose your content for different communication channels. “Message matching” across all your marketing touchpoints will drive customers to your site, encouraging them to click that “buy now” button.

Join me as I share some actionable steps you can take today to help improve your close rate.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Landing pages are destinations for your site, and the intention is for the viewer to have only one obvious action. Your product page has one obvious action: putting the product into the cart. - Georgiana Dearing
Good writing helps close sales; poorly written descriptions and poorly organized content can turn shoppers away. - Georgiana Dearing
The goal of all content design is to make it as easy as possible for the readers. - Georgiana Dearing
There’s no hard and fast rule about the length of a product description. What you need to consider in your product details is the content that will add value to your readers and help them choose to buy from you. - Georgiana Dearing
Your product page is the place to share that great news. Social proof sells, and you need social proof on your site. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Product descriptions help turn clicks into sales, but many brands still need to improve this aspect on their sites.
Your product page is the “last mile” of the sale. How you set up that page will make or break the sale for you.
Invest in your product description. Invest in good writing. Good writing helps generate sales, while poorly written descriptions and unorganized content do not attract shoppers.
The product name on your site and your packaging should match. It makes it easier for customers to find your product.
The “price” and “buy now” buttons should be as close to the top of the listing as possible. This placement in the site makes the purchase decision as easy as possible for your customers.
Shipping information on the site should be clear and located near the product price.
Include a subhead that would sell the product in a concise manner.
The first paragraph of your product description should answer customers’ initial questions about the product.
Your product description should also include product expectations about the flavor, quality, quantity, and what to expect in the shipment.
Make sure to include a review feature on your site, as it’s becoming a basis for people to buy your product.
Make it easy for your customers to spread the love by adding share buttons for Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Shared posts create direct links to your products. They help your product rise in popularity and organic search results.

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As a good food brand, you need to emphasize the good in your brand. And when we say good, we don’t just mean the delicious, healthy, sustainable products you create. We also mean the good story behind your pursuit of success in the good food economy. It’s not enough for your story to travel word-of-mouth in your community. It’s essential to build your brand around your philosophy, and the best way for your mission to guide your brand is to put that story into writing.

This is where Anna Bradshaw’s job as a conversion copywriter comes in. Anna believes in the power of your story—the power your brand mission holds. All she needs is the right angle to frame a fitting choice of words and the online space to do so. Her job as a conversion copywriter helps brands like yours tell your story so you can make more sales online.

In this conversation, Anna shares the significance of copywriting for setting up our businesses for success.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

I like to blend the best practices for sales with the brand personality. - Anna Bradshaw
You have to paint a clear picture with words and use the copy to reduce the perceived risk of buying something online…. We can use our copy to minimize that risk, to build trust right off the bat. - Anna Bradshaw
We eat with our eyes first…. Words can’t save you if you have unappetizing-looking photos. - Anna Bradshaw
In the end, it’s the same thing. It’s writing a message that someone wants to read and will take action based on that message. - Anna Bradshaw
It’s really wonderful to have a vision of a lifestyle that fits into the core values you put into making your product. - Anna Bradshaw
The best business relationships are always built on trust. - Anna Bradshaw

Key Points From This Episode:

Conversion copywriting puts an emphasis on getting people to take action. These actions might be anything but not limited to the following: purchasing, subscribing to the email list, following on social media, sharing, etc.
Anna Bradshaw approaches conversion optimization by trying to blend in best practices of persuasion tactics, information, and sales that fit the company’s brand vision. It’s working on balancing the fine lines of these approaches.
For food brands, it is a must to establish an online presence, and this is where a [sales] copy takes a significant role.
One thing to remember for food brands: Appetite appeal is a driving factor in food sales.
Knowing your audience and your target market—the Streakers, Strollers, and Studiers. But the end goal is to make sure that they can spot the most critical messages right away from the copy, no matter what type of audience they are.
Anna has worked on various brands, making her flexible and experienced as a copywriter. So far, she has written for the following: consumer-packed goods like beverages and food brands, skincare and beauty, apparel, jewelry, events, etc.
Maximizing your business’ website is vital, especially carefully crafting your landing page, homepage, and about page.
Aside from content, design, font and font size, colors, and pictures all factor in converting your audience’s clicks and making them valuable.
Proof of sales, such as customer reviews, is very helpful in establishing a brand. Being covered in the local newspapers and news press mentions is equally essential.

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Everything that we create begins with a reason. So naturally, every brand that pursues the good food journey starts with a vision—a mission worth fulfilling.

Your goal and purpose as a brand is illuminated by your mission statement. A mission statement is a group of sentences, usually one or two, that describes, defines, and sets your brand apart from others in the same market. But these aren’t just sentences you craft following grammar and syntax.

Many mission statements make the mistake of living in the land of vague and generalized comments about striving for greatness. Your mission should be written to capture your essence as a brand. A strong mission statement becomes the driving factor behind your business and its success.

Every good food brand has a story to tell. Embed your mission into your narrative, and you’ll stay true to your core. Your product decisions and the next steps you embark upon as a brand will all follow trails forged by your mission statement.

In this episode, I talk about mission statements and how valuable they are for business. Take a peek into how your mission statements can be used as the core of your marketing materials and strategies.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Mission statements define the driving factor behind the business. - Georgiana Dearing
I believe that if we're going to change the way America grows food, we have to make sustainable farming profitable, and the way to do that is to make all of the channels that rely on sustainable farming profitable channels. - Georgiana Dearing
Your options and ideas come up all the time, and when you are faced with a choice, you can always go back to your mission—your reason for being—and decide if the decision fits within your mission. - Georgiana Dearing
You want your mission statement to be all about you because it's what's driving you, and it's an internal document and not outward-facing. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Mission statements can be used as tools to leverage your brand’s marketing.
A mission statement is a sentence or a group of sentences that describe your business in a very specific and unique way.
Strong mission statements are the driving factor behind strong businesses.
Mission statements are generally formalized and are internal documents of companies that are not meant to be used verbatim out in the public. From your mission statement, however, you can already formulate your brand’s mission, vision, and values.
Mission statements need to be unique and specific to what you do as a brand. To be able to craft an effective mission statement, it should include answers to the following questions: who, makes, what, for whom, how, and why.
Tillamook Cheese is a locally sourced brand from Oregon that is now sold nationally. Their mission shows the path they took to get there.
Recent good food brands featured in the podcast are mission-centric brands. We can use how they are marketing their mission into their brands as an example of how effectively a mission statement can be carried out through marketing.
Mission statements should be written in a declarative way.
While mission statements should be unique and specific to your food brand, it should not be written in a way that is too narrow that there’s no room for your brand to grow.

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It’s a sweet, sweet story how the good food brand, Storied Goods, was founded. Now, it is on the road to success.

Martha Bourlakas’ Storied Goods started as a granola-making business before she shifted into concocting sugar cubes. The rationale is simple: there are many delightful granolas in the world, but creating a business that is centered on celebrations where people share stories with each other through food and drinks spoke deeply to Martha’s purpose.

She believes that in this chaotic world we now live in, there is a need to celebrate even life’s small milestones—something that she has learned from her eldest daughter, Hannah.

Traveling this sweet path isn’t easy but Martha has figured out a way to keep the business growing and the stories buzzing.
Virginia Foodie Essentials:

I really wanted to have a business that focused on celebrations, and I'm really interested in those stories that people share with each other through food and drinks. - Martha Bourlakas
The first step is trying to figure out how to get each sale to be more meaningful to the people who are purchasing. - Georgiana Dearing
The other component of good relationships is having trust in that teamwork that you're all trying to move the brand forward. - Georgiana Dearing
In social media, you have to be vulnerable. And that part of it is very hard—knowing where the product ends and I begin, and how to mix those two together. - Martha Bourlakas
Our oldest daughter has autism, which is a big part of the reason I wanted to have a business focused on celebrations. Hannah has taught us, for so many years, the importance of celebrating every small milestone. That's something our family has really embraced. - Martha Bourlakas
Those classes and popups that I do are centered around the importance of celebration. In our lives, particularly now when the world feels a little crazy, it's a way that we keep going with hope. - Martha Bourlakas

Key Points From This Episode:

The story behind the company name, Storied Goods, is a heartwarming one. Creating a business that is focused on celebrations is inspired by their little milestones as a family together with their eldest daughter, Hannah, who has autism.
One of the greatest things that supported the growth of the company is deciding to work with a co-packer instead of developing their own manufacturing facility.
Their arrangement with the co-packer has allowed the company to say ‘yes’ to big collaborations such as that with the cocktail subscription company.
They are now improving the e-commerce side of the business by working on their website rebranding, subscription business, and social media.
The company understands its target market: individuals who love entertainment and good gifts.
Aside from direct consumers, the company also works with wholesale accounts and has partnered with small shops across the country.
Storied Goods’ initial product was granola but they shifted to making sugar cubes. Despite sugar not being locally produced, they maintain their good food branding by making sure to use organic ingredients.
The company has established several great partnerships with female-founded companies.

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Just a few months after our last conversation, Emily Harspter of SugarBear Cville is back on the podcast to give us the latest updates about the progress of her ice cream brand.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

I feel like I figured out a few systems and other things that are going to allow me to grow and aim for this next phase with a little bit more intention. - Emily Harpster
I had this idea to build out a brand that was really a platform for showing off local stuff. - Emily Harpster
[The photographs] sent me down this rabbit hole of realizing I could focus on taking pictures of strong, beautiful people, doing interesting things in and around Charlottesville, and use the tiny light I have to shine a light on their work and what they're up to. - Emily Harpster
These are just unbelievable people doing great things. And I want to celebrate that—some are more visible in the community and people know about it, while some are the kind of quiet thing that doesn't get celebrated as much but is still really incredible. And so I would love to diversify and build out that roster and make it really inclusive, interesting, and engaging. - Emily Harpster

Key Points From This Episode:

A catch-up session to update how SugarBear is doing so far from its launch in 2022 and the initial conversation with the VA Foodie in June.
SugarBear has been able to establish organic relationships to collaborate with seven individual businesses, in part thanks to Charlottesville’s tight-knit local food community.
Production as a one-woman team with seven ice cream outlets is a wild adventure, so figuring out a system that works is vital to the growth of the brand.
Charlottesville’s tight-knit community has also allowed SugarBear to easily find a supply of local ingredients even as the demand for the ice cream has increased.
After trying out 63 different flavors during her first season, SugarBear is now moving to a curated list of flavors. Having a huge variety of flavor offerings, though, has helped in the company’s market research.
SugarBear’s website is still reflecting the changes happening to this small business. The plan, however, is to update the site with beautiful marketing photos of Charlottesville’s locals in an attempt to weave SugarBear into the community and to highlight the beautiful and interesting work and life of the townsmen.
SugarBear has a growing list of wholesale partners: coffee shops, cafes, and wineries, and from here, the ice cream brand is looking for interesting partnerships that are strategically sustainable on both ends.
The next step for the business involves strategizing for these areas: Branding, packaging, marketing, social media, and partnerships.

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The last 100 days of the year can be crucial for business owners. Not only because it’s the last window for hitting your original sales goals, but also because the end of the year is the perfect time to set up growth plans for the upcoming year.

Although the end of the year is comparatively hectic for food businesses, it is important to review and revise your calendar for the coming year. If you are not sure of what’s supposed to be in your calendar or you’re not certain how to make all your plans become concrete actions, this is where my work as a food marketing consultant comes in.

People come to me for help in planning out their strategies and making sure it's achievable. It doesn’t matter where you are in your business right now. We’ll start from wherever you are now and put in place the pieces that could help you to establish your brand better, communicate your message to the right audience, and make profits. I’ll guide you through the process a step at a time, but the core of your strategy lies in understanding your promotion schedule, campaign cycle, and key brand messaging.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

You want to look at your sales goals, but also review your mission and values first. Make sure that what you set out to do and what you are planning to do are still aligned.
It is okay for an original intention to have lived its life.
Social media is really a reflection of everything else that you're doing to grow your business. They're not separate.
Your social platform should be talking about you, your brands, your community, your partners, your friends, or the cool things you've found— and all of those things should be framed with the intention of your driving a business to a particular destination.
We're going to start where you are. And we are going to grow you into a thriving marketing ecosystem where everything you're doing feeds into something else.

Key Points From This Episode:

The 100-Day Challenge can be your best way to commit yourself to your business and revisit your growth plans to set you up for 2023.
Review and revise your calendar for the coming year.
Making a plan is sometimes overwhelming. But we do not need to start from scratch. In creating a solid strategic content plan, we begin from where you are.
There are three important components of your strategic plan: Promotions, Campaigns, and Messaging. This is the foundation of the content (tactics) that you’ll use in your marketing plan.
It is essential to identify what your brand stands for we communicate the right and purposeful message with every piece of content.
Site updates, email marketing, and social media are some of the best tools to optimize to communicate your brand message.

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When I speak about good food, I don’t mean the taste. The GOOD FOOD industry revolves around a philosophy: to create food choices that have a positive impact on the environment, the economy, and our local communities.

We are in a climate crisis, and now is the time when good food companies need to step up the game if they want redefine the food market in ways that can get more food into more mouths without killing the planet.

But advocacy alone is not sustainable. Your job as a good food brand is to foster a community of transparency and clarity about what your brand is, what it stands for, and how you're making these decisions about your good food product that you are bringing into the market.

I help small brands communicate their story and their advocacy in ways that are targeted, manageable, and repeatable. When your marketing strategy, your brand, and your messaging, advocacy and philosophy are all in sync—that’s when you start to control your business. And when you’re in control, that’s when you can really make change.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

GOOD FOOD is not about flavor. The GOOD FOOD industry is about making choices that have a positive impact on the environment, on the economy, and on local communities.
If we don't change how we use our natural resources and soon, we're going to lose them. It makes me a little bit sad that we have to be this close to things being desperate for there to be real change.
We have to make change, or we're going to be losing things in a pretty dramatic hurry.
I don't think real change will take root until it makes money for someone.
For your great food idea to survive, good food cannot be a charity endeavor. It needs to be a strong and thriving business. And in order to have a strong thriving business, we need to have a strong community of people who care about good food.
So, if you built your brand platform and your messaging in your own community to where you have a strong business, it brings power to the table. You can communicate from a sense of knowing who you are and what you need for your brand to be successful.

Key Points From This Episode:

One-to-one sales are not enough to sustain most GOOD FOOD business. A business model that captures manufacturing customers gives a brand the opportunity to potentially provide thousands of meals.
In dealing with a climate crisis, changing how we use our natural resources is necessary.
To make an impact and positive changes on the environment, good food businesses also need to make money.
Big companies got to be big because they focused on reinvesting and growing their business based on economy of scale—and that’s the genesis of our situation now.
Business owners and brand managers need to communicate the value of good food in targeted ways that are manageable and repeatable so it can grow beyond the boundaries.
Once you have established your brand value and have become a profitable business, big corporations and distributors would come and ask you to be part of their network—and that puts you in a position of power as you can control and evaluate if what they are offering fits your business.

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There are plenty of organizations who are working with farmers on systems that facilitate the sale of local food. Many of these entrepreneurial ventures are often a hybrid of several business models, with business owners wearing many hats. Daniel Griffith is no different.

Part food hub, part grocery store, part certification agency, the eCommerce brand Commons Provisions is designed to get more good food to more people while keeping operational costs low. This model of the business is to pay farmers well above market rates for meat and other produce.

Daniel shares how Commons Provisions works with certified regenerative farmers without alienating the best, sustainable practices, both in farming and distribution. Learn more about how you can be part of this community-centered approach that highlights regenerative agriculture as the foundation for healthy and truly sustainable food production.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Regeneration is different because we're not looking at practice. What we're looking at are outcomes. And those outcomes are biodiversity. - Daniel Griffith
Our mission is to rebuild the food system from the ground up in a way that is both good for consumers, the land, and the farmers. Because it's very easy to build a food system that degrades the environment by abusing this class of farmers. And it's very easy to help local farmers without building a food system that is scalable for local consumers to participate. - Daniel Griffith
How dare we think that a farmer could ever raise enough cows to have a consistent inventory or cows in a pasture all year round when it's very snowy outside? Or maybe it's a drought. It's a system problem. This isn't a farmer's problem. - Daniel Griffith
Farmer-first focus means if the farmers can't grow the food, we can't possibly eat it! - Daniel Griffith
Our mission is to build a nose-to-tail solution for scaling regeneration by buying the whole animal. Because it's very hard for a farm to raise anything but the whole animal. - Daniel Griffith
As we get bigger, we get smaller. As we rescale regeneration by feeding more people and having more regenerative farms, it only feels smaller, more local, and more entirely common. - Daniel Griffith

Key Points From This Episode:

Good Food brands need healthy, profitable farms to provide their raw ingredients
Farming has very thin margins and farmers often have their backs against the wall to keep healthy, ethical farming as the norm
The Certified Organic farming model can be costly
Organic farming without addressing soil health ultimately stops being sustainable.
Regenerative farming addresses soil health
Commons Provisions is a subscription model with a hyper-local footprint. They are setting up a series of distribution hubs to create very short distances for food to travel.
Commons Provisions is like an online grocery store — they don't add branding on top of the farms' regular packaging
Theirs is a transparent business model - the shopper always knows which farm provided the product

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Do you enjoy cooking? Did you have a eureka moment while working in your kitchen? Are you ready to turn your culinary skills into a full-fledged business? Launching a food business from home can be daunting, and you need more than just your passion for your product for your new brand to be a success.

Marcy Thornhill ventured into a food business that she never knew would bring her applesauce to different stores and even to other parts of the world. What started as a simple canning hobby quickly became a regional favorite in local stores. But, just like anyone in the food industry who starts a brand, it is acceptable to not know the whole road ahead. It is common to learn as you go along in building your brand. But, people must not forget to pause for a while to ask how far they want to go with their product.

In this episode, Marcy shares her interesting and exciting journey after her eureka moment while canning applesauce. She uncovers the process and challenges of manufacturing her products, designing a label, and distributing her homemade goods. She also affirms that starting a small business might be scary at first because you know what you don’t know, but if you are willing to learn, observe and know when to ask for help from the right people, this challenging journey will be worthwhile.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

The scary part is not knowing what you don't know and wanting to partner with the right people who are going to really take your vision, help you to formulate it in a way that makes sense because they understand it. - Marcy Thornhill
Anyone who starts on this journey doesn't know what they don't know, and they are learning as they go. - Georgiana Dearing
Sometimes small brands try to pretend they're bigger than they are. You don't have to, because if you pretend, you're just going to get burned. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Not letting a wall stop you and arming yourself with some education are good tenets of an entrepreneur.
There are many regulations to selling your craft food at retail, and there are specific guidelines for package design.
Small brands should not pretend they're bigger than they are because they will just suffer the consequences.
Research and education will keep you prepared for when an opportunity to partner with another sales or distribution channel comes along.
In the food industry, there are so many choices to make. There are so many directions you can grow your sales. Focusing on one channel at a time is key to steady, measured growth.
Growth has consequences, and it is important to regularly stop and think about how big you want to be.
A good co-packer is a manufacturing partner who will honor your recipes, and your process. They’ll be committed keeping your quality high, but allow you to be the brand owner with the vision and direction for your food products.
When a business is growing, business owners have to be prepared to shift from their old ways to new and innovative ways.

Other Resources Mentioned:

Mrs. Marcy’s Homemades
Virginia Living Store

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Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Ice cream is a thing that really makes people happy. - Emily Harpster
Ice cream is a little bit disarming and really charming. A lot of times, when I share with people that I do ice cream, they want to tell me about their favorite ice cream memories or a happy story or their favorite flavor. And it's a really wonderful moment to have. - Emily Harpster
When you're running a scoop shop, you're running a restaurant. It's a location, it's the interior design, it's the staffing, and then you have to get the foot traffic. It's a whole different way to market your business. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Charlottesville has a growing food scene that is beginning to rival nearby Richmond, Virginia.
SugarBear is carried by a fan favorite over on vafoodie.com, Maribette Cafe and Petite Maribette.
It’s essential to connect with like-minded brands to help establish your brand.
Startups with an eye at grocery retail should consider SugarBear’s approach and go straight to packaged retail products bypassing farmer’s market and pop-up shops.
Watching a new brand grow from its literal beginnings in retail is a chance to uncover answers to those burning questions:
- What makes a startup tick?
- What choices do startups face?
- What marketing challenges do they need to overcome during the first year as a startup food manufacturer?
Having a clear vision and determination can shift a dream to a goal with an actionable business plan.

More About the Guest:

Connect with Emily Harpster/SugarBear

Website
Instagram
LinkedIn

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Back Pocket Provisions, makers of the most delicious Bloody Mary Mixes around, are on a mission to make life more delicious, healthy, honest and fun by helping small farms succeed.

On today’s show, we talk to Founder and CEO, Will Gray about the inception of his business and the ways in which it has grown since then. He touches on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on his business and tells us about the unique way that Back Pocket Provisions has built a market for seconds in Virginia.

Next, Will tells us why “imperfect” fruits and vegetables are the perfect ingredient for his product and runs us through the planning cycle he has developed with local farmers and grocery stores. He goes on to share his ideas around how the artisan food space can support farmers by seeing them as partners to consider rather than a cost to be minimized.

We talk about Will’s plans for the future and Back Pocket Provisions’ focus on being good listeners and good partners to small and big farmers well into the future. Tune in to hear all about Will’s vision and to get inspired by his contagious enthusiasm to build a better world.

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing our guest, Will Gray.
The story of how Back Pocket Provisions started and how it has grown.
How the pandemic impacted business.
The way in which Will and the team at Back Pocket Provisions built a market for seconds.
Why “imperfect” fruits and vegetables are the perfect ingredient for the product.
The planning cycle with farmers and grocery stores.
How Will sets strategic goals each year and brings local farmers into his plans.
The different growing groups and how the collaboration process works.
The ways in which Back Pocket Provisions helps farmers to mitigate risk.
Why Will describes his business as being a social enterprise although it is for profit.
How the artisan food space can support farmers by seeing them as partners to be accounted for.
Which business adaptations that were sparked by the pandemic Will will continue to implement.
What is next for Back Pocket Provisions.

Connect with Will:

Website
Facebook
Instagram

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Few things are more exciting for small brands than getting their first commercially-packaged food products off the production line.

Allie Hill and Katharine Wilson, founder and director of Virginia Food Works, respectively, get to see this excitement firsthand through the work they do. This non-profit, located in the Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen, specializes in the creation of value-added foods from locally-grown ingredients.

In today’s episode, we hear about the founding vision of Virginia Food Works and how they have upheld it over the years. We learn how they share the space with Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen and how their services differ, in respect to their work with small businesses.

Allie and Katharine also offer insights into the range of clients they work with, along with the equipment and support they provide. As they can exclusively for resale, they use glass jars with metal lids and have specific systems for what can and cannot be processed. Our conversation also touches on the pandemic, community support, and fundraising.

Stay tuned right till the end, where Allie makes an interesting pitch to farmers on how to create value-add products at the facility.

Key Points From This Episode:

Get to know Allie and Katharine and what Virginia Food Works does.
The history of Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen.
Hear more about home canning and what it entails.
The two services at Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen; home canning and Virginia Food Works.
Virginia Food Works makes foods exclusively for resale.
How the pandemic affected Virginia Food Works and the adjustments they made.
The impetus for starting a non-profit inside of an existing cannery and the support from the community.
Virginia Food Works’s canning niche and why they do acidified food.
The range of clients Virginia Food Works has and how they meet clients where they are.
Some of the recipes Virginia Food Works owns that farmers can use.
How farmers get help scaling recipes they might have produced at home.
Why Virginia Food Works does not have batch minimums.
The difference between Virginia Food Works and Hatch.
Some of the equipment is available at Virginia Food Works.
How Virginia Food Works raises funds; the support they get from Prince Edward County.
What the future has in store for Virginia Food Works.
A pitch for farmers who might be listening: how you can create a value-add product.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Virginia Food Works
Katharine Wilson
Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen
Michael Pollan
Hatch
Crescent Simples
Dayum This is My Jam

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How do you create a brand with a destination in mind? That may seem like a vague and dreamy question, but in an industry where the margins are slim and competition for the shelf is challenging, starting your good food brand with a plan for where you ultimately want to take your business will get you to your goals faster than if you adopt the trial by fire approach.

When you imagine the future for your brand, what stores are carrying your products? What kind of value does it add to the market? What is your brand known for, and what kind of community surrounds your product line? Spending time mapping out your future state is a valuable exercise. When you begin with your destiny in mind, you’ll know exactly how to handle each challenge you face along the way. The answers become easy when you face each issue by asking yourself, “what would my good food brand do?”

When experienced product marketer Sandra Velasquez decided to launch her own beauty brand, she defined her destination first – even before selecting an ingredient list. She knew what kind of retailers she wanted to attract, and she built her brand from the ground up with those premium accounts in mind. And that meant considering everything – the cost of quality ingredients, the labor for producing it, the expense of social media management, and even the elements of her package design. Building these needs and expectations into her business plan prepared her for growth. And understanding her end goals from the very beginning attracted her perfect partners to her brand – she sent all the right signals that she was a brand that would elevate their brand.

In this episode, Sandra shares the ups and downs of her journey in building a remarkable brand for her business, Nopalera. She reveals the truth behind branding, distributors, wholesale, and merchandising. She also encourages everyone to take advantage of advanced technology, which means it is a lot easier to find people. So, while anyone can make you a sell sheet, not everyone can build your brand from the ground up.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Building a brand and selling wholesale or just, in general, is also about timing. - Sandra Velasquez
Passion is what drives the creative process, and that doesn't really have a great financial ledger attached to it.- Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Branding can either make or break the brand that you wanted to create.
All stores are not good for your brand and all stores are not the right stores for your product.

Other Resources Mentioned:

Nopalera

More About the Guest:

Sandra Velasquez is the founder of Nopalera, an award-winning Mexican Botanical Bath & Body brand based in New York City. It is currently sold in Nordstrom, Credo Beauty, Free People, and over 300 independent retailers nationwide. She launched Nopalera from her Brooklyn apartment in November 2020 with no outside funding, while working three jobs, at the age of forty-four. Prior to launching Nopalera, Velasquez was the leader of the Latin Alternative band Pistolera, which toured internationally, released three studio albums, and had its music featured on hit TV shows like Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, andNPR’s Tiny Desk Concert.

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It's so easy to feel pressured to get things done as quickly as possible, especially in food marketing. That feeling often leads to business owners to rush, and push out their marketing needs as quickly as possible. This might compromise your business’ output and even hurt your brand.

The same goes for many aspects of running a business - there’s that constant pressure that comes from the need to think, act, produce and earn.

When you’re in this situation, remember that things aren’t as bad as you imagine and whenever you feel like you’re being overwhelmed by the day-to-day of operating your business, stop and take a breath.

I just love how Phil Dunphy, beloved dad figure from the hit sitcom Modern Family, says it: “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast!” It rings so true when you’re in the good food economy. Taking it slow and assessing your situation, making a list of the things you need, and most importantly, creating a plan on how to move forward are essential to keeping your business on track.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Whenever you feel overwhelmed, never hesitate to give yourself a breather, assess your circumstances, and come up with a list of things that need to be done that can help you move forward.
Having a plan calms the overwhelm.
Take a moment. Make a list – a legitimate, written list. That simple act of list-making turns all those thoughts in your head vying for attention into actions that you may or may not need to take immediately.

Key Points From This Episode:

A mission statement is different from a brand strategy, and both are different from a marketing strategy.
Your mission statement is the WHY of your brand: why you exist and what you're doing to earn your money.
Your brand strategy is how you are communicating that mission to the market and may include direction for the types of words and imagery that you'll use to differentiate yourself from the competition.
Your business plan should describe where should you focus your energy to grow sales.
Your marketing strategy uses your brand strategy and your business plan to create a strategic plan for communication to the right audience, at the right times, to support your sales goals.

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To scale or not to scale. To grow, but how far? What's the right choice for your brand?

Many brands choose co-packing as the next best step for increasing production to meet market demand. But choosing a co-packer can be a nerve-wracking process. Handing over your recipes to someone else feels like you are relinquishing control over your business. So it’s not surprising that many food brands delay the decision until it’s almost too late. Many times, the rush to increase your production in a hurry causes unsatisfactory results.

In this episode, Ashley Sutterfield joins me and talks about how co-packing helps businesses scale their production and how you can determine if it’s the right move for your business. Her team at Sage helps calm the chaos surrounding brand growth by crafting specific solutions for each food business as she guides them through a new, and often confusing, aspect of the food industry.

One takeaway you shouldn’t miss from this episode: not every brand follows the same path for growth, and that is okay!

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

We need to change how food gets to us from the ground to our families. - Georgiana Dearing
When companies first come to us, they think that co-packing is the solution. And that's simply because that's what the industry talks about. We want companies to know that they have other options. - Ashley Sutterfield
I was seeing this very large frustration for entrepreneurs around co-packing. And I want to help ease the lives and make things simpler for food entrepreneurs. So that's really where I wanted to begin focusing. - Ashley Sutterfield
Brands in their first few years are in a period of growth that is a very push-me/pull-you situation. It’s centered around their capacity for supply and demand. It can be nerve-wracking for a brand – you need more sales to grow your business, but you also need to have the production capacity to support those new sales. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Choosing a co-packer can be a nerve-wracking process
Brands don't know what they don't know about working with co-packers
Co-packing is not the only option
Co-packing is great but may not be the right move for your food brand
Many brands decide to increase their own manufacturing capacity and often end up co-packing for other small brands in their region.
Working with a co-packing coach or consultant helps you understand the next steps to take
Sage's services start with an 8-week Coaching for Clarity program that helps brands assess their real needs for expansion
Coaching isn't a lifetime commitment — you may get what you need in a few weeks or a few months

More About the Guest:

Ashley Sutterfield is the CEO and Owner of Sage, an empathy-based food production coaching and consultancy firm that helps food brands understand their options so they can get the answers they need to feel empowered to act. Sage works with primarily female-owned companies across the food and beverage industry that are starting a new phase of growth in their business.

Follow Sage:

Website

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The change of seasons always gives me a lift. Spring to summer to fall to winter. It's a lovely cycle. - Georgiana Dearing

All things are made beautiful in their time. Everything has its proper timing, and every action or idea on this earth is attenable if you are sensitive to its flow and when it should come to fruition.

Business planning is no different, and if you’re a food business and sales and marketing activities are consuming lots of mental energy, then there’s no easier way to align your strategy and campaigns than with the cycles of food and farming seasons.

Every season has its own characteristic that is comparable to a phase of your business cycle. Spring is for planting, summer for nurturing, autumn for harvesting, and winter for rest and renewal. Sales and marketing activities complement each season, just as nature drives every part of the process of growth.

Even with each season mapped out, there is still a level of volatility involved because there are many things that may be out of your control. However, science, technology, and marketing principles are on your side, so you shouldn't be reactionary in your business. Knowing when each season is coming, you can proactively and successfully plan ahead for the coming months to yield profit and success.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Seasonal quarters don't align with fiscal quarters and I'm not expecting anyone to change their financial forecasting just to manage a marketing plan.
Planting. Nurturing. Harvesting. Rest and renewal. That's the cycle of farm life and also a good model for the packaged food industry.
Farming doesn't happen in the spur of the moment. The weather and nature are forces that a farmer cannot control, farming is not a reactionary business. Your business shouldn't be reactionary, either.
Make a plan for each season of your sales and marketing, and you'll be prepared for whatever storm that hits.

Key Points From This Episode:

Spring is for “planting" activities for food brands, including laying the foundation for future growth. This involves seeking out new partners and exploring and building new communities.
Summer is for "nurturing" activities for food brands, including toiling the soil of new leads, meetings, and follow-up with category representatives, sharing your founding story to new followers, and building the name and face of your brand.
Autumn is for the “harvest” activities like prepping for end-of-year sales, closing newly-inked deals, and extending your audience before running campaigns.
Winter is the time for celebrating the year-end, reflecting on past performance and evaluating what worked and what didn't work, then making a plan for next year's cycle. Most importantly, in this season especially, always allot time to rest and renew.

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One of the things I hear a lot from small and startup businesses is that deciding on product packaging is the most exciting and awaited part of the production process and business launch. What color to use, what size of the box or jar, how many inches from the lid should the logo sit. These are the thrilling questions that get thrown in the brainstorming process for packaging.

Unsurprisingly, it can also be the most nerve-wracking, and here’s why. Packaging has the smallest physical space but needs to work the hardest. With competition getting tighter, as a brand, you only have that microsecond to convince your ideal customer to grab your product from a sea of other somewhat similar products on the shelf. The wrong color, confusing label, illegible fonts, or awkward container can throw off your customer - and there goes the sale.

Regardless of your business size or how long you’ve been in the market, if you want to succeed in retail, hiring a professional package designer is an investment that pays off over the life of your brand. It’s something you simply can’t shrug off. Nor can you try to just wing it. What you invest in your packaging can make or break your brand in the retail environment.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Product packaging is one of the five places that a food brand controls its brand story.
Packaging is your silent salesman. Your package design needs to tell your brand story when you aren't there to explain it to the shopper.
Purchase decisions are made in microseconds at the shelf, and research shows that shoppers will change their minds at the very moment they reach to put products into their cart.
Confusing your audience and then making it hard for them to use your product is never a good idea no matter what the cost-savings.
The trick in packaging is to make sure that the brand essence can be translated into a small shape and still support all the technical needs of packaging for the US market.
Your brand essence, your product positioning, your flavor profiles, the legal requirements, manufacturing processes, and the refill and replenishment costs over the life of your brand.

Key Points From This Episode:

Packaging can make or break sales in the retail environment
Packaging is probably the first big investment a small brand makes
Package design is an investment and not as a sunk cost
The big communication work your package does is set expectations
Choosing colors is important, especially for future expansion
Subtle shifts in design elements can convey different messages
Package design is part of a manufacturing process
Product packaging needs to weather the storm and extreme changes
True craftsmanship takes time
Good package design firms understand all the legal requirements
Project-based fees keep clients and service providers in check

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Picture this. You started a food business out of your sheer love and passion to create something of quality that’s unique, and is good for the planet. You made something that you, as a customer, were desperately looking for. You’ve nailed the product. You get great feedback from your customers at farm markets and pop-ups. You are ready to hit the retail shelves. Then…

Crickets chirping.

Your products aren’t getting picked up the way you’d hoped. And the thought that keeps you up at night is: Why aren’t people buying it? What happened to those great sales? Why is this taking so long?

If you’re toying (hopefully not struggling!) with the same thoughts, you’re in for a treat. This week, I’m joined by Darcy Lacy, owner and Creative Director of Watermark Design in Charlottesville. And we talk specifically about product packaging as your silent salesman, the tool that a food brand uses to tell their brand story on the retail shelf.

Darcy’s company is the success behind the package redesign that brought Crescent Simple’s a big boost in sales. Learn how colors, correct font choice, and imagery all help reinforce a brand’s message in subtle ways that entice shoppers to put them in their cart. As Darcy says, many times businesses already have a clear idea of how their packaging should be - but the devil is in the details. The tweaks and improvements, as small and simple as they may seem, could really elevate your packaging and help grab customers' attention and create that first and lasting impression.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

I always say that it's Watermark's job to get someone to pick it up off the shelf the first time they haven't tried it. They don't know what's in the bottle. And then it's on the client to sell it the second time. - Darcey Lacy
Product packaging is one of the five key tools in food marketing. It's the silent salesman that tells your brand story when you aren't there to do it. And yet it has the smallest real estate that makes your packaging the hardest-working member in your team. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Packaging has the smallest real estate, but it does the hardest work for food brands
Packaging tells your brand story when you aren't there to explain it to the buyer
Product Packaging is an investment that can pay off exponentially over the life of a brand
A good package design firm will understand all the legal requirements for food and beverage packaging

More About the Guest:

Watermark is a deliberately small branding studio that hones on their clients’ specific industry challenges to create a unique, high-quality design that outpaces competition.

With Darcy Lacy, owner and Creative Director at the helm, Watermark believes that great design drives sales through increased shelf presence and strives to help businesses entice customers to choose their product or company using clear and impactful branding.

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Website
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Facebook
Pinterest

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As a small food business owner, are you confident about conveying your real worth or marketing your own brand and product line? Or are you uncomfortable with marketing because you feel that promotion is self-indulgent?

This is a common mental block for most good food brands. Though they’re proud of their product and believe in their mission, they are wary of marketing - especially online marketing - either because they don’t understand it, they think they don’t need it, or they’re afraid it’s a lot of work.

In this episode, I’ve outlined 5 key marketing tools that every good food brand should have in their corner. When these tools are aligned with your brand positioning, your sales grow and marketing gets easier.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

It's general sales knowledge that it takes seven to eight touchpoints to close a sale, and food brands have five key marketing tools where they control their brand story: product packaging, website, sell sheet, social media, and email marketing.
Because craft food brands command a higher price point, the key factor in closing sales is brand perception.
Being always on and reactionary is an exhausting way to run a business. And certainly not how marketing should be managed.
I'm a big advocate for intentional planned content sharing and the reasons for managing it this way are plentiful.
When you get all your content marketing to align, you'll see improved sales, and you'll also start to calm the chaos of managing your marketing projects.

Key Points From This Episode:

Good food brands make mindful choices that impact our planet
Many craft food brands underestimate the cost of doing business
Good food brands should share their story to frame their price point
Packaging can make or break your product’s sale at the shelf
Website should include eCommerce to boost your ROI
Sell sheet should feature relevant content to close the deal with Buyers
Social media lets you speak to customers where they are
Email marketing glues all your sales and marketing together

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Americans love all food, from all regions, and they want what they want when they want it. The questions many craft food brands wrestle with is how can you be a GOOD FOOD brand when your product is something exotic? What do you do when you make a product every American loves, but you can’t possibly source it locally?

Wild Blue Chocolate started their business by answering that question first - diving knee-deep into the chocolate production process to make sure that each step of their process is rooted in sustainable, beneficial, and profitable decisions all the way from the harvested cacao bean to the final chocolate bar.

In this episode, we have one-half of the dynamic duo and artists at heart behind this award-winning brand. Mike Sever talks about the origin of Wild Blue and how he and his wife strive to apply their best practices and successfully use cacao, an ingredient that’s not locally grown and requires specific climate conditions, to have a healthy living lifestyle and be sustainably grown.

Wild Blue’s product, 75% Guatemala San Juan Chevite bar, was among the winners of the Good Food Awards for 2022, beating out about 2,000 other entries. This is a true testament to how they continue to help support the sustainability efforts around chocolate in providing an alternative to mass-produced chocolate.

Listen and learn the keys to GOOD FOOD success:

Know your providers and understand their practices
Source your other ingredients from as near as possible
Craft the highest quality product possible, even if that limits batch sizes to extremely small production runs

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

We work from a transparent standpoint. We don't work directly with farmers. However, we do work through transparent networks that ensure that it's not a commodity. Chocolate should not be viewed as a commodity. It should be viewed with direct impact to farmers. - Mike Sever
There's very much of a science and a craft to what you're doing. And it's really labor-intensive. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

Why it’s important to put quality in every step of your production process
What working with transparency and partnering with small, out of country suppliers looks like
How Mike and Jesse intend to keep Wild Blue Chocolate small but maintain its presence in Virginia
Seeing your product and ingredient (chocolate and cacao) not merely as a commodity but a driver of change in its community
Balancing simple ingredients with expansions through partnerships as a path to innovation

More About the Guest:

Mike and Jesse Sever are the founders of Wild Blue Chocolate, as a result of loving the art of chocolate-making from two ingredients – eliminating the need for emulsifiers, oils, or ingredients you can’t pronounce.

They strive to make chocolate in its simplest form by using transparently sourced organic cacao and choose to use maple sugar, which has a lower environmental footprint than cane sugar.

Follow Wild Blue Chocolate:

Website
Instagram

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VA Foodie website
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"Content, social posts, and ads: these are the tools we can use to grow online sales. And the good news in 2022 is that these tools are getting smarter and smarter." - Georgiana Dearing

Whether intentionally or unknowingly, every small business aims and needs to boost its ecommerce sales. This might not be the natural first step for most small brands, but tapping into online sales will not only expand your reach and give you the opportunity to multiply your profits, but it also help establish your brand’s integrity.

Especially if you’re a niche brand, leveraging ecommerce is both a savvy and strategic approach. It helps you hone in on your audience and lets you find your tribe of loyal customers.

As I rally the three tips for your ecommerce sales strategy, I have my interview with ChipMonk Baking to thank. They’ve highlighted these proven methods to help businesses like them grow online sales.

Listen to this episode as I talk about creating good content for your website using best practices for SEO or search terms, building social campaigns using said content, and promoting the social posts as part of a paid ad strategy.

I hope you’ll have fun while learning as you listen and realize that the only thing tricky with ecommerce is how you spell it(spoiler alert: both ecommerce and e-commerce are acceptable!).

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Leveraging e-commerce is a pretty savvy approach for a niche brand. When you're focused on a specific set of buyers that are a much smaller percentage of the population, reaching out online is the perfect way to find your tribe.
When you create content that's useful, interesting, and engaging to your target market, you'll naturally attract click-throughs and backlinks to your site.
Effective content marketing means sharing helpful information with potential customers so that they can see themselves buying from you.
Good food brands don't have to wait for writing inspiration to strike to get started with planning your social media content strategy - they naturally have lots of topics to draw from.

Key Points From This Episode:

Creating and sharing content for your target audience
Inbound vs. outbound marketing
Content from a brand’s positioning and product line
Divisible content shared through various platforms
Industry-standard for ad spend to ecommerce sales ratio

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VA Foodie website
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Diabetes is a frightening condition that affects 425 million individuals throughout the world. Since sugar and other processed foods are the main ingredients for most food products, we aren’t really left with much of a choice.

Jose Hernandez, the Co-Founder and President of ChipMonk Baking, thought otherwise. He and David Downing, Co-Founder and CEO, started the brand to provide healthier snacking options not only to help those suffering from diabetes but audiences who are trying to eat clean and healthy by avoiding sugar or keeping a keto diet.

In this episode, Jose and Michael, the Director of Digital Marketing at Chipmonk Baking, share the story of how ChipMonk Baking started and how they grew a sugar-free, low-carb, and diabetic-friendly brand by focusing on direct to consumer eCommerce sales first.

What’s striking about this episode is how Jose knew from the start that they wanted to build an e-commerce brand that’s scalable - and not be limited to operating at their geographical location like most local bakeries are.

They also share with us the alternative ingredients they used, how they innovate for product development, source consumers, and draw traffic to their e-commerce business through SEO, social media, and paid ads.

Listen to learn more and stay tuned for a sneak peek of the cookie flavors and products they are launching soon!

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

There's a lot of things you can't have. But there's a lot of alternatives and ways to get around the things that you like. - Jose Hernandez
There are so many tools available that you can use to just quickly fix the big things, at least understand how other things can improve. - Michael Downing
Our goal is to keep our ad spend at about 10% of our sales. So if we're going above that, then we're growing too fast. - Michael Downing
We're actively testing flavors on our audience to see what they like so that we can introduce them at the right time. - Jose Hernandez

Key Points From This Episode:

Jose’s journey to reverse the effects of diabetes
Why they use “clean” ingredients in what they bake
Incorporating allulose as a “clean” alternate sweetener
How they source and monitor the quality of their ingredients
Why setting goals are important for a startup business
Their set up to be more effective with e-commerce
How they plan, implement, and organize their content
How Chipmonk Baking finds and draws people to their website
What to expect from Chipmonk Baking in the coming year

More About the Guests:

Jose Hernandez is the co-founder of ChipMonk Baking, a health nut, and was previously diagnosed with type two diabetes. His personal experience of successfully reversing the impact of diabetes has been the driving force behind ChipMonk Baking.

Michael Downing is the Director of Digital Marketing at Chipmonk Baking.

Follow ChipMonk Baking:

Website
Facebook
Instagram

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Many people mark the start of a new year by renewing their commitment to improvement and growth. Setting goals is a practice most entrepreneurs have – you wouldn’t have started a business if you didn’t have some kind of life goal in mind.

But where most people fall off track is by not having a plan in place to help you reach those goals. I’ve seen a lot of people get so laser-focused on planning and goal setting that they forget to do one thing: celebrate their achievements, no matter how micro they may be.

Whatever your ambitions are for 2022 – new sales channels, more income, more downtime – give this episode a listen. It’s all about setting SMART goals, taking the steps to achieve them, and having the right support system in place to keep you motivated.

Join me in Episode 45, as I talk about growth, setting S.M.A.R.T. goals, the importance of accountability and support system, and breaking down your sales and marketing goals to create milestones to celebrate.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

In your business, your goals may be to reach certain production levels or to pay yourself that dream salary.
Big goals need to be broken down into smaller, achievable mini-goals.
Celebrating milestones is important for staying on track and motivating you to reach your goals.
It's okay to set a goal and then not reach it, because just the act of measuring your progress toward a goal will encourage growth.

Key Points From This Episode:

What I learned from theSesame Street Challenge
Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals
Breaking down big goals into small, achievable ones
The importance of celebrating your milestones and achievements
Why accountability is important
Measuring your progress
Embracing failures as a part of the process

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“As a woman of color, I felt the need to create a business whose mission was to elevate other people who are marginalized in their communities.” - Lia Ballentine

The pandemic taught us two things. One, we want good, nutritious food and snacks that are easily accessible, simple enough that we can make in our own kitchens, and the taste and ingredients are close to home. And two, we’re more comfortable shopping online. This demand and shift in consumer behavior paved the way for startup food brands to create snacks and food that aren’t just healthy, but also have a familiar taste and feel to them. The existing food market, as wide as it is, still isn’t able to cater to the specific preferences of some audiences.

Startup food brands are quick to jump into this opportunity, doing innovative things independent of larger corporate food systems. And they aren’t getting the spotlight they deserve. This is why Yumday was created: to be a platform to showcase emerging food brands and amplify and promote representation.

In Episode 44, I’m bringing back Lia Ballentine, founder of Yumday, an online curated snack shop and snack box service that features and prioritizes women and BIPOC-led food brands. Since the original interview came out in January, Lia’s business has grown leaps and bounds, with a new website relaunch, a wider selection of food products, additional subscription sizes, and corporate gifting.

Lia and I talk all about the sustainability of business operations, innovation, and partnership, customer engagement, and using storytelling to highlight the reason and purpose of these growing food businesses.

If you're an emerging food business that wants to tap into new audiences but doesn’t have the capacity yet to have its own promotion platform, partnering with a digital platform like Yumday is a great way to get your products directly to consumers’ homes.

Or, if you're a foodie who loves new snacks every month or might be looking for a great gift idea this holiday, Yumday has curated food boxes so you can check that off your to-do list this Christmas season!

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

If you're trying to grow retail sales for packaged food, the bigger channels always want data on not just your market but how you serve your business accounts too. Finding and growing retail accounts takes time and networking. - Georgiana Dearing
Storytelling is so important to me and it's such a great way to connect people. - Lia Ballentine
What I value so much is the connection with the brand and the story they come along with. - Lia Ballentine

More About the Guest:

Lia Ballentine is the founder of Yumday, a purpose-driven snack box company featuring women- and BIPOC-led food brands. She is a foodie, photographer, and art enthusiast with an incurable case of wanderlust and she loves to follow her curiosity—wherever it leads.

Lia's mission is to make every day delicious by finding and sharing wholesome snacks from diverse founders of innovative food brands.

Connect with Lia:

Website
Instagram

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When it comes to marketing food brands, the primary challenge is to get your products seen and discovered. In 2020, US grocery sales topped 750 billion, and over 40% of shoppers under the age of 65 are purchasing specialty food items. Food and beverage sales will continue to rise in the coming year as the market opens post-pandemic.

So when it comes to breaking that barrier of creating and increasing exposure for your products and connecting your business with the right buyers, as a business owner you need to be nimble and adapt to using the most advanced online tools and platforms designed specifically for that.

This week, I am so happy to share with you my conversation with Vir Satyan, the Vice President of Supplier Success at RangeMe, an online product discovery platform where buyers and brand manufacturers can connect and engage with each other.

As business owners and key decision-makers, we should never miss an opportunity to grow and find strategies to evolve our business and meet market demands. We shouldn’t succumb to the mentality of settling for things as they are now - because the business industry is dynamic and ever-changing. And whether you’re an emerging brand or an already established business, tools like RangeMecan help your business reach optimal success.

Listen to Episode 43 as we talk more about this platform.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

The whole concept of RangeMe is creating a way for emerging brands to have a level playing field and making it easier for buyers to find those emerging brands. - Vir Satyan
There are ways to make products stand out or perform well on the RangeMe platform. I help people who are starting on this platform make sure that details are entered in ways that are going to present the right story to the buyer. - Georgiana Dearing
RangeMe really is like LinkedIn for the CPG industry. It's business to business, brand to buyer, but it's digital, it's 24/7 and it's always working for you. - Vir Satyan

Key Points From This Episode:

What is RangeMe?
How RangeMe can level the playing field for all emerging brands
Using keywords for SEO
Why certifications are beneficial for your brand
How brands can expand their grab and go products
Why positioning your brand is important
How travel has increased competition, thereby improving food quality
Utilizing industry and category insights
Future upgrades to the platform such as Direct Sales (digital storefront)

Other Resources Mentioned:

Faire
Pod Foods
UNFI
KeHE

More About the Guest:

Vir Satyan is the Vice President of Supplier Success at RangeMe, the leading product discovery and sourcing platform where retailers and suppliers discover, connect, and grow their business. They are now the industry standard, currently working with over 10,000 retail buyers in the U.S. alone while also continuously expanding globally.

Connect with Vir:

Website

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Shoppers – and Retail Buyers – may prefer deep discounts and promo bundles over a price hike, but a strong and stable business is built on a strategic pricing strategy, among other things.

Raising prices is the flipside of giving discounts and promo bundles. Coming at the heels of Black Friday (where most retailers and businesses, unfortunately, did not meet sales goals in 2021), now is actually a strategic time to consider raising your prices.

Current market conditions have put a lot of variables out of your control, and things aren’t changing soon. If you haven’t raised prices yet, you need to face this decision head-on. You can only manage your rising expenses by offsetting them with a reasonable price bump.

If you’re a small business that’s wary of increasing its prices so as not to scare off customers, you may actually be doing your business more damage. Trying to appease clients but doing so at the expense of managing your operational, manufacturing, marketing and distribution expenses puts your business at risk.

Listen as I share with you a checklist for executing a price increase and ease the shock value by managing customer expectations. Think of it as helping establish your brand and business for the long run - and this way, you’ll be of better service to your clients whom you love.

And if you’re still hesitant about a price increase, here’s a concise step-by-step plan to roll out: plan it, communicate it, and do it!

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Don't spend energy stressing over market acceptance –price increases happen all the time, and buyers are not shocked by it.
You are making a living and providing jobs. Your permission to be profitable.
How you communicate to your customers about pricing sets their expectations.

Key Points From This Episode:

How marketing is crucial in setting and managing customer expectations
Why purpose-driven brands should also be profitable
The relationship between raising prices and increasing costs
When is the perfect time to increase prices

Other Resources Mentioned:

RangeMe
Faire
Pod Foods
Amazon

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As we welcome the Christmas season, there’s an excited buzz in the air as we prep for all the parties and gatherings. What better way to bring on the holiday cheer than the perfect cocktail or mocktail to enjoy with your family, friends, loved ones, and peers.

In this episode, I’m bringing back Megan and Bill Miller of Crescent Simples, a craft food company that aims to elevate the home bartender experience through accessible high-quality cocktail products made from fresh ingredients.

As former bartenders from New Orleans, Bill and Megan were inspired by their passion for creating great gatherings to create a brand that allows people to re-create great cocktails at home. Their vision to elevate the home bartending experience for everyone brought Crescent Simples to life. Their story of how they took this startup business and partnered with other businesses and then expanded production to a new location is truly encouraging. It’s noteworthy that they have managed to grow their brand and business in just a few years despite the pandemic.

Listen to learn about what bartending tips and essentials you should always have in your home, the importance of packaging and branding in a business, and how their commitment to stay under five ingredients has led to their growth.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Our philosophy was that we want to help people do the things that they do in restaurants at home and our simple syrups are a way to bridge that gap, especially with them being all fresh fruit, raw herbs and no preservatives. - Bill Miller
The biggest way that I create those relationships with the farmers and make sure that they have enough to provide for us is just by meeting people at the farmer's market. - Megan Miller
Design really is a function of business. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

The vision of Crescent Simples
Working with a commercial kitchen
Crescent Simples flavors inspiration
How the pandemic affected their business
Sourcing local ingredients
What inspired them to be a food creator
Why design is an important function of a business
The importance of building relationships with farmers and providers
Their process of finding and experimenting with new flavors

Other Resources Mentioned:

Crescent Simples Recipes
Hatch
Virginia Food Works
4P Foods
Cavalier Produce

More about the Guest:

Megan and Bill Miller are the owners of Crescent Simples, a craft food brand that's on a mission to elevate the experience of the home bartender to accessible high-quality cocktail products made from fresh ingredients.

You can now find Crescent Simples in more than 80 stores across 14 states, and they are currently located in Richmond, Virginia.

Connect with Crescent Simples:

Instagram
Website

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Thousands of small businesses find it challenging to deal with large distributors that don’t provide the depth of support and transparency they need to complement their logistical requirements.

So imagine how refreshing it would be for emerging brands to find a distribution partner that can help them grow and expand their profits by helping get their products into the hands of their customers without compromising their budget.

That’s exactly what Pod Foodsset out to do: create a process that allows brands and businesses to measure out their distribution. Pod Foods is positioned to scale to meet a brand where they're at. It’s no wonder their own business boomed at the height of the pandemic - their flexible distribution solutions and transparent fees are exactly what emerging brands need to survive the changing business landscape.

In this episode, we are joined by their Vice President of Customer Success, April Francis, who shared about how they help small food brands in distributing their products through tech-savvy solutions.

Learn about how Pod Foods started, their transparent fee system, building a region out and reaching capacity, understanding your customer, and developing relationships with your retailer.

Listen in as this might be the right solution for your brand to make logistics and distribution easier, simpler, and more cost-efficient for your business.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

We are building a national distribution program that allows brands to reach retailers with a direct shipment or via our distribution centers. - April Francis
Choosing the right store and the right distribution partner can make or break your profitability. - Georgiana Dearing
There's a lot of value in visibility and transparency. - April Francis
We work with our brands closely: we mentor them, educate them, help them reach these new customers. - April Francis
We help brands manage their customers because they are so important to their community. - April Francis
There's a lot of control that an emerging brand needs and has with Pod Foods that allows them to build that excited customer base and great track record that can translate to other regions. - April Francis

Key Points From This Episode:

Transparency vs. opaqueness in the distribution industry
Pod Foods distribution process
Supporting emerging brands through transparent and tech-enabled solutions
Building relationships with retailers

More about the Guest:

April Francis is the Vice President of Customer Success at Pod Foods, a tech-enabled grocery supply chain platform.

Connect with Pod Foods:

Website
Facebook
Instagram

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VA Foodie website
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As a business owner, you probably say thank you several times a day without even realizing it. But what if you could add to your social media following, increase website conversions, and even attract new customers by genuinely expressing your gratitude towards your customers?

Gratitude is a valuable marketing technique since it helps you connect and form a bond with your customers. And I use the term ‘technique’ loosely not to seem like we need to show gratitude as a ploy to get more customers. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that clients and various audiences respond favorably to a humble and grateful attitude simply because you as a business are letting them in and see a more natural and vulnerable side of your brand that they can connect and relate to with.

And of course, it’s an opportunity to appreciate your clients for their continued patronage, unwavering support, and even helpful feedback that makes your business better.

This level of transparency is not only an effective strategy for expanding your consumer base and driving online conversions; it can also create an authentic experience for both existing and new customers.

In this week’s episode, I will be discussing how you can use gratitude as a marketing tool for your business as well as when and how to express your gratefulness. Since the holidays are looming, this is the perfect time of year where we start to think about family gatherings and giving back to our community.

Listen to this episode and join me as I share some tips and ideas on how you can show gratitude to your consumers, build customer loyalty through authenticity, and the different ways to thank your customers, vendor partners, or team this coming holidays.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Communicating is the core of marketing.
Real gratitude is something that comes from the heart - it should be genuine.
A genuine expression of thanks creates brand authenticity.
When you share your real values, you'll draw people who hold those same values back to you.
Be your authentic self by putting as much of yourself as you can into your message.
If you want to combine gratitude with a gift, first, express your thanks and tell them why you are thankful.
Gifts are better when they're about the recipient and not about the giver.
Giving something unexpected is a wonderful way to thank your customers and build brand loyalty.

Key Points From This Episode:

Genuine gratitude as a marketing tool
Sharing values draws like minds to your brand
Being authentic to your audience
When and how to express your gratitude to your customers

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

VA Foodie website
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We know you love those luscious pastries, in fact, they are some of the best performing images on Instagram. But have you ever wondered how baked goods actually fit into a local food system?

The truth is, flour production is largely controlled by just a few corporations, so there’s not much in baked goods -- at least by volume -- that can be sourced locally. Many times small mills can’t keep up with the demands of a manufacturing plant.

But, baking with local products can be done, and that’s why I’m excited to share Noshy’s story with you. In this week’s episode, I’m speaking with Noshy Cookie Companywho specializes in memorably scrumptious cookies made with mindfully chosen ingredients. Owner Julie Strange shares with us some of the inside stories about her brand, her farm-to-market experience, growing alternate channels, and keeping local sourcing and sustainability at the center of her business.

She’ll be bringing us along her journey on how they handled the company during the pandemic, how they were able to choose alternatives for their ingredients, and the importance of sustainable packaging to their brand.

Learn awesome takeaways about hard work, sustainability, and authenticity from Julie’s story on Episode 38! Virginia Foodie Essentials:

It's not enough for us to make amazingly delicious cookies. We care about the earth and the people who live here, and our company reflects that. - Noshy Cookie Company
This is how we live our life at home. We try to buy things that aren't in plastic and try to find things locally instead of shipping. - Julie Strange
Our packaging has always been either recycled, compostable, biodegradable, or reusable. - Julie Strange
Business needs balance. - Georgiana Dearing

Key Points From This Episode:

How they handled the business amidst COVID-19
Their online cookie sales
Her pregnancy journey during the pandemic
Their diverse set of sales channels
Sourcing from local products or creating one from scratch
Alternative ingredients used in their product
Sustainable packaging
Partnering with catering for events
Coming up with new ideas for the business’ growth

Other Resources Mentioned:

Food Loop

More about the Guest:

Julie Strange is the founder of Noshy Cookie Company.

Connect with Julie:

Website
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

VA Foodie website
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VA Foodie Instagram
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The holiday season is just around the corner. Are you prepped and ready for this biggest selling opportunity of the year?

A well-planned strategic campaign will drive sales, streamline operations, and give you space to authentically connect with your audience. In this week’s episode, I’ll be sharing with you campaign strategies you can use to make the most out of this year’s holiday gift season.

We’ll talk about starting now with a simple reach campaign to grow your audience before you ask for the sale. Then we’ll map out two types of sales campaigns that will carry your eCommerce business through the end of the year:

A Q4 gift sales campaign that continues past Thanksgiving weekend to your shipping cutoff.
A later campaign for last-minute shoppers that also encourages sales in the early part of Q1, which can be a slower period for many brands.

Taking advantage of your social media platform, engaging with your audience through automated emails, and driving traffic back to your website using gift cards, vouchers, and subscriptions are a few of the vital steps you should include in your campaign strategy.

Regardless of your current marketing budget, you should start somewhere - and this is your chance. Get ready to take notes and listen to Episode 37 to apply these strategies to your business!

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Now is the time to encourage pre-ordering for holiday entertaining, and to plan out campaigns for great gift ideas.
The recent Facebook outage underscores that social media is just one tool in your marketing arsenal, so be sure to use it to drive customers to your website and email list.
If you don't attach a conversion goal to the work that you're doing, you aren't measuring the worth of your activity. You're just measuring your activity.
Planning is essential for time management. The time you are spending on social media is the time that is not being spent on closing key accounts.
If you don't spend to boost your audience, you're going to have very slow growth and slow return on your investment in social.
A true campaign has multiple touchpoints.

Key Points From This Episode:

Campaign strategies to drive sales for the holiday season
Role of social media in your marketing platform
Use calls-to-action in your social media posts
Pick your Thanksgiving weekend sale combo and get that planned now
Start a reach campaign before asking for the sale
Plan your first selling campaign for Dec 1-12, or 1-15, ending on your shipping cutoff
Add a campaign for the second half of December to drive Q1 sales
Put improving your email strategy in your plan for 2022

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

VA Foodie website
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VA Foodie Instagram
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CO2 emissions went up tremendously over the years because of the increase in human activity, especially those related to manufacturing and trading of goods. Overconsumption has also resulted in a huge waste problem, which continues to exponentially increase our carbon footprint on this planet.

Thankfully, more and more companies and organizations have gone green, not just promoting but actually implementing planet-friendly initiatives such as the use of reusable packaging to eliminate single-use plastics and ultimately reduce waste. One of which is Good Goods whose goal is to invent a circular supply chain for wine bottles by introducing reuse into the experience.

In this episode, we have with us Zach Lawless, CEO of Good Goods, who will be sharing with us his plans to bring the reuse economy to the wine industry. We discuss their journey from way back in 2017 when they first launched reusable containers, how their program works and benefits both consumers and retailers, the positive environmental impact of using reusable packaging, and reducing the footprint of mission-driven food brands.

Reusing and practicing sustainability can turn things around and counter the harmful effects caused by activities that are heavy on CO2 emissions. With the Good Goods program, you can provide quality products to your consumer while helping the planet in a simple yet highly impactful way. Listen in to learn more about Good Goods!

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Reusing is really about building a network. You have to be able to get people to return products back and deal with your retailers to bring those products back for producers to utilize reusable packaging. - Zach Lawless
Our goal is to reach that leverage point of what is the lightest bottle that we can use so that we can reduce the transformation, but also not reduce integrity for reuse. - Zach Lawless
With Good Goods, you can have a quality wine and one that cares about the environmental footprint as well. - Zach Lawless

Key Points From This Episode:

All about Good Goods Company
Innovating solutions to some of the world's biggest problems
Grab-n-Go Food
Reusable wine bottles from Good Goods
The effect of the pandemic on the business
Sanitation process of the wine bottles
Environmental impact of standard wine packaging

Other Resources Mentioned:

Fresh Bowl
Website
Grow My Brand

More about the Guest:

Zach Lawless is the CEO and co-founder of Good Goods, a company that creates reuse activations for both brands and retailers that engage consumers to actually return the products or the packaging for those products.

Zach is a serial entrepreneur and a passionate social impact creator with professional experience across the fields of sustainability, finance, and food and wine. Motivated to find a solution to growing global plastic waste and the recycling crisis of 2017, Zack decided to start his own business to solve some of these challenges.

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

VA Foodie website
The Virginia Foodie on Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
VA Foodie on Twitter

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In Virginia, October is such a beautiful and exciting time of the year. It brings the beautiful colors of nature, mountain views, pleasant temperatures, and so many things to do and see -- especially with local food and beverages. Virginia wine is always a great addition to extraordinary meals, special occasions, and family gatherings.

This October, we are celebrating Virginia Wine Month with Anna Pendleton, Marketing Manager at the Virginia Wine Board marketing office. Just like any other business, the wine industry has been affected by the pandemic and the industry is constantly shifting, as the virus impacts local wineries. Anna shares with us how the Virginia Wine Board helped farm wineries manage pivots to be more successful amidst the pandemic, promoting virtual experiences with wineries and consumers, and how e-commerce has greatly helped farm wineries reach more people and businesses.

We also discuss where Virginia Wine Month originated, what it means, why it matters, the vision and purpose of the Virginia winery organization, and so much more.

If you own a business that is related to the wine industry or sells food that goes well with wine, then Virginia Wine Month and the newly launched Harvest Party campaign are two marketing tools you may leverage. Tune in to hear from Anna Pendleton, and learn about all the great things Virginia Wine has to offer.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

A lot of our efforts shifted to that digital space so that we could promote and just share that information and educate our consumers how they could still get Virginia Wine on their table, and then their glasses. - Anna Pendleton
Our buying power benefits multiple small businesses across the state and gets to pull the industry together as a whole and represent Virginia as a region. - Anna Pendleton

Key Points From This Episode:

Fall in Virginia is a beautiful time of the year
The Virginia Wine Board
Promoting the Virginia Wine Industry
History of Virginia Wine Month
Harvest party is the month of October
Impact of the pandemic in the wine industry
Features of the Virginia Wine website
Virginia Winery Guide for farm wineries

Other Resources Mentioned:

Virginia Wine website
Virginia Wine on Instagram
Virginia Wine on Facebook
Virginia Wine on Twitter

More about the Guest:

Anna Pendleton is a Marketing Manager at Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office. Their office is funded by the Virginia Wine Board, which was established in 2007 by the general assembly. The Wine Board’s goal is to promote and bring awareness to the entire Virginia wine industry, which has over 300 wineries as of today.

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

VA Foodie website
The Virginia Foodie on Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
VA Foodie on Twitter

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We are heading into the holiday season -- which means lots of sales, but also lots of demands on our time. There’s a lot to do before the end of the year! In the heat of the busy season, it’s so easy to let operations often get in the way of completing marketing tasks. To make the most of your selling season take the time now to complete your campaign plans, all the way down to how you’ll respond on different channels.

The more we can turn that work into manageable to-do items, the more likely you are to keep your marketing projects moving forward towards closing sales.

Today I'm diving into the four key components to consider when you are planning your campaigns: Cadence, Content, Engagement, and Partnerships. We’ll cover how each of these impacts the success of your campaigns, and I’ll share things that you can do right now to calm that content chaos that will soon creep in with the holiday gift season.

Join me in Episode 34 to learn how to connect your brand to your consumer’s needs, decide what your offers are in your campaign plan, acquire skills in marketing and creating new content to spend less time chasing down sales, and focus more on your goals and campaign plan.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Steady sales come from steady marketing.
The more you can turn that work into manageable to-do items, the more likely you are to keep your marketing projects moving forward towards closing sales.
The number one way to extend your reach with any marketing tool you use is to show up for your audience and use that tool consistently.
Your campaign needs to originate from content that your audience can relate to.
Social media is a tool that should be used at the top of your sales funnel driving your audience toward the next step on the way to close sales.
Engagement is all about making connections.
Finding good partners is a no-cost way to amplify your campaign.

Key Points From This Episode:

Marketing and creating new content
Planning ahead and creating action steps
Four key steps to complete your campaign plan
Engagement tools to use
Creating partnerships and connections
Social media tools for your business

Other Resources Mentioned:

LinkedIn
Grow Your Brand

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

Website
Personal Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
Twitter

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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“Eating local food is fundamental in building a more sustainable world.”
- Amy McCann

Locally grown food helps with reducing ecological effects in our community, offers good health benefits to people, and offers significant economic opportunities to communities. helps with reducing ecological effects in our community.

Regional or community markets demonstrated their importance to the US food supply chain during the recent pandemic, and they are thankfully gaining ground. And this is what Local Food Marketplace aims to uphold, promote and support.

In this episode, I’m joined by Amy McCann, founder, and CEO of Local Food Marketplace. Amy describes how her company supports farmers with online dashboards they can access from the field. She shares how the pandemic impacted her business, how they handled the increased demand for their products, and how they are bringing traditional eCommerce tools to farmers that specifically address the way farmers manage their businesses.

Local Food Marketplacestarted small just like how most farms start, but they’ve had a great deal of success because of the great customer relationships that they’ve developed from the very beginning. Because they come from a farming background, they are committed to creating products that help farmers grow their businesses as well as growing local, sustainable food.

Join us in Episode 33 to learn more about Local Food Marketplace, understand their vision, and how they are making a difference for small farm businesses.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

Local food should be run by local people. - Amy McCann
Farming is a labor-intensive industry but it also gives back some pretty immediate results and you can kind of see the results of your labor. - Georgiana Dearing
It’s important to provide visibility on what's happening on the business side so that they can make good decisions on the production side and make adjustments. - Amy McCann

Key Points From This Episode:

The shift to e-commerce because of the global pandemic
Connecting farms, farmer's markets, and food hubs
What an onboarding team does
Benefits of Email marketing
One app to help farmers manage their supply, harvest, and packing operations
Learning about marketing, business, how to increase sales
What are the key levers to sales growth?
How Local Food Marketplace is funded

Other Resources Mentioned:

Local Food Marketplace
Local Food Marketplace Instagram
Local Food Marketplace Facebook
Amy McCann LinkedIn

More about the Guest:

Amy McCann is the founder and CEO of Local Food Marketplace, a tech company that is on a mission to increase the amount of food purchased and eaten locally by providing technology and services to farms and food hubs so they can sell and distribute local food to consumers, to restaurants, to grocery stores, and to institutions.

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

Website
Personal Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
Twitter

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The food industry is highly seasonal, dictated by trends, occasions, the weather, and of course, what foods are actually in season. And the ever-growing demand for fresh produce and great flavors has gotten food industries constantly expanding their markets. The rapid changes in season and trends, coupled with intermittent demand require food manufacturers and businesses to always be two steps ahead, forecasting and preparing to meet the needs of their varying customers.

I always talk about the month of September as the start of your 100-day mark to prepare your sales and marketing engine. This is the time when you make your last push to meet your annual sales goals. “Ber”-months almost always are your biggest selling period of the year, so this is your time to think of different strategies that would help you and your business thrive in the coming year ahead.

In Episode 32, I will be bringing you along with me as I discuss the three practical and efficient ways that you can prepare yourself and your business towards the end of the year as a food brand or entrepreneur. I will be sharing why this 100-day sprint is crucial to every food business’ sales and marketing flow and success, and how important having a budget is when it comes to preppin’ for business.

Together, let’s accomplish those goals and make it to the finish line of the 100-day sprint. Fulfill those big sales and survive the holidays while still avoiding the path of burnout.

Virginia Foodie Essentials:

The autumnal equinox marks the beginning of the last 100 days of the year.
When you set aside your future plans and only focus on putting out the fires caused by holiday orders, you run the risk of going MIA on your sales prospects.
You need to set aside time to project next year’s sales goals and map out a plan of how you intend to reach them.
The 100-day marker is a great time to take a look at what you already have in your pipeline, do some outreach, and set reminders for any follow-up actions you need to take in the coming weeks.
We should try to break that feast or famine cycle of sales rushing.
Make a date with yourself for planning, and take note of the things you need to accomplish in the next calendar year.
Prepare all of your holiday promotions, marketing materials, and social media assets by mid-October to start humming them along in November.
Look at what you want to happen in Q1 next year, and list the action steps you need to take in Q4 to make next year’s first-quarter goals a reality.

Episode's Key Points:

Great flavors during the holidays are opportunities for food brands
September 22nd marks the beginning of the last 100 days of the year
The risk of being unavailable on your sales prospects
3 Practical ways to celebrate your 100 day-versary
Have a planning date for the next calendar year
Creating a timeline for your goals and sales
Having commitment on your calendar helps you stay focused on growing your business
Avoid getting exhausted from the holidays and keeping your energy for the start of the new year

Other Resources Mentioned:

Win Without Pitching by Blair Enns
RangeMe

Follow The Virginia Foodie here:

Website
Personal Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
Twitter

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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Tune into today’s conversation to meet Michael Reilly, co-founder of Foodshed Capital, and hear about his nonprofit loan fund, which helps clients in farming and beyond. Since making their first loan in January of 2019, Foodshed Capital has contributed over $600,000 in low- or no-interest loans to farms and food enterprises and 85 percent of these loans have gone to businesses owned, at least in part, by women and people of color. Foodshed Capital offers services that go beyond funding with a view to equipping businesses with the education and tools they need to succeed, and Michael gives us a glimpse into what their current portfolio of 45 existing clients looks like. His goal for the future is to continue to build the additional streams of support he offers to farmers, and that extends far beyond financial support, especially to Black and brown farmers. Join us to hear all this and much more today!

Key Points From This Episode:

How the events around the pandemic vindicated the work that Foodshed Capital does
How malware attacks have been an additional threat to security.
The services that Foodshed Capital offers that go beyond funding to equip businesses.
The work he is doing to help farms to prioritize business as well as produce food.
Why most of the farms registered are ‘small farms’ and the wide range of other types.
How passion is important but can lead to burnout if it is the only motivating force.
What the current portfolio looks like, having made 51 loans, with 45 current clients.
Their ideal client: farms with a long-term horizon and options to diversify their revenue.
How some farms are diversifying revenue through consulting and agritourism.
Why it is preferable to have three channels of income within any kind of business.
Some examples of outreach that they do, working with farms in Pennsylvania.
Sustaining the funding requirement as the biggest challenge they face as a business.
How their average loan size has more than doubled over the past year.
His hope to make larger loans to support land acquisition in the future.
Where his funding comes from: philanthropy, investing, and the CDFI.
His goal for the future: improving the additional services offered that go beyond funding.
How the organization is seeking out ways to lend differently, especially to Black and brown farmers.
The growth that he has seen in terms of education and conversation around food services.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Michael Reilly on LinkedIn
Michael Reilly Email
Foodshed Capital
Virginia Foodie
Virginia Foodie on Twitter
Virginia Foodie on Instagram
Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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Today I'm answering some of the questions I'm frequently asked by clients and listeners. This year, I've been talking a lot about RangeMe, and the number one response I get is, “What the heck is RangeMe, and should I be using it?” (Spoiler alert: if you are a food brand considering retail sales, the answer is yes, you need it!) The other top question we're asked is "if I send you some free food, will you promote it for me?" Find out why we don’t -- and why you shouldn’t be asking. There is one common thread in both of these topics, and that's there is no magic bullet for food marketing. RangeMe and influencer marketing will not guarantee you new customers -- there is no one thing you can do or buy that will result in immediate sales. Growing sales takes time. Your marketing tools should be a steady source of power for your sales engine. Properly executed, your prospects will see themselves in your brand, which makes closing the deal so much easier.

Key Points From This Episode:

Find out why the last episode was an unannounced rerun.
How we should all be more forgiving and offer ourselves more grace following the pandemic.
RangeMe: a digital dashboard that connects sellers with buyers in the retail channel.
Why it will benefit you if your growth plans include selling into retail channels.
Nicky Jackson, the marketing executive & entrepreneur who founded RangeMe.
Why retail buyers love RangeMe; how it enables solid, reasonable comparisons.
Why you should go for the free version of RangeMe and work yourself up to premium.
How ECRM, an established middle man in the industry, now owns RangeMe.
We avail ourselves to help you understand how it works and how to register yourself.
Why we won’t promote you for free food and why you shouldn’t be asking us to!
Why we created the coaching group, Social Marketing Made Easy for Food Brands.
How one year of coaching will create the foundation you need to start doing more paid work.
Why there’s no one thing you can buy once that will result in sales.
What we’re here for: to help calm the content chaos, get your communication channels aligned, and drive people toward making sales.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

RangeMe
George Email

Virginia Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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Summer 2020 was not the best, but we found pleasure in simple things: like big scoops of craft ice cream. I this episode we are talking to the owners of Blue Cow, a craft ice cream business here in Virginia. Husband and wife team Jason and Carolyn Kiser offer their insights on what it takes to run a small food business, and for them, it’s all about sourcing as many of their products as possible locally. Their philosophy is one of using wholesome ingredients that are produced in the area and collaborating with local businesses to create a uniquely local product, thereby not only creating a novel experience for their customers but also promoting the welfare of the community at large. With two locations and a third in the pipeline, the Kisers are excited about their journey ahead, despite the challenges they had during the height of the pandemic. The two also talk about their production facility, their hopes of eventually serving wholesale accounts, and the exciting flavors they are working on for the fall and winter.

Key Points From This Episode:

When they started their business, opening another location, and future expansion plans.
What’s in a name: Why Blue Cow is a nod to the Blue Ridge mountains
Jason talks about the pandemic and their fast pivot from walk-up scoops to take-home pints.
Blue Cow’s expansion to a new production facility.
The Kiser’s philosophy on small-batch ice cream and sourcing the ingredients.
Small batch is really small: including basil sourced from a micro-farm in their neighborhood.
Hear about their key partnerships with local companies and some examples of collaborations.
Jason talks about making small batches and their plans to supply other foodservice outlets.
Their most popular flavors and the new ones to look forward to in each new season.
How their family life and kids inspired them to fill the need for craft ice cream in the area.
How to connect with and become a customer of Blue Cow!

Tweetables:

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co.

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. on Instagram

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. on Facebook

Red Rooster Coffee

Three Ships Coffee

Grow Your Brand

VA Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Georgiana Dearing on Twitter

Water Street

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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Joye B. Moore is the founder and owner of Joyebells Sweet Potato Pie, and her delicious pies are now available on the shelves of 45 Food Lions. Joye has taken what is traditionally a fourth-quarter food item to a product that receives steady sales all year round.

Tune in today to hear the story of how she has taken her family recipe, passed it down through six generations with love, and turned that tradition into a full-blown business. Find out how her famous molasses-based recipe was created generations ago in North Carolina, and how customers constantly let her know that it tastes just like their families’ home-cooked pies.

Joye tells us about the history of the brand, how she got her start at her first stockist, and how the pandemic affected the family business. She also gives us the inside scoop of how she was approached to appear on the Today Show before starting her journey baking for wholesale, plus a whole lot more.

Joye also shares a sneak peek into the new products she will be introducing, which include Joyebells Country Sides and a Thanksgiving Basket, which includes everything but the bird, even dessert!

We hope you join us to hear this performer, businesswoman, and baker’s inspiring story today!

Key Points From This Episode:

How Joye turned a six-generation family tradition into a thriving business.
How her famous molasses-based recipe came to be across generations in North Carolina.
Customer feedback that reflects the nostalgia the traditional recipe brings up for people.
The only deviation from the original recipe: removing the lard.
How Joye used to give the pies to friends and family as gifts, per their requests.
The beginning of the commercial business at Kitchen Time, followed by Hatch.
How Dairy Bar gave Joye’s business its start.
How the pandemic affected the family business after appearing on the Today Show just six months after launching.
How this led to baking for wholesale.
How she came to stock 45 RVA Food Lion stores.
Why Black folks know that sweet potato pie is a year-round pie and how sales reflected this.
How Joyebells Sweet Potato Pies was approached to appear on the Today Show.
Their sweet potato suppliers: Performance Food Group, Restaurant Depot, and Ruby’s Farm.
Joye’s involvement in social media, which amount to an hour per day.
Her five-man team: her husband, her sister, her daughter, her son, and the intern they hired.
How she creates content on the go.
The mechanism she uses involving user-generated content: Joyebells’ Family Album.
What’s next, like Joyebells Country Sides, which includes everything but the bird for dinner.
The Thanksgiving Basket that will be available this year.
All about Joyebells Kitchen, the upcoming cooking show.
Where to find Joyebells: whole pies at the occasions cake section at Food Lion, and slices at the grab and go refrigerated section.

Connect with Joye:

Website
LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

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VA Foodie Instagram

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It’s another Marketing Monday and we’re here to talk about a theme we’ve noticed during recent conversations: just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should be doing it! You’ll hear about the epiphany our recent guest, Lesley Riley of Mama’s Biscuits, had: in order to grow, she needed to let some things go. Realizing that it wasn’t her dream to own a manufacturing plant freed Lesley up to diversify her involvement in the business. We talk about why it is impossible to know what is behind another small business’s decisions before discussing some Canva do’s and don’ts, and why you should get a custom brand kit created or join our Social Media Made Easy Group if you’re going to continue to use Canva to create content. Next, we dive into TikTok trends and emphasize why you shouldn’t jump onto the bandwagon if they’re not relevant to your brand. We close this episode by highlighting that food marketing is mostly about appetite appeal, and the most important thing you can do is to solve for your brand message. We hope you join us for a quick, practical Marketing Monday episode today!

Key Points From This Episode:

A recent theme: just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should!
The epiphany Lesley Riley had: in order to grow she had to let some things go.
How realizing it wasn’t her dream to own a manufacturing plant freed Lesley up to diversify her involvement in the business.
Why it is impossible to know what is behind another small business’s decisions.
Why it is so important to make choices that are right for you.
Canva; what you should and shouldn’t use it for.
Why you should get a custom brand kit created or join the Social Media Made Easy Group if you’re going to continue to use Canva to create content.
Why text heavy, jumping color blocks don’t work: creating appetite appeal in food marketing.
Why you shouldn’t jump on TikTok trends if they’re not relevant to your brand.
An example of an account that has lost their brand messaging by adopting trends.
Why food marketing is primarily about creating appetite appeal.
Why the most important thing is to solve for your brand message.
How the social media marketing workbook helps you to solve for your brand message.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Mama’s Biscuits

Social Media Made Easy

Georgiana Email

Virginia Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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Welcome back to the Virginia Foodie Podcast! In this episode, we have a very special guest who we’ve been admiring from afar as her business has steadily grown its reputation and its fanbase over the years. Lesley Riley is the founder and CEO of the gourmet food brand Mama’s Biscuits and she came to our attention when she was able to secure a spot on Walmart’s shelves several years ago. Since then, her products have been picked up by Wegmans, Publix, and Trader Joe’s. These are great retail channels for craft food brands, and she promises us that there are more coming soon.

In our conversation with Lesley, we discuss how she started her brand, how she was able to grow it, and her process for sourcing and producing such a wide variety of flavors. Tuning in, you'll hear Lesley share how her company was affected by the COVID 19 pandemic, how rebranding helped her business, and why she chooses to do her own photography. Later, we delve into the logistics involved with upscaling her business and why the research and development phase was such a rigorous process. We are in awe of everything Lesley has accomplished with her business and we are very excited for everything on the horizon for Mama’s Biscuits! Tune in today for advice, insights, tips, and much more from Mama Biscuit herself!

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing today’s guest Lesley Riley, founder and CEO of Mama’s Biscuits.
Get to know Lesley’s company Mama’s Biscuits.
Why Lesley decided to have a vast range of 50 flavored gourmet biscuits.
Some of Lesley’s recent successes like Mama’s Biscuits being stocked in Trader Joe’s and Wegmans.
Lesley shares how her brand was affected by the COVID 19 pandemic.
How one of Lesley’s photographs from Instagram was featured on The Food Network, broadening her reach significantly.
How Lesley tried out for Master Chef and the role that experience played in how Mama’s Biscuits developed as a business.
How Lesley does sourcing for her various flavors.
The challenges inherent to sourcing locally with the growth of her business.
Lesley shares details of her positive experience working with Trader Joe’s.
The logistics involved in scaling up a business.
Lesley shares some of the logistics involved in their rebranding process.
Why Lesley decided to work with a co-packer, instead of owning her own factory.
Lesley shares what’s on the horizon for Mama’s Biscuits including some new flavors and the continuation of their new vegan line.
Lesley shares her tips and advice for other small businesses.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Mama’s Biscuits

Mama’s Biscuits on Instagram

Mama’s Biscuits on Facebook

Mama’s Biscuits on TikTok

Mama’s Biscuits on Pinterest

Lesley Riley on LinkedIn

Walmart

Wegmans

Trader Joe’s

The Food Network

Publix

Virginia Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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I'm one year in and today's episode is the start of some new content. I'll still be doing interviews with craft food brands that are making waves. I'll still give you access to other industry experts, but we're shifting things up to make The Virginia Foodie a weekly podcast and my interviews will be interspersed with marketing tips and strategic advice -- all pulled straight from the challenges I'm seeing my own clients face. To kick things off, today's episode will focus on marketing coaching and why engaging a marketing coach could be just the thing to take your business to the next level. We all know that steady sales require steady marketing and that for some reason marketing often falls off the end of the schedule when we are pressed for time. So with that in mind, we could probably all do with some more effective time management and scheduling, and one of the best ways to do this is to bucket your time according to days in the week. Introducing 'Marketing Mondays'! Listen in to hear how this simple idea can revolutionize your week, as well as the way you think about work!

Key Points From This Episode:

A few shifts in content and release dates for the podcast moving forward!
What is a marketing coach and why would you need one?
The three ways we offer coaching; large group, small group, and solo sessions.
Why marketing can be tough for small food businesses and the issue of time and priorities.
The marketing problems that big and small brands both face.
The power of time bucketing, Marketing Mondays, and the simple magic of alliteration!
Small changes that can make a big difference; getting away from scheduling chaos.
Controlling how you think about work through better time management tools.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Virginia Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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Farmstyle hospitality, craft beers, fresh coffee, and baked goods, Fine Creek Brewing Company has something to satiate every palette! On today’s episode, we speak with head chef, Sarah Tocco, about the close-knit team, ever-evolving menu, and culture of foraging for flavor at this wonderful hidden gem. Sarah kicks off our episode with an introduction to the food and brewing philosophy at Fine Creek Brewing Company, and the history of the general store, brewery, accommodation, and wedding venue. She introduces us to the three-barrel system that the brewery runs according to, before we speak about how foraging has become part of the food culture at Fine Creek Brewing Company. We talk about how the menu has developed and Sarah tells us a bit about the team she works with. Sarah lets us in on some of the fall plans at the venue, and some of the fall flavors she is most excited about, including pear, bacon, and brie pizza, homemade orange ricotta with butternut squash and rosemary, and pumpkin hummus. Join us to get the full scoop on Fine Creek Brewing Company’s abundant offers from the head chef herself!

Key Points From This Episode:

The food and brewing philosophy at Fine Creek Brewing Company.
The history of Fine Creek Brewing Company’s general store, brewery, accommodation, and wedding venue.
How Fine Creek Brewing Company navigated the restrictions throughout the pandemic.
The ingredients that are grown in the garden at the brewery and the mill.
The three-barrel system that the brewery runs on.
How foraging has become part of the food culture at Fine Creek Brewing Company.
The story of how the menu at Fine Creek Brewing Company was developed.
The team at Fine Creek Brewing Company and how they have evolved together.
Fall plans at the Mill at Fine Creek: smaller festivals, weddings, and events.
Sarah’s childhood memories of watching her mother make food from scratch.
How Sarah came to be involved with the Mill and her relationships with each of the team.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Sarah Tocco on Instagram
At the Table with Chef Sarah
Fine Creek Brewing Company
Fine Creek Brewing Company on Instagram
Fine Creek Provisions on Instagram
The Mill at Fine Creek on Instagram
Water Street Marketing
VA Foodie
VA Foodie on Instagram
VA Foodie on Twitter

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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This episode is a little bit unusual for us: Instead of an interview with a local food producer, today’s guests are flower farmers. Stephanie Auville Duncan and Jessica Hall are the co-owners and operators at Harmony Harvest Farm, a women-owned online flower shop in Weyers Cave, Virginia. Harmony Harvest believes that everyone should have access to beautiful, farm-fresh flowers. They grow and ship fresh-cut, farm-grown flowers to buyers all across the US. Their business model is compelling, their Instagram account is stunning and, just like local food producers, they share the same values and face the same challenges in growing and selling an agricultural product. Listen in today to hear more about the women of Harmony Harvest Farm, as Jessica and Stephanie share why they use flower frogs over floral foam (and introduce their company, Floral Genius), how COVID actually saw their customer-base widen, and how they are pushing their seasonal enterprise to generate year-round revenue. They also explain pivoting to retail, digital marketing for farmers, and the importance of an authentic voice, as well as the various benefits of having flowers in our homes. Don’t miss this episode!

Key Points From This Episode:

Jessica introduces Harmony Harvest, the only farm of their size to ship flowers nationwide.
Stephanie introduces Floral Genius, which produces pin flower holders called flower frogs.
Why flower frogs are better for the environment.
How Harmony Harvest has been affected by COVID – from event florals to retail consumers.
While farming is seasonal, Harmony Harvest is working to sell fresh perishables year-round.
The misconception about flower farming is that the plants are always in bloom, but flowers are harvested pre-bloom for consumers.
DIY boxes and individual bouquets are new to Harmony Harvest’s website offering in 2020.
Harmony Harvest does work with restaurants to help foster a more local community effort.
Jessica is also a designer – she custom pulls every bouquet, DIY box, and wholesale order.
COVID helped Harmony Harvest pivot to retail and develop systems that allowed them to grow.
Digital marketing for farmers – Stephanie explains how they meet customers’ expectations.
The value of making the time to create videos and content for social media as an online store.
A high-quality image on social media is important, but it is nothing without an authentic voice.
Harmony Harvest worked to expand their range of dried flowers to sell during the off-season.
The various benefits of having flowers in our home, if for nothing other than to make us smile.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Jessica Hall on LinkedIn

Stephanie Auville Duncan on LinkedIn

Harmony Harvest Farm

Harmony Harvest on Twitter

Harmony Harvest on Instagram

Harmony Harvest on Facebook

Harmony Harvest on YouTube

Floral Genius

Virginia Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Facebook
Water Street Marketing

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It's been a year since the tragedy of George Floyd and the swelling of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and we've had time to watch brands to see if they've made good on their promises to be more inclusive. As we take a break for the summer, today we thought we’d revisit a past episode.

As a lot of us still have a lot of work to do in the area of bringing justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion to the food industry, we thought we’d revisit our conversation with Arley of Arley Cakes, a cottage-style bakery in Richmond, Virginia, with a focus on social justice.

In this episode, we talk to Arley about how she got into baking and decided to use it as a form of activism, and we also get to hear the inside scoop about what goes into running her business. Arley talks about the work she had done in the non-profit and food industries before starting Arley Cakes as a way of using capitalism to support the social issues that she cares about. We get into her experiences of being a part of the Black Lives Matter movement in Richmond through her business and the different ways she supports the causes that matter to her through her baking.

Tune in to hear how Arley is using her baking to create a more equitable world!

Key Points From This Episode:

The J.E.D.I Collaborative: an organization focused on bringing social justice to the natural products industry.
An introduction to Arley Cakes, a bakery with a focus on social justice.
The concept of social enterprises and how Arley got the idea to bake for a cause.
Arley’s journey in the baking and non-profit space leading to Arley Cakes.
How Arley Cakes connects to politics and the Black Lives Matter movement.
What it was like to be in Richmond in June 2020 amongst the protests.
How Arley is balancing Arley Cakes with other forms of employment.
Dealing with the guilt of succeeding right now and being cautious with enjoying success.
Next steps for Arley Cakes; how Arley is planning to expand her business.
Arley’s experiences participating in the Bakers Against Racism movement.
The different ways that Arley aligns and plans to align her baking with social justice causes.
How Arley got into baking and where she gets the inspiration for the flavors she uses.
Where to go to learn more about Arley Cakes and reach out to Arley online.

Other Resources Mentioned:

J.E.D.I. Collaborative
Arley Cakes
Arley Cakes on Instagram
Fire, Flour, & Fork
Paola Velez on Instagram
Erica Garner
United We Dream
Bakers against Racism
Santos en Virginia
The Pastry Project

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VA Foodie Instagram
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Women-founded, BIPOC-founded, up-cycled (yes, food can be up-cycled!), gluten-free; whatever your preference of small business snack brand, you can find it in Lia Ballantine’s Yumday’s expansive selection of snacks, subscription boxes, and other curated collections.

A few years ago, Lia combined her passions for food and storytelling through a podcast she co-founded, Everyday is a Food Day. The fascinating stories she explored through that platform, various changes that have occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and global realizations about sustainability and representation in the world, inspired Lia to launch Yumday in January of 2021. Yumday is an alternative retail channel for small businesses, which has numerous benefits for both buyers and sellers.

Lia explains how she finds the brands that are featured on Yumday, how Yumday facilitates the growth of these other start-up businesses and her big hopes and dreams for the future!

Key Points From This Episode:

An introduction to Lia and her business, Yumday.
Ways that Yumday benefits small businesses.
The types of brands that can be found on Yumday’s website.
How the COVID-19 pandemic shaped Yumday (which was founded in January 2021!).
Lia’s professional background prior to starting Yumday.
A passion that drove Lia to co-found the Everyday is a Food Day podcast.
Hear about the origins of National Donut Day.
How Lia finds the brands that she features on Yumday.
Marketing that Lia encourages brands to do through her platform.
Personalization that Lia’s curated boxes allow for.
Lia shares an example of what an up-cycled food product is.
Plans that Lia has for the future of Yumday.

Other Resources Mentioned:

Lia Ballantine
Everyday is a Food Day
Good Food Foundation
Foodboro
Foodbevy
Specialty Food Association
Birchbox
Pulp Pantry

Connect with Lia:

Lia Ballantine
Yumday
Yumday on Instagram
Yumday on Twitter
Yumday on Facebook
Yumday on Pinterest

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Website
Personal Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

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Back Pocket Provisions, makers of the most delicious Bloody Mary Mixes around, are on a mission to make life more delicious, healthy, honest and fun by helping small farms succeed.

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing our guest, Will Gray.
The story of how Back Pocket Provisions started and how it has grown.
How the pandemic impacted business.
The way in which Will and the team at Back Pocket Provisions built a market for seconds.
Why “imperfect” fruits and vegetables are the perfect ingredient for the product.
The planning cycle with farmers and grocery stores.
How Will sets strategic goals each year and brings local farmers into his plans.
The different growing groups and how the collaboration process works.
The ways in which Back Pocket Provisions helps farmers to mitigate risk.
Why Will describes his business as being a social enterprise although it is for profit.
How the artisan food space can support farmers by seeing them as partners to be accounted for.
Which business adaptations that were sparked by the pandemic Will will continue to implement.
What is next for Back Pocket Provisions.

Connect with Will:

Website
Facebook
Instagram

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Website
Personal Instagram
VA Foodie Instagram
Twitter

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Do you ever wonder if you’re selling your products at the right price? If you have ever Googled what your target profit margin should be, you have probably realized that those figures have been calculated for restaurants and not necessarily “good” food businesses. Not only do good food businesses undervalue their products, but they also miscalculate the true cost of labor and often find themselves struggling to turn a profit.

Today’s guest, Sarah Delevan, understands all too well that more sales don’t necessarily equal more profits (or any profits at all). Sarah, also known as The Good Food CFO, is a food business financial consultant, Fractional CFO, Founder of Sarah Delevan Consulting, and the host of The Good Food CFO Podcast.

As someone who has been a food business owner herself and has made a career helping food businesses make more money, she shares some of her wisdom with us on all things financial. We discuss the different ways people come up with prices for their products, why people underprice their food, why people miscalculate the true cost of labor, and the difference between a profitable product and a financially sustainable business.

To hear about Sarah’s ‘finding your financial success’ formula and how to create a profit plan to achieve not just financial sustainability but also profitability in your food business, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Get to know Sarah Delevan and what her company, Sarah Delevan Consulting does.
What a fractional CFO is and why food brands and other smaller businesses may need one.
Some background into Sarah’s six-year journey from food business owner to food business financial consultant.
What she learned from her pop-up business: more sales don’t equal more (or any) profits!
Her second big lesson: Google’s answer to your target profit margins is very inaccurate.
Why people underprice their food and how good food business owners need to change their perspectives on the value of their products.
Hear about the different ways people come up with prices for their products.
The importance of considering the labor costs for the business as opposed to just the labor costs for each product.
How to get comfortable with charging a price that’s fair for your products.
How Sarah’s company creates profit plans in order to achieve financial sustainability and profitability.
Sarah shares her ‘finding your financial success’ formula.
Some of the different CFO consulting services Sarah’s company offers.
The impact of the pandemic on Sarah’s company and her clients’ businesses.
Learn about the future plans for Sarah’s company.

Other Resources Mentioned:

The Specialty Food Association
Profit First
Mighty Networks

Connect with Sarah:

Website
LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
The Good Food CFO Podcast

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Website
VA Foodie Instagram

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Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine

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Whether you are a chef with a recipe that you think would do well at retail or a food brand thinking about your next step, like a bigger space or moving your production to a copacker, then this is the episode for you! Today’s guest is Austin Green, one of the Cofounders of Hatch Businesses in Richmond. The innovative business offers a whole suite of solutions, including Hatch Kitchens, Hatch Packaging, Hatch Café & Event Space, Hatch butchery, a food truck corral, and now Hatch Logistics. They also have a food hall, Hatch Local, scheduled to open in the summer. Not only has the business grown rapidly over the last two years, but many of the businesses that they serve have also achieved success. Hear about Hatch’s mission to inspire innovation, enable growth, and promote community within the food and beverage industry. As a resource that helps to start and build food and beverage businesses, you’ll also find out how they can help you launch your business or move it to the next level, so make sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

An introduction to Austin Green and the suite of Hatch businesses.
Austin talks about the rapid growth that Hatch has experienced.
How the pandemic has affected the business.
What Hatch Kitchen is: a 20,000 square foot building and 24-hour kitchen that members use as they please, “a 24-hour gym for culinary.”
Some of the equipment that can be found in the Hatch Kitchen.
Hatch Kitchen’s six individual private kitchen suites: to protect certain intellectual property.
Hatch’s incubation processor: how they help establish food business through the health department and other regulatory bodies.
Why Hatch offers a program of guest speakers and workshops with experts.
How Hatch helps members assess the best way to make use of their facilities and equipment.
The new logistics aspect to the business: helping the businesses they serve with storing and moving their products.
Hatch Café: a space where people can guest chef, try out new products, or pop-up concepts.
How food trucks were hard hit by the pandemic but are recovering now.
Their goal: to continue to identify what’s missing in the ecosystem and find a sustainable way to provide those things.
Why Hatch doesn’t have its own brand of products.
Plans for the future of Hatch, including continuing to grow and develop property.
How food entrepreneurs can contact Hatch and benefit from their services.
Info about the Hatch Local Food Hall opening in the summer.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Austin Green on LinkedIn

Hatch Kitchen RVA

Hatch Kitchen on Twitter

Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches

Virginia Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

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It’s no secret that we here at VA Foodie think food is best when it’s made with fresh, local ingredients. Our guest today is passionate about all things seasonal and she lives out this passion every day through her blog, Brooklyn Supper. Although she now lives in Virginia, Elizabeth Stark decided to keep her blog’s original name as it had already gained a lot of traction as an online destination for foodies. Elizabeth shares with us how she turned a fun hobby into a successful business and the process that goes into creating the content for her blog, which highlights original recipes involving minimal steps and, of course, using only seasonal ingredients! We discuss the origin of Elizabeth’s love for local food, the brands she likes to work with, the importance of building good relationships with clients, and how she chooses to navigate the ever-changing world of social media. Elizabeth strongly believes in staying true to herself and her core values, and we can all take inspiration from her!

Key Points From This Episode:

Elizabeth’s passion for the food space and how she lives it through her blog, Brooklyn Supper.
Why Elizabeth’s blog is still called Brooklyn Supper, even though she is now based in Virginia.
How Elizabeth’s business has fared during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the contrast between this experience and her experience of the previous recession.
The role that Elizbeth’s husband plays in the blog.
Work that goes into creating the recipes and the photographs that make up Brooklyn Supper.
If brands request recipes with ingredients that are out of season, Elizabeth won’t accept them.
The process Elizabeth follows when dealing with companies, once she has accepted their requests.
One of Elizabeth’s favorite brands to work for, and why.
Why Elizabeth feels that building good relationships with her clients is vital.
The importance of avoiding too much overt branding of a product.
How Elizabeth’s blog transitioned from her hobby to her career.
Elizabeth’s opinion about the ever-changing world of social media and how she plans to deal with it going forward.
Where Elizabeth’s original inspiration for her career in food arose from.
How to turn spring turnips into something edible!
What Elizabeth puts into the Brooklyn Supper newsletter and how you can subscribe.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Brooklyn Supper

Brooklyn Supper on Instagram

Brooklyn Supper on Facebook

Farmer Focus Chicken

Williamsburg Farmers Market

Virginia Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

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We all know that packaging is an important business decision, especially in the food industry. Today, Sharon Eucce AKA the Packaging Chic, joins us to talk about this crucial component of getting a product shelf-ready. Sharon is a value-add packaging broker who focuses on beauty and specialty food products and has helped countless clients create affordable, eye-catching custom packaging. In this episode, Sharon discusses how the packaging industry has been affected by the pandemic and why. She describes 2020 as a hard time for the industry in many ways, but with a significant upside with the rise of small companies and the e-commerce boom. The conversation then moves onto the digital printing revolution and how its increased access for smaller brands looking to make unique packaging. Sharon also offers us insights into other developments in packaging, such as the evolution of structural packaging materials. After this, Sharon touches on an emerging topic in the packaging space–sustainability–and why companies need to define what this value means to them rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Wrapping up, we look to the future, where Sharon shares some of the exciting things she has in the pipeline. Be sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Get to know Sharon and what her company Packaging Chic does.
How the packaging industry was affected by the pandemic and the impacts on Sharon’s business specifically.
The difference between independent and integrated packaging companies.
Why digital printing has been the biggest change in the packaging space over the last few years.
Details about the box Sharon did for Ivy Park, Beyoncé’s brand with Addidas.
Some of the exciting developments in the structural packaging space.
How Sharon approaches pricing and why she likes when clients bring their own ideas.
The importance of getting clear on what sustainable packaging means to your brand.
Stories of client Sharon worked with where they had to print on Kraft paper.
The value of real mockups so you can get a sense of what packaging looks like.
Why Kraft-looking packaging does not always mean recyclable.
What’s on the horizon for Sharon and Packaging Chic.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Sharon Eucce

Sharon Eucce on Twitter

Sharon Eucce on Instagram

Packaging Chic

SHISEIDO

Ivy Park

Specialty Food Association

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Earlier this month, we had a chance to speak with Sam Edwards III, President, CEO, and Third Generation Cure-master from Edwards Smokehouse, famous for their dry cured, hickory smoked country ham. This fourth-generation family-owned business has been offering authentic cured meats from their Surry location since 1926 and, in this episode, Sam shares his perspective on the ways that sales and marketing have evolved and how the next generation is using digital marketing to fuel sales. We are also joined by Keith Roberts, Edwards’ own Ham Evangelist, who shares stories from the wholesale side, highlighting how the flavor and quality of their heritage breed hams have given them a national reputation with chefs. This is just the tip of the ham hock. There’s so much more to learn about Virginia ham, so make sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Find out more about Sam and Keith as they introduce themselves in a nutshell.
Sam explains how Edwards Smokehouse was affected by the pandemic from the retail and direct-to-consumer perspective.
Hear about the wholesale side of business from Keith and the creative strategies he used.
Partnering with chefs and heritage breed producers to become the largest user of heritage breed pork in the country.
The importance of maintaining breed diversity to reduce the likelihood of disease.
More about their social media and digital marketing strategies, spearheaded by Sam’s son.
How the company has kept moving forward from generation to generation by staying flexible.
Why they keep their product line simple and consistent; you can’t be all things to all people.
How things have changed in the last 30 years, like catering to the growing popularity of home charcuterie boards.
Hear how Edwards’ Surryano ham stands up against the best from Italy and Spain.
Keith tells the story of how he came to be known as the Ham Evangelist.
Sam reflects on the positive trend in online sales and self-use purchases over gift purchases.
New products to expects in the 2021 catalog, like a ham tasting platter.
Sam and Keith’s recommendation for getting your Easter ham: order early, ship early!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Sam Edwards III on LinkedIn

Keith Roberts on LinkedIn

Keith Roberts on Instagram

Edwards Smokehouse

Edwards Smokehouse on Twitter

Edwards Smokehouse on Instagram

Edwards Smokehouse on Facebook

Good Food Foundation

Heritage Foods

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March is National Noodle Month! And to celebrate we’ve put together an episode for all the pasta lovers out there. Our guest, Stephanie Fees, is a chef who spent a few years working in commercial kitchens before she started Scratch Pasta Company, and she has a lot of great insights to share with us. Scratch Pasta Company was originally conceptualized as a fresh pasta brand, but her main product has become her dry pasta (with the exception of the fresh pasta she sells at farmers' markets) which is all made in Stephanie’s home kitchen. In this episode, we discuss Stephanie’s decision to hire a graphics design team and the benefits she has reaped from this decision, the reasons she chose to leave the world of commercial cheffing, why her brand qualifies as artisanal, the story behind the boxes that her pasta is sold in, and her hopes for the future of her company. After listening to this episode, we guarantee you’ll be going online or to your nearest store to buy a colorful box of her delicious pasta creations!

Key Points From This Episode:

Stephanie’s journey to find the right graphic design team.
Things won’t always work out the way you want them to and that’s okay, just keep trying.
How the COVID-19 pandemic influenced Stephanie to focus on the online side of her business.
The small team of people who make up Scratch Pasta Company.
Stephanie shares some of her ideas about the direction she potentially sees her business taking.
The upsides and downsides of being a chef in a commercial kitchen, as per Stephanie’s experience.
How Stephanie made the decision to package her pasta in a box (it’s a great story!)
Stephanie’s original idea for Scratch Pasta and why she changed her mind.
Distributors Stephanie works with and loves.
The big dream Stephanie has for Scratch Pasta, which looks like it will soon come true!
Stephanie’s pasta brand qualifies as artisanal because of the scale at which she works.
A fable about a consultant and a fisherman highlights the value of small-scale businesses.
The special products that Stephanie only sells at farmers' markets.
Why Stephanie recommends that anyone with a food business try out selling their products at a farmers’ market.
Where you can find Scratch Pasta (on and offline); you’ll be glad you did!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Scratch Pasta Company

Scratch Pasta Company on Facebook

Scratch Pasta Company on Instagram

Stephanie Fees on LinkedIn

Whole Foods

Feast!

4p Foods

Rainforest Foods

Dave’s Killer Bread

Wade’s Mill

VA Foodie on Instagram

VA Foodie on Twitter

VA Foodie on Facebook

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Few things are more exciting for small brands than getting their first commercially-packaged food products off the production line. Allie Hill and Katharine Wilson, founder and director of Virginia Food Works, respectively, get to see this excitement firsthand through the work they do. This non-profit, located in the Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen, specializes in the creation of value-added foods from locally-grown ingredients. In today’s episode, we hear about the founding vision of Virginia Food Works and how they have upheld it over the years. We learn how they share the space with Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen and how their services differ, in respect to their work with small businesses. Allie and Katharine also offer insights into the range of clients they work with, along with the equipment and support they provide. As they can exclusively for resale, they use glass jars with metal lids and have specific systems for what can and cannot be processed. Our conversation also touches on the pandemic, community support, and fundraising. Stay tuned right till the end, where Allie makes an interesting pitch to farmers on how to create value-add products at the facility.

Key Points From This Episode:

Get to know Allie and Katharine and what Virginia Food Works does.
The history of Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen.
Hear more about home canning and what it entails.
The two services at Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen; home canning and Virginia Food Works.
Virginia Food Works makes foods exclusively for resale.
How the pandemic affected Virginia Food Works and the adjustments they made.
The impetus for starting a non-profit inside of an existing cannery and the support from the community.
Virginia Food Works’s canning niche and why they do acidified food.
The range of clients Virginia Food Works has and how they meet clients where they are.
Some of the recipes Virginia Food Works owns that farmers can use.
How farmers get help scaling recipes they might have produced at home.
Why Virginia Food Works does not have batch minimums.
The difference between Virginia Food Works and Hatch.
Some of the equipment available at Virginia Food Works.
How Virginia Food Works raises funds; the support they get from Prince Edward County.
What the future has in store for Virginia Food Works.
A pitch for farmers who might be listening: how you can create a value-add product.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Virginia Food Works

Katharine Wilson

Prince Edward County Cannery & Commercial Kitchen

Michael Pollan

Hatch

Crescent Simples

Dayum This is My Jam

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Baking can be about much more than creating beautiful and delicious confections. Today’s guest is Arley Arrington, and we talk about how she is using her homemade sweet treats to create a more equitable world–starting right here in Virginia. Arley’s business, Arley Cakes, is a cottage-style bakery in Richmond, Virginia with a focus on social justice. In this episode, we talk to Arley about how she got into baking and how she transitioned from non-profit work to using her baking skills as a form of activism. We also get to hear the inside scoop about what goes into running her business. Arley gives us an insight into her previous careers both in non-profits and in the food industry before starting Arley Cakes. She frames her baking business as a way of using capitalism to support social issues she’s passionate about. We get into her experiences of being a part of the Black Lives Matter movement in Richmond through her business and the different ways she supports local, state, and national causes using her baking. Our conversation also explores the inspiration behind Arley’s designs and flavors, before zooming in on her plans for growing her business and moving forward in 2021. For an inspiring conversation about activism delivered in swirls of buttercream, be sure to tune in.

Key Points From This Episode:

An intro into Arley Cakes, a bakery with a focus on social justice.
The concept of social enterprises and how Arley got the idea to bake for a cause.
Arley’s journey in the baking and non-profit space leading to Arley Cakes.
How Arley Cakes connects to politics and the Black Lives Matter movement.
What it was like to be in Richmond in June 2020 amongst the protests.
How Arley is balancing Arley Cakes with other forms of employment.
Dealing with guilt at succeeding right now and being cautious with enjoying success.
Next steps for Arley Cakes; how Arley is planning to expand her business.
Arley’s experiences participating in the Bakers Against Racism movement.
The different ways that Arley aligns and plans to align her baking with social justice causes.
How Arley got into baking and where she gets the inspiration for flavors she uses.
Where to go to learn more about Arley Cakes and reach out to Arley online.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Arley Cakes

Fire, Flour, & Fork

Paola Velez on Instagram

Erica Garner

United We Dream

The Pastry Project

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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January is National Baking Month, and the 13th is Gluten-Free Day. Paige Welch’s creations tick both of those boxes. Her business, Empowered Plant Cakes, produces eye-catching, nutrient-dense cakes made from nuts, seeds, and coconut and using only natural colorants. In this episode, we hear more about these no-bake vegan desserts, what business has been like during the pandemic, and how she has managed to stay afloat. Paige gives us some insight on her business journey, sharing how she grew Empowered Plant Cakes and struck out on her own after years of working in her mom's restaurant, The Green Cat. We also discuss Paige’s hopes for her business going forward and her gentle approach to sharing a vegan alternative to traditional desserts. The conversation wraps up with hearing about what inspires her and details on how you can get your hands on one of these delightful desserts.

Key Points From This Episode:

Get to know Paige and hear more about her business, Empowered Plant Cakes.
Empowered Plant Cake’s ingredients and how they manage to do only no-bake cakes.
What business has been like for Paige during the pandemic and how she pivoted.
The support Paige received from the local community and the increase in order quantity.
Why Paige chose to leave Green Cat to start Empowered Plant Cakes.
Paige’s collaborative and community mindset, as opposed to a competitive one.
Benefits of renting space from Leaping Lizard, an established restaurant in Virginia Beach.
The story of Paige’s first hire, who started in April, during the pandemic!
Balancing growth and capacity: hear how Paige makes these decisions.
Where Paige hopes Empowered Plant Cakes will go in the future.
Some of the challenges that come with shipping a frozen cake.
Supply chain disruptions at the start of the pandemic and how Paige worked around them.
Veganism in Paige’s family and the story of how her son chose to be vegan.
Where Paige draws inspiration from when creating her cakes.

Tweetables:

“We make cakes out of nuts seeds and coconut, and then we sweeten the cakes with ingredients like dates, maple syrup, agave, monk fruit. There's no cane sugar used in any of the cakes, artificial colors. We like to do colorful cakes. But instead of using like red food dye, blue food dye, we'll use ingredients like beets, spinach, blue-green spirulina, dragon fruit, turmeric. It’s pretty amazing all the colors you can get with nature.” — Paige Welch [0:03:05]

“I wanted to find a career that could align more with what I want in life and give me more of the balance.” — Paige Welch [0:08:47]

“My end goal for Empowered Plant Cakes is to make it a much larger company. I think there's a real need for these types of desserts.” — Paige Welch [0:16:46]

“I eat plant-based myself but I’m not a big fan of pushing anything on anybody. The goal with the cakes is just to show people like, ‘Hey, there is like a better way to eat desserts and just putting healthier ingredients in the cakes and getting them out to our people.’” — Paige Welch [0:21:52]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Empowered Plant Cakes

Empowered Plant Cakes on Instagram

Empowered Plant Cakes on Facebook

Leaping Lizard

Old Beach Farmers Market

The Green Cat Juice Bar & Market

Cru

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We are officially in the thick of the holiday season! While our gatherings may smaller and closer to home this year, there’s nothing more festive than a quality cocktail or mocktail to make the season bright. With that in mind, we reached out to Megan Thomas and Bill Miller of Crescent Simples, a craft food brand that’s on a mission to elevate the experience of the home bartender through accessible high-quality cocktail products made from fresh ingredients. In today’s conversation, Bill and Megan share how their time as bartenders in New Orleans gave them the inspiration to create their own line of simple syrups. And with just 18 months under their belts, their new brand is growing strong. We also talk about their process for sourcing ingredients, their methods for discovering and experimenting with new flavors, their minimalist ingredient philosophy, and more. Plus, Bill shares some tips for holiday beverages and gives us a rundown of the bartending staples you should always have in your home! Tune in for more with Megan and Bill and all your holiday cocktail needs!

Key Points From This Episode:

Bill and Megan introduce themselves.
More about Crescent Simples.
How their 2020 year has been going as a small company founded only in 2019.
They explain the concept behind a commercial kitchen: Hatch.
Megan shares more about their different products and flavors.
More about how the pandemic has impacted their business plan and growth.
We talk flavor inspirations, sourcing of ingredients, and their focus on buying local.
Cultivating the at-home bartender: Staples you should definitely have in your house.
Our philosophy and why we try to stay under 5 ingredients.
More about their anticipated project coming out in January 2021.
New seasonal flavors coming in for Spring 2021.
We talk about relationships with farmers and providers: The key role of farmer’s markets.
Bill shares more about their process of finding and experimenting with new flavors.
What inspired Megan and Bill to work in the food creator industry.
Where you can find Crescent Simples: Simple Syrups.

Tweetables:

“We've hit a lot of benchmarks over the last couple of months, and it's been growing fast and at times feeling out of control. But I think that that's how small businesses work. You hang on until you get to a point where everything just makes sense, and it's starting to click for us.” — Crescent Simples [0:02:30]

“Our biggest thing has been creating a home bartender who has [all the] knowledge.” — Crescent Simples [0:09:15]

“When we first started the business, our philosophy was that we wanted to help people do the things that they wanted to do in restaurants at home. And our simple syrups are a way to bridge that gap, especially with them being all fresh fruit, raw or no preservatives. We want people to have the idea that they can do everything at home without going out.” — Crescent Simples [0:13:00]

“Our biggest philosophy is creating those recipes, whether it be an original or a creative or something that we've come up with on our own and giving people the recipe to do it at their house.” — Crescent Simples [0:13:50]

“All you need is all the basic ingredients for every cocktail, and that is a liquor, a sugar, and a lime or a citrus” — Crescent Simples [14:40]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Megan Thomas on LinkedIn

Crescent Simples

Crescent Simples on Instagram

Crescent Si

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Today we’re talking to veteran blogger, Liz Thomson. Based in Richmond, Liz runs the vegetarian food blog called “I Heart Vegetables.” A self-described “lazy cook,” she’s on a mission to show people that eating healthy can be easy, fun, and tasty. What started out as a hobby is now a full-time career. She creates recipes and content for large and small brands alike and has even published a cookbook full of her inspired vegetarian dishes. In this episode, she shares how she made the jump from her job at Capital One to full-time food blogger, where she gets her recipe inspiration from, and she also has a hot tip for creating a crowd-pleasing holiday side dish. Learn more about how Liz makes interesting and delicious recipes accessible to the average home cook by tuning in today!.

Key Points From This Episode:

Liz provides a brief introduction of herself and her business.
Why Liz believes that there has never been a better time to be a food blogger than 2020.
Some background about the I Heart Vegetables blog and how Liz took it full-time.
How Liz’s job at Capital One prepared her to foster successful partnerships for her blog.
Finding a way to seamlessly blend a companies message with her own and create content that will engage her audience.
Liz shares an example of a strategic partnership she had with an urgent care facility.
Where Liz gets inspiration from – it started with resourcefulness, but now it’s more strategic.
How and where Liz sources local ingredients and includes them in her recipes.
Making interesting recipes obtainable for a home cook has been key to Liz’s growth.
Creating a crowd-pleasing, vegetarian dish for the holidays: Liz describes her wild rice salad.
What inspired Liz to work with food and ultimately make her blog her full-time job
Evolving her photography skills and upgrading her equipment over time.

Tweetables:

“I love when I can have a partnership with a company where we can really collaborate and talk through what are they trying to achieve. I want to make sure that the partnership is delivering on what the brand is looking for, but also is something that my followers are going to be interested in. Finding ways where those things work together seamlessly is always the goal.” — @iheartveggies [0:10:36]

“When I first started cooking a lot, I would say most of my recipe inspiration came from opening up the pantry or the fridge, seeing what I have on hand, and trying to figure out how to avoid going to the grocery store, and making something with what I had available. I think, to some degree, that still plays a role in what I do.” — @iheartveggies [0:12:46]

“I think it is always fun to try to come up with something a little bit different but also that has a lot of those familiar flavors, so that people are willing to try it and give it a chance.” — @iheartveggies [0:20:04]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Liz Thomson on Twitter

Liz Thomson on LinkedIn

Lix Thomson on Instagram

I Heart Vegetables

Water Street Marketing

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodi

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Biscuits have always been a staple in Southern cuisine, but now they are having a real moment in the craft food scene. Roanoke’s Scratch Biscuit Company specializes in this ubiquitous baked good, and now they’re capitalizing on the limelight. Nathan Webster, the owner of Scratch, joins us today for a look into his growing breakfast-and-lunch hotspot. In this episode, we hear about how Nathan came to start Scratch after buying the building next door, where another well-known neighborhood joint, The Village Grill, was located. By diving in headfirst, Nathan learned the ins and outs of the restaurant game and has been hooked ever since. We talk about Scratch’s business model, the reason for always having curbside delivery, and why they only trade until 2 PM. Naturally, we discuss the pandemic and how it has impacted business. From there, we learn about Nathan’s commitment to local sourcing and giving back to the community through continued reinvestment. The show closes with a sneak peek into some of the mouthwatering Cajun-inspired items that Scratch is adding to their menu. You don’t want to miss out, so tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Scratch Biscuit Company’s founding story and the building they moved into in Roanoke.
Why Nathan decided to start a breakfast place in the Grandin Village community.
The reason for having limited trading hours as a breakfast place.
How the pandemic and the shutdowns have affected Scratch’s business this year.
Pivots Scratch has had to make like staffing changes and handling high call volumes.
Why Scratch has always had curbside delivery, even prior to the pandemic.
Providers Scratch works with and why local product sourcing is so important to them.
Hear about the four varieties of coffee available at Scratch.
The importance of small business owners investing back into their communities.
Scratch's experience with supply chain disruptions and why they weren’t affected so badly.
Find out more about the Po'boys that Scratch is going to be adding to the menu.
What led Nathan to work in food and the role the community has played in his success.
The benefits Nathan saw from personally working in every aspect of his restaurant

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Scratch Biscuit Company

Scratch Biscuit Company on Instagram

Nathan Webster on Instagram

Historic Grandin Village

The Village Grill

Big Spring Mill

Laurel Springs Farm

Crystal Hot Sauce

Water Street Marketing

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Georgiana Dearing on Twitter

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Key Points From This Episode:

Jessica introduces Harmony Harvest, the only farm of their size to ship flowers nationwide.
Stephanie introduces Floral Genius, which produces pin flower holders called flower frogs.
Why flower frogs are better for the environment.
How Harmony Harvest has been affected by COVID – from event florals to retail consumers.
While farming is seasonal, Harmony Harvest is working to sell fresh perishables year-round.
The misconception about flower farming is that the plants are always in bloom, but flowers are harvested pre-bloom for consumers.
DIY boxes and individual bouquets are new to Harmony Harvest’s website offering in 2020.
Harmony Harvest does work with restaurants to help foster a more local community effort.
Jessica is also a designer – she custom pulls every bouquet, DIY box, and wholesale order.
COVID helped Harmony Harvest pivot to retail and develop systems that allowed them to grow.
Digital marketing for farmers – Stephanie explains how they meet customers’ expectations.
The value of making the time to create videos and content for social media as an online store.
A high-quality image on social media is important, but it is nothing without an authentic voice.
Harmony Harvest worked to expand their range of dried flowers to sell during the off-season.
The various benefits of having flowers in our home, if for nothing other than to make us smile.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Jessica Hall on LinkedIn

Stephanie Auville Duncan on LinkedIn

Harmony Harvest Farm

Harmony Harvest on Twitter

Harmony Harvest on Instagram

Harmony Harvest on Facebook

Harmony Harvest on YouTube

Floral Genius

Virginia Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

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The healing power of plants has been well-known throughout history. But in our current consumer climate, we’ve started to lose the connection between humans and plants. Modern-day herbalists are here to change all that, handcrafting plant-based tonics to heal and connect with the planet. Today’s guest is Corey MacDonald, an herbalist and the owner of Red Root & Co., a business that sells handcrafted, plant-based tonics, beverages, and herbal preparations made from high quality, local, organic, and fair-trade ingredients. If you’ve ever seen the Red Root & Co. Instagram account, you’ll know that it’s full of lush images of plants and foods made with their products, and it’s full of helpful information about the plant world and herbal traditions. Tune in to hear about Corey’s love of plants and how she brings people tasty, healthy, nourishment.

Key Points From This Episode:

Corey introduces herself, Red Root & Company, and the herbal products she makes.
How 2020 has been for Corey and her company – she had to use her creativity to find new ways to connect with customers online.
Corey explains what an oxymel is and how she has put a modern spin on food as medicine.
The product philosophy of Red Root & Co. is the connection between sustenance and health.
Corey shares some of the other products she creates and the potential applications.
How Red Root & Co. bridges the connection with the plant world that Corey feels we’ve lost.
Corey also makes bitters that people can put in their cocktails and add to a modern lifestyle.
Where Corey sources her raw ingredients – from local farmers to foraging it herself.
How Corey protects her wild resources by never taking more than she needs and leaving at least half of what she finds.
Corey is excited to announce that they have new labels, as well as a new range of products.
What inspired Corey to go into herbalism – she always wanted to make and share food with people.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Corey MacDonald on LinkedIn

Red Rood & Company on Facebook

Red Root & Company on Instagram

Red Root & Company

Nisani Farm

Ellwood Thompson’s

The Friendly City Food Co-op

Rebecca’s Natural Food

South of the James Farmers Market

The Farmers Market at St. Stephen’s

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Pairing food and beer seems easy until you remove bagels, burgers, and pizza from the menu. Moving beyond these staples and aiming to use locally-sourced, seasonal (and sometimes foraged!) ingredients turns beer pairing into an art. Today we speak with Sarah Tocco about her role as the Head Chef of Fine Creek Brewing Company. We’ll take a dive into the incredible Fine Creek ecosystem which consists of a wedding venue, brewery, cottages, patisserie, and coffee shop — all on the same property. As Sarah explains, Fine Creek is a close-knit family-run business with a strong sense of community. We discuss how Fine Creek has pivoted their offerings to deal with the COVID crisis before talking about their wonderful garden and what they grow there. From the garden to the taproom, we chat about the many beers that Fine Creek brews and how Sarah is always creating something new for her customers to try while retaining the firm favorites. We then touch on foraging for food, how Sarah champions using beer in food, and the fall flavors that Sarah enjoys working with. Near the end of the episode, Sarah shares how she developed her passion for the kitchen, with extra details on how she fell in love with and then married her head pastry chef. Tune in and hear more about Fine Creek and learn some of Sarah’s secrets on the art pairing beer with food.

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing Sarah Tocco, the head chef at the Fine Creek Brewing Company.
Focusing on sustainable and locally-sourced food and spending money locally.
How Sarah’s brewery fits in with Fine Creek’s other offerings.
Hear how Fine Creek has been dealing with the COVID crisis.
Developing Fine Creek as a family business where each family member makes a contribution.
Details about Fine Creek’s garden and what food they grow.
Sarah talks about the many beer recipes and flavors that Fine Creek brews.
Foraging for food; the things around you can make for a delicious beer!
The art of pairing food with beer and moving beyond typical hand foods.
Finding new ways to offer their services in the face of social distance restrictions.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Sarah Tocco

Sarah Tocco on Instagram

Fine Creek Brewing Company

Fine Creek Brewing Company on Instagram

The Mill at Fine Creek

Fine Creek Provisions

Habitat for Humanity

Ken Marcotte

Feed More

Brian Mandeville

Francis Ford Coppola

Owl Orchard

Clover Forest Plantation

Mark Henry

Chopped

Water Street Marketing

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

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Today’s show is a bit different, with regular host, and VA Foodie Founder, George Dearing in the hot seat. Abby McAllister interviews George, and in this episode, we get to know the woman behind VA Foodie. George talks about her journey into food marketing and her passion for helping small brands through Water Street, her manufacturing-focused brand agency. We discuss her approach to marketing and how she helps her clients get in front of the right people. Small companies often feel as though they have to cater to everyone, but when you are trying to talk to everyone, you are talking to no-one. With the rise of conscious consumption, consumers are voting with their dollars more than ever and want to align with brands who resonate with their personal values, so it is crucial for marketing to tap into this. We discuss this along with the understanding that social media is a marketing tool and should not be looked at as the only way to connect. George’s passion for her work, Virginia, and food is tangible, so tune in to hear more from the ultimate VA foodie.

Key Points from This Episode:

Get to know George, what her company, Water Street, does, and when she started VA Foodie.
George’s journey with marketing and how she came to food marketing specifically.
Two ways that working in a small agency is different than a larger one.
How the state of Virginia supports businesses by helping them sell overseas.
Where George went to college and where she was born and raised.
What drew George to Virginia and why she chose to raise her family there.
The advice George gives her clients: Act like you are special because you are!
Understanding the difference between marketing and social media.
Seeing social media as a marketing tool, not marketing in and of itself.
How social media can act as real-time market research.
The most rewarding part of having a small agency and working with small brands.

Tweetables:

“We’re seeing a lot of downs out there in the food industry but we’re trying to lift it up and keep it positive and celebrate everyone and give people a voice to talk about local food.”
— @GeoDearing [0:02:33]

“I really, really want there to be a hugely thriving local food system, and this is my contribution to it. I can make a place for these brands to talk about what they're doing. I know how to get an audience, so I made an audience. Now, I talk to those people about local food.” — @GeoDearing [0:07:11]

“Now more than ever, people vote with their dollars, and they’ll support the brands and the people behind the brands. It’s not just the tortilla. It’s the family behind the tortilla.” — Abby McAllister [0:12:50]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Georgiana Dearing on Twitter

Water Street

Chef Abby McAllister

VDACS Virginia Department of Ag and Consumer Services

White House Foods

Pierce Foods

Conagra

Kroger

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Key Points From This Episode:

When they started their business, opening another location, and future expansion plans.
What’s in a name: Why Blue Cow is a nod to the Blue Ridge mountains
Jason talks about the pandemic and their fast pivot from walk-up scoops to take-home pints.
Blue Cow’s expansion to a new production facility.
The Kiser’s philosophy on small-batch ice cream and sourcing the ingredients.
Small batch is really small: including basil sourced from a micro-farm in their neighborhood.
Hear about their key partnerships with local companies and some examples of collaborations.
Jason talks about making small batches and their plans to supply other foodservice outlets.
Their most popular flavors and the new ones to look forward to in each new season.
How their family life and kids inspired them to fill the need for craft ice cream in the area.
How to connect with and become a customer of Blue Cow!

Tweetables:

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co.

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. on Instagram

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. on Facebook

Red Rooster Coffee

Three Ships Coffee

Grow Your Brand

VA Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Georgiana Dearing on Twitter

Water Street

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Have you ever wondered just how local coffee can be in the US? Brandon Belland and Cordial Coffee are definitely doing their best to show us! Brandon joins us on the podcast today to talk about his local coffee business and how they manage to make their supply chain intimate, connected, and strong. Brandon tells us about the joy and gratitude he feels knowing the people he buys beans from, and why owning a small boutique business satisfies all his needs and desires for a meaningful life. We hear about the common themes through Brandon's different careers and he explains his fascination with bringing people together, something that was imparted upon him by his parents. Our guest also unpacks the different avenues of his business, talking about online sales, deliveries, their cafe, and more!

Key Points From This Episode:

Brandon's history working with coffee, starting as a barista, and then getting into production.
The sourcing of beans for Cordial Coffee; how the company stays connected to suppliers.
The vision and mission behind the cafe and wholesale sides of the business.
Brandon's commitment to working in spaces that bring people together.
Volume and reach — goals for Cordial Coffee and their market share.
Explorations into the economic links of the coffee industry and where the money goes.
Cordial Coffee's deliberate scaling down of certain aspects of their cafe.
Thoughts on the brick and mortar side of small shops in the current landscape.
The influence that Brandon's parents had on his affinity for socially-focused work.
How to connect with and become a customer of Cordial Coffee!

Tweetables:

“When it gets into my shop we make it a point to explain to people this particular coffee comes from this particular family. And they just came here, they actually came here and visited the roastery a few months back.” — Brandon Belland [0:10:58]

“We intentionally got a shop that had a small footprint. We didn't feel like paying for extra square footage was necessary.” — Brandon Belland [0:21:05]

“The common thread in all of the projects and business avenues that I take is that there is some element of social glue.” — Brandon Belland [0:27:20]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Cordial Coffee

Cordial Coffee on Instagram

Brandon Belland on LinkedIn

VA Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Georgiana Dearing on Twitter

Abby McAllister

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Welcome the first episode of The Virginia Foodie Podcast, where we pull back the curtain on the craft food industry and share the stories behind the good food, good people and good brands you love. Joining us today is Abby McAllister who shares what she’s learned about locally sourced food over a career as a chef, food distributor, and broker. In this show, we hear about Abby’s food journey and how she gained knowledge about local produce when she moved to Virginia. Realizing the richness of the resources in her state, Abby was drawn to working with these products as much as she could. She also sheds light on the chicken and egg nature of the relationship between distributors and buyers when it comes to selling local products. Abby unpacks this intricate relationship and the various aspects that can make this connection complicated. Along with this, we also find out about Abby’s position as a broker and how she bridges the gap between producers and distributors, why small brands should consider working with a distributor, and some final words of encouragement, particularly during these tough times. Be sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Get to know Abby, her background in food, and her passion for small brands.

• The story of Abby’s sorbet and how it won Georgiana’s heart.

• Abby's experience with sourcing products from outside the state.

• What distributors look for from their local partners when selling to the local food industry.

• How small farms are handling the pandemic, trying to bypass selling to restaurants.

• Hear more about Abby’s role as a broker and how it’s different from a distributor.

• Why Abby believes small brands should look for a distributor before a broker.

• Good news about pricing: It’s fine for small producers to not offer price deviations!

• Be careful to not price yourself out of business, it will catch up to you when you scale.

• Final advice from Abby for brands trying to expand their reach — Keep the hope!

Tweetables:

“People want a local product. So, as a distributor, it’s like, ‘People want it, so why don’t I just bring it on? People will buy it. Great.’ And then you realize that the conversations you have to have on both sides are far more reaching than you thought they would ever possibly have to be.” — Abby McAllister [0:09:03]

“Every producer is different and every buyer is different when it comes to local, no matter what the good is and that makes it just a little more difficult.” — Abby McAllister [0:12:31]

“Don’t sell yourself short and long days and long nights are absolutely worth it. Don't stop what you’re doing. There are people who want to support you. And when you feel like you’re completely lost, there’s people who know how to take what you’re making and present it the way that you want it presented.” — Abby McAllister [0:28:06]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

VA Foodie

Virginia Foodie on Instagram

Virginia Foodie on Twitter

Virginia Foodie on Facebook

Georgiana Dearing on Twitter

Abby McAllister

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vafoodie)

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Georgiana Dearing