Hi! Some of you are new
2-min read
This newsletter has grown and I’m blown away. Many of you are new, so I thought I’d introduce myself and explain what The Business of Food is all about.
What it’s all about
Because I am in contact with a lot of business owners, founders, farmers, executives, service providers, and investors I’m always learning what is working and not working in the food industry, and this is the place where I share.
"I’M SORRY I COULD NOT HAVE WRITTEN A SHORTER LETTER, BUT I DIDN’T HAVE THE TIME" —ABRAHAM LINCOLN
The greatest compliment I get on this newsletter is that it is concise and informative. Your time is valuable so I take the time to keep it short.
About Me
I’m a recovering CPG founder turned advisor and consultant. I live in California’s Central Valley where the farmers are. I got started in this industry when I was making almond butter at home and trading it for services like kids’ tennis lessons and pool maintenance instead of paying cash. Product built up in my garage so I got into one local store and then 3 and then across the nation. I got really close to agriculture, as my first partners in Barney Butter were farmers. I got my Big Food experience when one of my mentors brought me on to run innovation at a category leading frozen food company. I learned classical marketing methodologies there. It was great experience. I now advise founders and leadership teams in early stage food businesses as well as consult agribusiness on new value-added markets including entering CPG. I’m curious about consumer driven demand that shapes product innovation, food production, and ultimately farming.
As a former founder I have deep empathy for those building a startup. I understand the personal risk/reward realities, and what drives the entrepreneurial spirit. I help leaders stay focused and sane while striving every day for efficiencies and smarter, less risky ways to advance. In my advisory, practical services include go-to-market strategies, marketing plans, growth hypothesis, investor preparation and pitching. I provide guidance on what’s best for you – like what to do yourself vs outsource – and I help make those resource introductions.
If you are new here, welcome. If you’ve been here for a while I’d love to know what you’d like to read about — so hit reply.
All my best,
Jennifer
WHAT I’M READING
Food Fix, a new publication about food policy in Washington and beyond.
I am an avid reader of Food Fix, from award-winning reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich, who’s covered food policy for more than a decade. It’s my go-to source for food policy news and analysis, for insiders and consumers alike. SIGN UP HERE
Prime Future is about solving big problems in the animal protein value chain.
But way more than that. It’s a no-nonsense lens on value creation no matter what your vertical. By Janette Barnard, on the Merck Animal Health Ventures team that invests in early stage technology companies creating value for livestock producers. SIGN UP HERE
I get a different perspective on U.S. food news from this global data provider. Great writing and takes I’m not reading anywhere else. SIGN UP HERE