Artisan Row Food Design + Strategy’s Post

What a kick-off week with our fall 2023 Sprout Beverage cohort! From branding and growth to distribution and fundraising, our founders heard from the best of the beverage industry. During the next few weeks, they'll meet 1:1 with their Sprout Beverage partners to apply their new knowledge to their sales and marketing strategies. And then, before we know it, it will be October, and time for a new session and focus! #beverage #founders #SproutBeverage

PERCEPTION VS. REALITY (a story of two parts) Part 1. I recently attended our final FutureProof Accelerator session on Foundervine's Amplify programme at Mission Kitchen. Delivered by James Newell of Clear Sales Message™ , we were given a fantastic lesson in how to effectively communicate our brands to consumers, retailers/buyers, and investors. Some invaluable (and often obvious) advice that we often forget, and can be put into practice almost immediately. One thing that stood out was how we should be selling the destination rather than the product. For example at Tastesmiths, we're not selling curry kits - we're selling the sense of satisfaction you get when you first cook a delicious and healthy curry at home. When you say "I made that", with a beaming smile on your face. Part 2. After the session, there was an interesting conversation between some of the founders on the programme about how the F&B world works. We're often told as founders about the importance of innovation and newness, but is this overrated in reality? We are all black and ethnic minority-led businesses, and the perception of the industry was around how it operates as either an 'old boys club' or a popularity contest amongst founders (Andrew Allen's recent posts about Syps comes to mind) rather than the quality of the product. Buyers and retailers are under pressure to primarily deliver sales rather than innovation or sustainability, so a safe option (based on a previous relationship or bankable celeb) can easily be justified. In an industry that is under-represented by black and ethnic minority figures in buying/senior positions, it feels like the battle is lost before it has even begun. I'm lucky to have a wide range of friends and colleagues in my network, across the F&B industry. I'd love to hear your views on whether this is perception/reality/both? Also, if I have made some incorrect assumptions, I'd be happy for you to correct me. #tastesmiths #realfood

We know these sharks!! See details below

Ditch the deep pockets and learn how to slay the brand game with Luisa Ford at Foodpreneurs Festival! Luisa, the mastermind behind One Seen Bean™, is a communications rebel who empowers small brands to punch above their weight. With over 25 years of experience, she's helped countless entrepreneurs dominate the market, regardless of budget. Here's what Luisa's dishing up on the Main Stage on May 17th in her talk on Brand Loyalty or Bust: 🧡 Beyond the Shelf: Forget vanity metrics, Luisa's showing you how loyalty directly impacts your bottom line. 🧡 The Right Kind of Love Affair: Not all loyalty is created equal - learn how to build the kind that keeps customers coming back for more! 🧡 Why Retention is King (or Queen): It's cheaper to keep customers happy than find new ones, right? Luisa's got the secrets to building brands that customers can't resist and she can’t wait to share them with you. Grab your Foodpreneurs Festival ticket now (https://bit.ly/3wrkg6N) or learn more about Lu and other speakers here: https://bit.ly/41CGnS1

Slow and Steady growth I was recently vending at a local art event and had the pleasure of sampling Perfectly Cordial to an executive of Red Bull. I asked him for his best advice when it comes to growing a beverage company. He responded with Community and Slow and Steady growth. It warmed my heart and confirmed that I am on the right track. As a founder it’s easy to get caught up in the social media hype or the conference mania and think that you have to move fast, grow fast, do everything fast. Word of mouth is the number one mover for Perfectly Cordial. We have doubled down on Community by opening OneShop. Supporting over 100 small makers and founders throughout the year. We have changed our recipe to focus on sustainability but retaining our flavor. We have launched the Cordial Cart to bring inclusive drinking to large events and gatherings. To other founders: There is nothing wrong with small wins……….slow growth………and being a profitable business . #smallbusiness #femalefounder #blackownedbusiness #femalefounder #responsiblescaling

While last year was unforgettable, 2024's Foodpreneurs Festival is going to blow 2023 away! And here’s why: 💰The sales opportunities are 64 times bigger! Last year Foodpreneurs had the opportunity to pitch their products to retail buyers representing 78 stockists. This year the buyers will represent 4000+ stockists – that’s A LOT of shelves to get your product on! 🍴 The Founder’s Luncheon is a brand-new event allowing Foodpreneurs to network with hard-to-reach founders and a select group of trailblazing packaged food and drink entrepreneurs who will be sharing their insider knowledge. 👀 This year we’ve got more spacious shelving to showcase your product to all Festival attendees (don't forget it's only 2 products per brand owner 😊) 🏨 An opulent new venue with more seating to listen to industry powerhouses share their insights and advice on what to do (and what not to do!) to be successful in the industry. BUT don’t worry, despite adding even more sales, networking and promotion opportunities this year, all your favourite activations from last year will still be there! *Applying to pitch to retailers will not guarantee you a pitching spot. 🔗 Link in comments for more information.

For many companies 1000 Followers on LinkedIn doesn’t sound like all that much. Our Sales Director, Alex, alone has twice that number! What makes this milestone so special for us is where we’ve come from. Since our foundation, as Bryopin in 1988, right up to announcing our rebrand to Meyer Food Co. in July 2022, we’ve been very much a “behind the scenes” company, helping other food businesses thrive and letting them enjoy the limelight. Since rebranding, we’ve started to step out more. We’re still the old reliable company we’ve always been, we’re just putting ourselves out there a bit more and we’ve had great fun doing it. So if you don’t know us, hi, we’re Meyer Food Co., we might just be your secret weapon to get ahead in the food business. So, let’s connect before the word spreads too far! 🤫 #FoodIndustry #BusinessGrowth #Networking #MeyerFoodCo #FoodBusinessSuccess #LetsConnect

I read and interesting SBJ article regrading the challenges and strategies brands are dealing with during super bowl week in Vegas. I made this presentation with a quick summary about the article and some key take aways that I got from it. Give it a look! Darin W. White

It’s finally here! Our first webinar! 🥳 We kick off our Mission Driven or Mission Impossible Roundtable Series with a discussion on AgriFood and Climate-Tech Comms: Building the Buzz, Creating the Buzz, Surviving the Buzz. Creating a successful communications machine from seed stage to IPO. ⬇️ Check out our amazing speakers ⬇️ 🗣️ Speakers: ✅ Charles Dimmler - CEO & Co-Founder of Checkerspot ✅ Rachel Konrad - Chief Brand Officer of The Production Board ✅ Irina Gerry - Chief Marketing Officer of Change Foods See the registration link below in the comments ⬇️

"Turn leads into loyal customers! 📣 Finding it tough to connect with the right people in the Food & Beverage industry? 🍽️ But what if we told you that there's a simpler way to reach your target audience? Whether you're a startup looking to make your mark or an established enterprise seeking to expand, Enter InfoClutch's comprehensive Food & Beverage Industry Mailing Lists! 🎯 Our solution offers a curated list of key decision-makers across both large corporations and small enterprises in the industry. This simplifies your networking efforts, making it easier for you to connect, communicate, and create meaningful business relationships. No more guesswork, no more wasted time - just targeted connections that drive growth. Visit us at [ https://buff.ly/49dgZXz let's get started! #FoodAndBeverage #DataSolutions #Infoclutch #LeadGeneration"