Food Methods - Blog

Food Finance Boot Camp

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 12:00:00 Z

If your food product business is profitable and you would like to grow and get to the "next level", much of your ability to do that depends on having strong financial literacy to help guide your decision-making. For food businesses that are not yet earning profit consistently, financial literacy is even more important.

Financial resilience is key to adapting to the unprecedented changes facing people in the food industry. For food entrepreneurs who don't have a formal business education or financial background to build upon there are other resources available to them.

The Food Finance Institute at the University of Wisconsin is partnering with Craft3, a regional nonprofit serving Oregon and Washington, to offer a Food Finance Boot Camp. This virtual workshop is targeted towards food businesses to help them develop credible business plans and solid financial systems. There are classes scheduled throughout the fall of 2020 and into winter and spring of 2021.

At a very reasonable fee of $250 (made possible with support from Banner Bank), this bootcamp promises to put food business owners on a path to success and prepare them to deal with lenders and investors effectively.

Learn more about the Food Finance Boot Camp here: https://www.craft3.org/Borrow/foodag/food-finance-bootcamp.

Visit the Food Finance Institute here: https://foodfinanceinstitute.org/

Project Potluck

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 12:00:00 -0400

We're noticing significant growth in food business incubators, mentorship programs, and educational content aimed at helping people achieve success as food entrepreneurs.

Recently Project Potluck caught our attention because it will be focusing specifically on Black, Indigenous, People of Color in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry.

Visit the Project Potluck website at https://www.potluckcpg.org.

Project Potluck will be holding its free (virtual) kickoff meeting on Thursday, October 8.

Get tickets to the free kickoff meeting at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/project-potluck-kickoff-meeting-and-community-mixer-tickets-122004616091.

Project Potluck intends to launch with a year-long mentorship program, monthly community building events and a digital community.

You can read what the founders of Project Potluck say about this organization and its efforts addressing issues of inherent bias in hiring, networking gaps and lack of access to capital for diverse founders in this Food Dive article: https://www.fooddive.com/news/how-project-potluck-plans-to-help-diversify-the-cpg-industry/585528/.

Darigold Continues to Evolve

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 12:00:00 -0400

Darigold has been on our radar for years because of its noticeable market presence in the Pacific Northwest and for its commitment in 2006 to produce and sell only milk from cows not treated with rBST.

Now Darigold, the marketing and processing subsidiary of the Northwest Dairy Association cooperative, has caught our attention again with the announcement of its strategy to become a global ingredients supplier. Read the press release at https://www.darigold.com/media/darigold-accelerates-strategic-transformation-of-global-ingredients-business/.

We've been impressed by several aspects of the Darigold business model not only because it is a good example of how cooperatives can help their members (at Food Methods, we're fans of cooperatives in light of their community and social impacts as well as their economic resilience) but also for its environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives.

Darigold's commitment to sustainability goes beyond simply touting their accomplishments and their goal to become carbon-neutral by 2050. Their Cooperative Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting efforts have generally followed the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines. (Learn more about the Global Reporting Initiative here: https://www.globalreporting.org and here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlobalReportingInitiative.)

King Arthur Baking Company

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 12:00:00 -0400

King Arthur Baking Company is the new name of a very old company - a company that Food Methods highlighted in a blog post earlier this year (https://www.foodmethods.com/blog/archive/king-arthur-flour/). According to the press release (https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/newsroom/2020/07/20/king-arthur-flour-now-king-arthur-baking-company-rebrands-to-celebrate) the oldest flour company in America has rebranded after an 18 month brand research and creative strategy process.

The company has responded quickly to the recent surge in home baking by increasing its education resources (for example, their website now has over 40 baking videos in the "Baking Skills" section of their website) and by launching a new 3-pound bag of flour to shorten the time it takes to get product to consumers.

Their website can be found at https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/.

Kombucha Code of Practice Published by KBI

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 12:00:00 -0400

Trade association Kombucha Brewers International (KBI) released a kombucha code of practice in another attempt to define quality standards for the popular beverage. The code of practice would also establish multiple categories for kombucha.

FoodNavigator-USA, an online news outlet focused on the U.S. food industry, has published an in-depth article on the topic.

In addition to the code of practice, KBI is also developing a seal of authenticity for manufacturers to use on their product labels. KBI had been pursuing a standard of identity for kombucha, a legal definition of what the product must contain, but has now turned its attention to defining code of practice.

Read KBI's Code of Practice here: https://kombuchabrewers.org/kombucha-code-of-practice/

Read the FoodNavigator-USA article here: https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2020/07/14/What-is-an-authentic-kombucha-KBI-publishes-long-awaited-code-of-practice-proposes-industry-seal

Frugalpac

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 12:00:00 -0400

Frugalpac, a company registered in England & Wales, has recently launched a new wine bottle made from 94% recycled paper.

Read more about this fascinating product at https://www.frugalpac.com/.

Portobel

Sat, 06 Jun 2020 12:00:00 -0400

One of the most complex and costly aspects of operating a small or medium-sized food product business is the effort to ship and/or deliver product to buyers. This can be even more of a challenge for products that must remain refrigerated or frozen.

A startup called Portobel is hoping to build a business by offering delivery options to address those challenges. The San Francisco-based company originally offered solutions to help monitor food product delivery operations. Now it has pivoted and is offering direct-to-consumer delivery solutions for food producers, something that could be a huge help to food product companies.

TechCrunch, a Website focusing on the tech industry, recently profiled Portobel. You can read the TechCrunch article here: https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/05/portobel/

Visit the Portobel Website here: https://www.portobel.com/

FDA on Food Safety and COVID-19

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 12:00:00 -0400

The FDA regularly updates its guidance and resources available to food industry members and consumers on COVID-19 and food safety. The information is intended to assist consumers, the food industry workforce, retail food stores, restaurants, and food pick-up & delivery services.

The question and answer format addresses multiple topics and covers issues related to:

Food Supply Chain
Social Distancing, Disinfecting & Other Precautions
Temporary Policy
Workers Testing Positive

Of particular interest are statements that are directly related to food safety. For example, the FDA does not anticipate that food products would need to be recalled or be withdrawn from the market because of COVID-19, as there is currently no evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 associated with food or food packaging.

The information can be found here:

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

FDA also maintains a webpage covering Frequently Asked Questions related to COVID-19. The FAQ covers a broad spectrum of topics including General Information, Vaccines, Drugs, & Medical Devices, Animals, as well as Food Products. That FAQ can be found here:

https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-frequently-asked-questions

King Arthur Flour

Sun, 31 May 2020 12:00:00 -0400

The King Arthur Flour Company has been around since 1790 and started in Boston. It has changed ownership multiple times throughout its long history and is now a 100% employee-owned company. Other interesting facts about the company include its product line of flour, ingredients, baking mixes, and cookbooks (one cookbook won a James Beard Award for Cookbook of the Year in 2003) and that the company is a founding B Corp member meaning it has a commitment to all stakeholders: shareholders, business partners, the community, and the environment.

In the Pacific Northwest, King Arthur Flour operates a baking school at the Washington State University Bread Lab in Skagit Valley (11768 Westar Lane, Burlington, WA 98233). The baking school hosts a variety of classes for professional bakers as well as home bakers. The King Arthur Flour website has a growing selection of resources for bakers including free videos, baking guides, recipes, and their complete class schedule.

Classes range from introductory demonstrations for beginners to intensive week-long courses for baking professionals taught by their expert instructors.

Visit their website: https://www.kingarthurflour.com.

Update (5/31/2020): The King Arthur Flour baking classes have been closed due to COVID-19 and are expecting to reopen sometime after June 30, 2020.

FMI Coronavirus Resources

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 12:00:00 -0400

FMI, the Food Marketing Institute, offers a series of business practice documents that provide guidance for the food industry during each phase of the Coronavirus crisis. There are a variety of resources prepared by FMI in addition to a curated collection of external resources.

FMI is a trade association for food marketing, food retailers, and wholesalers whose members include retail food stores and pharmacies. Resources include background information, a preparedness checklist, and more to support the food industry.

Visit the FMI Coronavirus Resources page here:

https://www.fmi.org/food-safety/coronavirus

Food Safety Priorities and Plans for 2020

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Food Safety Magazine asked food processors around the world about their top priorities for this year. Many of those who responded mentioned initiatives related to microbiology, environmental monitoring, and pathogen control. Regulatory compliance was also frequently cited as a major concern. Employee training and education continues to be a high priority for many firms.

Part 1 of the two-part article can be found here:

https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/december-2019january-2020/food-safety-priorities-and-plans-for-2020/

And here is a link to Part 2:

https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/februarymarch-2020/food-safety-priorities-and-plans-for-2020-part-2/

The Mythology of Startup Success

Sun, 16 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Start a business. Get funding. Grow fast and at all costs. Burn through cash. Get more funding. Exit. Happy life!

On the website, "Noteworthy - The Journal Blog", Mitch Daugherty explores (and explodes) the myth of startups. In The mythology of startup success has to change, the author (with help from Rick Turoczy) says that the startup myth creates a massive amount of additional stress for founders who — in addition to all of the other stressors — are trying to fit into the prevailing “success” narrative, no matter how flawed it may be.

The post draws from the authors' experience with a number of Oregon entrepreneurship programs and calls attention to the culture of starting food and beverage companies here.

Mercy Corps Northwest

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Mercy Corps is a global organization that helps communities around the globe develop entrepreneurial solutions by connecting them with the right resources.

Mercy Corps Northwest embodies the Mercy Corps mission by working with communities across the Pacific Northwest. They offer a variety of business classes, seminars and counseling services designed for bootstrapping entrepreneurs. The Mercy Corps Northwest website has lots of business resources including checklists, articles, templates, business planning tools and more.

Visit the Mercy Corps Northwest website to learn more.

https://www.mercycorpsnw.org/business/re/

Preparing for a FSMA Compliance Inspection

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0500

Food Safety Magazine published an article recently that describes many aspects of FDA FSMA compliance inspections. Those in charge of food processing operations may find the information eye-opening and helpful.

Topics in the article include:

What to Expect during a FSMA Compliance Inspection
FSMA Compliance Inspection Process
Common Mistakes
Best Practices for FSMA Inspection Preparedness

You can find the article here: https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/enewsletter/are-you-prepared-for-a-fsma-compliance-inspection/

Eater Portland

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 12:00:00 -0400

To stay informed about trends in the Portland restaurant scene, we often turn to Eater Portland (https://pdx.eater.com/). Eater PDX is part of the multisite Eater website franchise published by Vox Media.

The site covers many topics relevant to the Portland food scene and often focuses on news about restaurants, bars, brews, chefs, trends, and other topics. We also like that Eater PDX frequently does "roundup" pieces that look back over the year and reminds us of important highlights (like this Portland’s Best Food Neighborhoods in 2019, for example).

Portland Bitters Project - An Interview with Cindy Capparelli

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 12:00:00 -0400

Note: This is an encore blog post that originally appeared in the Food Methods blog in June, 2016.

Portland Cocktail Week, with seven days of world class spirits education, started October 18, 2014 and runs through October 24th (http://portlandcocktailweek.com).

David caught up with Cindy Capparelli, the botanical mastermind behind Portland Bitters Project which creates cocktail bitters and herbal tinctures that are used in a variety of cocktails and snacks.

David: What would you like to tell the world about your products?

Cindy: There is a lack of modern bitter in our diet. In general, our eating habits have become pasty and beige at this point. My products introduce that important taste into the diet - in a good way. Other bitters use processed and refined ingredients. Sometimes their products are not vegan. I use raw sugar and other therapeutic-grade herbs.

David: What do you mean by "bitter in the diet"?

Cindy: Bitter as a sensation in the mouth starts the chain reaction through the digestive system. When your system gets stimulated, it helps to keep your insides healthier because there isn't stagnation happening.

David: What got you started thinking along these lines?

Cindy: I have a botanical background. All my jobs have been plant-based in one way or another. That led me into looking at different uses for plants that are out of the ordinary. I have been a tinkerer in the kitchen all of my life. When I got interested in cocktails, I found out bitters were a major component. I’ve always enjoyed challenging my palate, so I decided to give some a shot.

David: Did you do some research to get started?

Cindy: Yes. I did online research and also looked at old distilling books to get a sense of what people had done before and what the standards are. I had enough information to get going and once I started, things just snowballed.

David: It sounds like you’ve approached it from multiple perspectives.

Cindy: That’s accurate. It brings together a lot of things I like and am interested in. It’s the natural evolution of my background and experience. That may sound like I’m out to cure cancer or something. But some people say everything begins in the gut… so you never know.

David: You mentioned cocktails. How does that figure in?

Cindy: Great cocktails are so prevalent here. There’s no danger of that ending anytime soon. More people are experimenting at home and finding that it can be a lot of fun to experiment with different flavors and get away from the average party menu of beer, Two-Buck-Chuck and Schweppes mixers. Making an awesome Manhattan or Sazerac is about as easy as a whiskey soda.

David: What would you say is the most common use of your bitters?

Cindy: My first intent was to use them in cocktails. But digestive benefits are something many people are unfamiliar with, so if they get introduced to my bitters through cocktails, maybe they will see the other advantages and wider uses of them.

David: What is your personal favorite use of your bitters?

Cindy: It’s so hard to pick. My most frequent use is to take a bit straight from the dropper when I need it. My favorite is to experiment in a culinary way, like the “Swanky Nuts” on my website. And you can't go wrong with an Old Fashioned.

David: Have there been some of your experiments that just didn’t work?

Cindy: Oh yes. I’d tried to do an elder flower in an over-proofed brandy. It just came out like denatured alcohol. It was horrible. I still have it. Maybe I’ll use it for cleaning something sometime.

I’ve made a few iterations that are just too gentle. They’re good tasting, but when you put it in something, it just disappears. Others were so bitter, they were just unpleasant.

David: When did you decide to turn your interest into a business?

Cindy: I’ve always had an inkling that I would be in business for myself. With this project, I started experimenting and giving samples to people I knew and bartenders. I went into the Driftwood Room. Mike the head bartender said it was a good product and he thought I could do something with it.

I was ready for a shift in my life; ready to leave the world of competitive landscaping. A big bunch of factors fell into place that made it possible for me to give it a try.

David: When did you launch the business itself?

Cindy: I started experimenting in 2013 and launched the business in April of 2014.

David: You’re involved in all these creative elements, what has it been like to manage the business element?

Cindy: It’s been a learning curve. Some aspects come naturally. Others I find challenging. Having follow through, making good on the things I say – I have no trouble with that.

Doing the financials and bookkeeping and those kinds of picky things are harder.

I’m much more action oriented. Documenting and note taking is no problem. Recipe development is my favorite part. But the boring stuff is challenging. Focusing enough on what’s right in front of me rather than thinking about all the possibilities is something I'm working on.

Constantly putting myself out there as a small business person has caused me to grow a lot but it can be difficult. If you have a day when you’re not “on” then nothing happens.

David: Are there things you wish you had known from a business perspective when you started?

Cindy: I wish I had known how complicated it is to gather the right information. As a small business person, regardless of what field you’re in, there’s a lot of hunting and pecking in order to find the right way to do things. Whose approval do you need for this? What license do you need for this? As a niche product, that tends to be exacerbated.

David: Are there some things that are easier than you expected?

Cindy: I think sometimes it can be really easy to make connections. I found the spirits community is a lot more supportive than I thought. I found a lot of people that are really welcoming.

David: Before we sat down, you mentioned that cocktail week is starting soon. What is your involvement in that?

Cindy: I designed some cocktails for an event for a Canadian whiskey. I’ll be at the event as one of their artisans in their maker market.

David: Have you participated in Cocktail Week in the past?

Cindy: This will be my first year. They got interested in me through my website. They liked the recipes I came up with and got in touch with me.

David: What have you been working on lately?

At this point in our conversation, Cindy brought out two small amber glass bottles with eye-dropper type closures. One bottle was labelled simply, “F” and the other “B”. As she placed the bottles in front of me, she began instructing me on how to get the full effect when sampling bitters. “Place a couple of drops in one palm and then rub both hands together briskly. Open your hands near your face while inhaling through your nose to get the full essence. See if you can identify what these are.”

“After that, put a couple of drops on your tongue to taste the flavors fully.”

I did this with both samples and was struck by the powerful, yet delicate, flavors. While I couldn’t pinpoint the first one, the second one had unmistakable notes of cacao and orange. I won’t say more than this because Cindy hasn’t introduced them yet and I don’t want to give anything away.

Cindy’s products from Portland Bitters Project are exciting and I’m intrigued by the existing lineup of botanic bitters the new ones to follow. If you are interested in learning more, visit the Portland Bitters Project website at https://www.portlandbittersproject.com/.

Grocery Manufacturers Association to Become the Consumer Brands Association

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 12:00:00 -0400

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) recently announced it will change its name and become the Consumer Brands Association (CBA). The organization was founded in 1908 and is planning a major renaming and rebranding effort.

In describing the motivation behind the rebranding effort, a press release issued by GMA says the change, which will go into effect January 2020, "represents the broader interests of a modern CPG company."

See the GMA press release

Food Methods Blog Reimagined

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 12:00:00 -0400

Over the last few months we've been busy discovering new ways Food Methods can deliver more value - not only to our clients - but to the visitors to our website. One of our responsibilities is to help people in the food business stay connected to the industry. That's what has brought us to the next phase in the Food Methods Blog.

Today we're breaking ground on a new approach to publishing blog posts and we hope you'll find it interesting, informative, and helpful. We'll be searching for news, websites, articles, and all kinds of other content to find information that you can use to better understand the environment your food business operates in so you can make better business decisions.

We've archived all of our previous Food Methods Blog material and will be reviewing everything so we can make the best posts available to you. Food Methods will continue to stay informed about topics that you can use. And we hope you will stay connected to Food Methods.