May 10
Yesterday I introduced you to Beth Kirby, a successful cookie maker who sells on Etsy under the SunshineBakes name. During the course of our interview Beth was kind enough to share the following tips for any other food entrepreneurs who are looking to open their own Esty store: Read more
May 9
In honor of the upcoming Mother’s Day, today and tomorrow’s articles are reprints of highly popular material I originally published in 2011.
Despite the fact that many women love to cook, you’ll find that men outnumber women in professional kitchens at an astonishing rate. One reason for this is that a professional kitchen career leaves very little room for motherhood. It’s not easy to juggle partner, house, and baby when you’re working 14 hour days. With Mother’s Day coming up I thought it would only be appropriate to share a story of a mompreneur (entrepreneur + mother) working in this crazy food industry. Read more
When I was in highschool the teachers used to ask each of us on the last day of school what our goals were for the summer and what we hoped to achieve over the next three months. There were always a range of ambitious answers from “complete all my college application essays” to “read Shakespeare’s entire collection of work.” Then Labor Day would roll around and we’d sheepishly admit that none of what we had hoped to accomplish had actually gotten done. But didn’t our new tans look good (tans we would regret 20 years later when they came back as wrinkles!).
With Memorial Day weekend here in the States being the unofficial start of summer (can someone please let the weather in the Pacific Northwest know that summer is supposed to be here!), I’m going out on a limb to tell you my summer goal. I can’t use the word vacation since I, unlike highschool kids, don’t have the summer off and in fact my nonprofit job kicks into high gear in the warmer months. Regardless, my goal is to have a new book completed by Labor Day. It won’t be finished and ready to print, but I’m working on having it completely written and in the “editing” phase by Labor Day. I don’t want to share too much other than it is a small food business book and it’s about a topic that I get asked about constantly. Since one piece of feedback I received from my first book was that people loved reading the ‘How They Got Their Start’ stories about real food entrepreneurs, I’m in the process of interviewing a whole new set of food entrepreneurs who will be able to share their real-life experience with readers.
It’s a lot of work but it’s a topic I’m passionate about and I look forward to getting all these thoughts that are running around my head down onto paper. This means that you may notice, from time to time, fewer posts here if I’m well immersed in the book. But I will share bits and pieces of the interviews with you here as there’s nothing I love more than sharing stories about food entrepreneurs. Of course if you know of a food entrepreneur who just knocks your socks off – perhaps they have a unique business model, they offer a product unlike any you’ve seen before, or they’re just an amazing person – I’d love to know about them to see if they might be a good fit for the book.
Yesterday I posted Part 1 of a conversation with Stacy Goldberg, head nutritionist and Director of Community Relations for Daily Gourmet, an online deal site dedicated to artisan food companies. Today the focus will turn to food producers and what benefit there is in selling via Daily Gourmet and how producers can get their products featured.
Why should artisan food producers consider selling on Daily Gourmet?
We give producers exposure that they may not necessarily have through the Daily Gourmet marketing channels. For each of our producers we put together a snapshot that includes beautiful photographs of their products, an unbelievable write-up of them, and we tell the marketing story that they may not have necessarily had before. That story helps us bridge the gap between the artisan food producers and the people who are looking for these products. To connect with these producers who have a passion is what is important to us.
The other benefit for producers is that we are here for the long term for them. With other voucher models you have an offer and it’s promoted once and the producer doesn’t see any follow up. Our goal is to offer follow up services that help create repeat customers. So, for example, if you purchased hemp granola bars in January you will get an email several months later offering you lower discount on the same hemp bars to remind you to purchase them again.
We are really focused on helping the artisan food producers’ business grow long term. We connect them with our greater community of food bloggers, distributors, culinary arts professionals, etc and get them involved in a world that they may never have had a connection before. We’re excited to provide producers with the opportunity to build relationships with customers, distributors, and the greater culinary world.
How does Daily Gourmet find these artisan food producers?
I am responsible for setting all the guidelines but we are sourcing producers from across the country and are constantly searching food sites, gourmet food sites, traveling to food blogs, etc. Based on my years in the food industry I have many established relationships that we utilize to find new and interesting producers but eventually we plan on having a sales team that is located all around the country because we know the importance of going to niche stores and farmers’ markets and finding these small producers.
The opportunities are endless – there are new products every day and there are unlimited resources to find these producers. But we also feel strongly about the fact that we have guidelines and standards that must be followed. Before we feature a product we sample it so we can look at the product, touch it taste it, and I review all the nutritional information.
If you’re looking for small producers isn’t there a concern that they may not be able to create enough product to meet Daily Gourmet demand?
We actually limit the number of products sold based on what the producer is comfortable with. We realize that we’re working with small producers but at the same time we want to offer our customers exceptional customer service so we will work with the producer to determine what quantity they feel they can produce and ship within three days of an order being placed. At all points along the way we want to producer to feel comfortable working with us and see it as beneficial to their business.
So if a small food business believes they might have a great product for your site how can they get their goods in front of the Daily Gourmet team?
More information for producers is available on the producer section of the Daily Gourmet site or they can call us at 877-332-4029.
More information about Daily Gourmet and to sign up for their delicious deals is available by clicking here.
If you’re familiar with Groupon or Living Social then you’re familiar with the concept of online couponing that has seemingly swept the nation. While these sites are a great way for customers to get a deal on a local service or business, the strength of these sites lay in offering deals to a location-targeted audience. Daily Gourmet takes the same basic concept and applies it in a different manner. Instead of focusing on location, Daily Gourmet targets ‘foodies’ and shares with them deals from artisan food producers all around the country. What’s even more interesting is that unlike most couponing sites, Daily Gourmet is committed to helping those small food businesses grow now and in the future.
I spoke with Stacy Goldberg, Head Nutritionist and Director of Community Relations for Daily Gourmet, about what the site is hoping to achieve. A self-described product fanatic, Stacy is a nutritionist and entrepreneur. She started What’s In Your Cart™, a wellness and nutrition counseling company dedicated to helping people live a healthier and more holistic life, and has received public acclaim for her commitment to ‘clean eating.’
Tell Me About Daily Gourmet.
Daily Gourmet is focused on connecting artisan food producers with a wider national audience. We want to be able to show our community and teach the members of our community how to use these products. My goal is to teach them what we can do with that product and how we can cook with it and bake with it and think outside the box when using it.
With so many coupon and deal sites out there, how does Daily Gourmet differ from the rest?
I think the difference for us vs. other deal sites is that our customers are highly targeted and passionate about food. We are very very specific whereas others are much more general – Daily Gourmet is solely focused on food. Many producers want the targeted audience and we are 100% focused on specialty food. The other benefit is that our customer base is national. Many other offer sites are just local so this is really exposing customers to products from all over the country.
The other interesting thing about Daily Gourmet is that we are very customizable and personalized for the customer. When you sign up you indicate your dietary restrictions or what food products you would like to see emailed to you. That way if you’re a vegetarian you aren’t getting emails about meat products all day!
As a nutritionist, how does your background and experience come to bear at Daily Gourmet?
My passion and my desire is to find and source a variety of food products regardless of your dietary lifestyle. At Daily Gourmet we look at and sample every product we feature and I really look for products that keep the ingredient list as short as possible. We really want to try and limit processed foods and focus on those products that keep the ingredients as natural and limited as possible. And in every food category we’re trying to find healthier options so, for example, products that contain no trans fats. This doesn’t mean all our products are necessarily nutritious but, for example, I would love to find source a vegan cinnamon roll that contains no high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats.
What value do you think Daily Gourmet has for customers?
The value to a consumer is that they will be exposed to products that they won’t typically see in a grocery store. We are excited to be able to feature products and expose people to a variety of product they may never have seen. With each producer we feature we’re also trying to offer a sample of products so that customers can get a sense of the range of products that producer offers. Our offersa re typically between 40-50% off retail so customers can get a good sample of what the producer offers at a discounted price. That gives the customer a reason to test out a product they’ve never heard of before. We really want to encourage people to experiment with new foods and inspire them to cook with new flavors in every product category.
Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of the conversation with Daily Gourmet where the focus will turn to the food producer side of this equation. In the meantime, if you’d like to check out Daily Gourmet and sign up for their delicious deals click here.
Lest you need any further evidence that artisan food crafted with care is “in” just take a look at the new Williams-Sonoma catalogue. Their summer “Outdoor Kitchen” catalogue features, for the first time, high-quality meats from independent farms. Best of all, they give a description of the farms and ranches they sourced the meat from. Then flip a few pages further and you’ll see, also for the first time (to the best of my knowledge) farm-fresh preserves, pickled products and other goodies from Blackberry Farms in Tennessee.
While I’m going on about their catalogue I might also add that while oogling over the delicious handcrafted food, I also found the new kitchen appliance of my dreams. Keep in mind that I put myself through culinary school by working at Williams-Sonoma and they have a very generous employee discount program. I can’t say I ever actually took home much money but boy is my kitchen stocked like you would not believe! But this my friends, this is stupendous! Just what every backyard needs – a wood-fired oven. I’m ignoring the fact that it rains 9 months of the year here and am just drooling over that oven while I imagine myself turning out authentic Italian-style pizzas by truckload. Perhaps not altogether realistic, especially at that price point, but a girl can dream can’t she?
QR codes (short for Quick Response), the black and white image you see to the left, are popping up everywhere these days. So what exactly are they? Does you business need one? And, if so, how do you get one?
First, a QR code is nothing more than a two-dimensional barcode that is encoded with text, a website URL, or other information. The idea, from a marketing standpoint, is by incorporating a QR code into your marketing material or even your product packaging, you will encourage customers to scan the device with their mobile phone which will enable them to learn more about you and your company. Additionally, QR codes are a way to track the return on marketing investment as it’s easy to see how many people have scanned your QR code for more information.
As to whether your business actually needs one is a different question entirely. As with anything marketing, the answer lies in who your target market is. QR codes are hugely popular in Japan and South Korea so if your target market is made up fo a similar demographic it may be a given that this is a tool you should use. Alternatively, if your target market is comprised of less tech-savvy individuals then QR codes may be pointless.
You should also give some thought as to how QR codes will fit with yoru overall marketing strategy. As an example, the other day I was walking through my neighborhood and came up on a beautiful house for sale. Instead of providing pieces of paper with the home’s details, the real estate agent had posted a QR code. Since I was out without my cell phone, I had nothing to scan the code with. Granted, if I were a highly motivated home buyer I could have always gone back later to scan the code or looked through the listings on the real estate agent’s website to find the house, but you don’t want to make it more difficult then it needs to be to get cusomters to connect with you. Though popular in parts of Asia, QR codes have been slow to get started here in the US so don’t assume everyone has a phone that can scan QR codes and make sure that there are still ‘old-fashioned’ ways to share information with customers easily. (If you want to download a QR reader for your mobile device click here).
If you’ve decided that a QR codes is a good marketing toool for your business, you’ll be happy to know that they’re easy to aquire and free of charge (as of today). Simply put QR code into any search engine and you’ll get a long list of companies that can instantiously produce a specialized QR code for your small food business.
I was going to let the Royal Wedding pass without comment until I was bombarded by the TV talking heads who were showcasing all the “Royal” stuff one could buy. Apparently one of the hottest selling items are cupcakes made by the same company that is making THE cake itself. Of course if you don’t have a flight booked to London yet and can’t get yourself to Harrods to get some of those cupcakes, there seem to be a myriad of food entrepreneurs on this side of the pond who are taking advantage of the royal excitment. For example, I just heard that a local cupcake shop here will be featuring cupcakes bedazzled in dark blue sugar (supposedly reminiscent of the engagement ring) and plenty of tea shops are hosting special events and cooking up the best in British dishes to serve.
One of the best things in my mind about being a small food entrepreneur is how quickly small businesses can make things happen. While a large food manufacturer would have had to start planning special Will & Kate items months ago, a small food company can make the decision on the fly and see what happens. While I have no plans to watch the event live – it starts at 1am here on the West Coast…this is exactly why the DRV was invented! – I may very well stop by the cupcake store for my very own sparkly blue cupcake with which I’ll toast the newly married couple and wish them a sweet life together.
Whenever I buy something from an independent retailer – be it a food vendor, craftsman, or independently-owned store – I always ask if they’d prefer I used a debit card over a credit card. The reason for this is that debit cards typically carry lower merchant fees for retailers than credit cards and I’d like as much of my money as possible going to support the entrepreneur rather than going into the trillion dollar bank fee coffers.
A new rule, set to take effect in July, may make debit cards even more cost-effective for retailers. Most debit cards currently charge an average of $.44 per transaction. However, a law that was signed as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act last summer puts a cap on the amount debit cards can charge for a fee to just $.12 per transaction. That’s an extra $.32 that could now go directly into the retailers pocket! If you have a lot of customers who use debit cards you can see how this could quickly add up for you.
Not surprisingly, the banks aren’t happy about losing that $.32 per transaction – which equals approximately $16 billion across the US – and recently helped get the Debit Interchange Fee Study Act in front of the US Senate. In a nutshell, this new Act asks for more time before the $.12 transaction fee goes into effect so that they can better understand the implications of the law. There is some speculation that in order to make up for the shortfall banks may start limiting debit card purchases to more than $100 or take free checking away from their customers.
It will be interesting to see where it all ends up at the end of the day.
Between Tax Week and then the posts last week about eco-friendly packaging, I didn’t have a chance to mention this news article. According to news reports, a North Carolina man has been sentanced to 9 years in prison for mislabeling his bread as ‘gluten-free.’ The bread was sold at the State Fair and local flea markets and the labeling caused several people who suffer from celiac disease to become sick.
Obviously, labeling is not something to take lightly! I’m working on a series of articles about labeling requirements that will run sometime in May but in the meantime if you have any questions about your food product labels please contact your local health department. The risk is just too great not to!
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