Food Industry News, Insights, and Education for the CPG Community

For new food entrepreneurs, the home kitchen is where most products are born. However, a transition to production at contract manufacturing facilities allows for commercial-scale production of packaged goods and the safety requirements and quality assurance protocols required for food products. But what if you want to manage production? Can you manufacture legally in your home kitchen?

A recent report produced by the The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) found that CPG companies are increasingly being squeezed by transportation costs and need to carefully consider a strategic approach to supply chain management and logistics.

Out of an estimated 100,000 product offerings, the 2015 Summer Fancy Foods Show gave us a lot of ground to cover. Of course, it would highly ambitious to think that we could cover the entirety of the show, which was held June 28-30 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, but we certainly tried.

We sat down with Jack Brennan, managing partner of consumer products advisory firm GBS Growth Partners, who offered some specifics on what entrepreneurs need to be wary of when crafting a business plan.

Consumers are constantly updating their definition of “healthy,” and because their preferences for ingredients and functional benefits are evolving, companies need to stay on top of what is new and engaging. That was one key in finding in Deloitte’s recently released study, which examines purchasing behavior of American consumers as it relates to national food, beverage and household brands.

You hear it all the time: millennial consumers are changing the way companies do business. Certainly, change is evident in how brands evolve and introduce new products, with particular regard to millennial demand for clean labels and sustainability. Yet how is the demographic set, loosely defined as those aged 20-35, shopping for products at retail?

Our last interview with Sean Horrigan, a public relations specialist, will focus on how entrepreneurs go about launching a PR campaign. Horrigan talks about the types of research and preparation entrepreneurs would need as they plan out a campaign and also discusses how long it may take before brands start to see results.

With the snacking market becoming ever more competitive, how do new entrepreneurs decide which categories will give them the greatest chance of success and growth without having to spend a huge amount of money on research?

In FBU’s last interview with PR specialist Sean Horrigan, we talked about the power of public relations and how strong third party endorsements can really help elevate a brand. In this interview, we ask Horrigan about how to maximize a brand’s presence on social media and how to increase one’s following in the process.

With the natural and organic market being as developed as it is, what else can entrepreneurs do to continue and innovate? Last month, Boulder-based brand-building firm, Sterling Rice Group (SRG) released its top nine natural and organic food trends for 2015.

What can an effective public relations strategy do for a new food or beverage company? Sean Horrigan, a public relations specialist, says that it might mean the difference between obscurity and prominence for your brand.

As on-the-go Americans increasingly to turn to snacks in favor of sit-down meals, many food marketers view crackers, seen as a better-for-you option as compared to chips and pretzels, as critical to new product development — and greater sales.

When large and established companies are deciding whether to invest in an emerging brand, what do they want to see?

For a smaller company, working with a strategic partner can mean greater resources, knowledge and growth that it otherwise would not have.

I can’t stop thinking about Baltimore. The city where Freddie Gray was killed – allegedly by a “rough ride” from six Baltimore police officers, who have since been indicted – is also the the home of Natural Products Expo East.