There are many things to consider when starting a food product business: packaging, labeling, marketing, costs…things you haven’t even thought of yet. Imagine starting a food business with confidence, knowing you have thought through all the steps necessary to launch into the marketplace. Getting Your Recipe to Market is a unique, 12-week intensive program that will help you take your idea to commercial-ready food product. We’ve partnered with food industry experts, OSU’s Food Innovation Center, and New Seasons Market to take you step-by-step to produce, promote, and sell your product. Contact us for a guided interview!
Getting Your Recipe to Market gives you the skills to:
Understand industry essentials, and avoid common mistakes. Our program is designed to teach you the ins and outs of the food industry and help you avoid costly mistakes. Food industry experts will teach you how to produce, promote, and sell your product. Learn about product development, food science, packaging, distribution, and more.
Connect with and gather insight from local food professionals. In each class, you’ll meet experts working in the food industry such as grocery buyers, co-packers, food scientists, packaging experts, regulators, and more. You’ll also have your product reviewed by New Seasons Market buyers.
Prepare for the commercial market. We’ll cover core marketing principles for promoting a consumer food product, giving your product the best chance to succeed. Learn how to calculate costs of goods sold (COGS), conduct break-even analysis, and other financial keys to creating a profitable product.
Get one-on-one help building your food product business. We’re here for you as you launch your product and continue to grow your business after the program. Your advisor will work with you to develop an action plan and provide guidance in making key business decisions.
Each week we’ll bring in subject-matter experts to teach on important areas. Each session is 3 hours long.
Subjects include:
marketing
product costing and pricing
food science & safety
licensing & regulations
producing in a commercial kitchen or with a co-packer
brand development
label compliance
selling to grocery buyers
selling in farmer’s markets
alternative sales channels
distribution
food business law
and more!
Getting Your Recipe to Market is more than just a class. It includes:
A 30-minute meeting with New Seasons Market buyers to pitch your brand and present your product(s). You will receive valuable feedback and the opportunity to have your products placed into the New Seasons stores.
Reserved space and participation in the Time to Market Trade Show to showcase your product to potential investors, buyers and to the public.
One-on-one business advising.
Complimentary access to Business Design Series, SBDC’s business planning course.
Supportive learning through your cohort/peers.
Access to business advisors with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise.
Getting Your Recipe to Market is good fit for you, if:
You have a complete and consistent recipe.
You have no retail sales.
You have time to dedicate to class, advising, and the work.
You want to make your food business idea a reality.
Time: Getting Your Recipe to Market is a 12-week course that includes 36 hours of classroom education. Every session is 3 hours, during which you will participate in the New Seasons evaluation and the Time to Market Tradeshow.
Financial: Tuition for Getting Your Recipe to Market is $1,995.
The return:
The knowledge and confidence you need to launch your food product business.
Opportunities to make your product known, including:
New Season’s Market product evaluation
A reserved table at the Time to Market Tradeshow
Resources for ongoing learning and growth, including:
Lifelong business advising
Access to future Getting Your Recipe to Market classes
Jill Beaman, Getting Your Recipe to Market program facilitator
Worked at FIC as a research assistant helping start-up food businesses and researching food distribution
Experience in the wine industry and teaching agriculture and business
BS & MS Degrees in Ag Business from Cal Poly, SLO
Betsy Walton, Advisor
Founder/Owner of Our Favorite Foods LLC, DBA Duker’s Dills
Successfully launched a line of pickles at both retail and wholesale
2008 Alumni of GYRM
Master Food Preserver – Oregon State Extension
Hannah Kullberg, advisor
Co-founded the Better Bean Company. Over 9 years, the team took the product from farmer’s market to national distribution with an exit to Hain Celestial
Certified Holistic Health Coach
Studied food systems and worked on the organic farm at Vassar College
Classes include presentations from local food business experts including:
Food Innovation Center
Oregon Department of Agriculture
Local commercial kitchens
Local co-packing manufacturers
Food brand developers
Food safety experts
Local retail buyers
Distributors
Business lawyer
Farmer’s market manager
Alumni entrepreneurs
Note: the schedule of the program and instructors may change based on instructor availability.
“The education that I received in the GYRM class was eye-opening and invaluable. It gave me the information that I needed to start this business off on the right foot, as well as connecting me to resources and contacts that set the path toward profitability.” Marilyn Roseburrough, Kember’s Gluten Free
“That class was exactly what I needed when I was starting out. I had no idea that I’d have to learn things like how to convert a recipe to a scalable formula, or how to find contract manufacturers and distributors. In a few short months, I have been exposed to everything I needed to know to get started with my food business. Getting Your Recipe to Market and ongoing business advising have been critical pillars in the creation of my business. Without it, I most likely wouldn’t be in business. I probably wouldn’t have even known where to start.” Josh Fegles, Jude’s Foods
“In the end, the program really paid for itself because it saved us money in mistakes that we would’ve made.” Junea Rocha, Brazi Bites
There are three requirements: you have a completed recipe, you have not had retail sales, and you have a guided interview before enrolling in the program. Contact the SBDC at sbdc@pcc.edu [opens in new window] for more information about this program.
You must complete a guided interview to ensure you are a good fit for the program prior to registering. Contact the SBDC at sbdc@pcc.edu [opens in new window] for more information about this program.
Oregon Small Business Development Centers are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and by the Oregon Business Development Department.
