Lessons learnt about a Food Biz. Why does it seem to be so challenging to get a food business going. I’m sharing my lessons.
To me everything should just flow – everything goes smoothly..do you know what I mean? I took the summer off, just to re-think the direction of where Sedona Pies should be heading to. (2012) I spent a year just doing marketing, product development and research. What I found is that:
- People are willing to pay for a healthy, gourmet pie, they prefer something organic as possible
- Pies are, are coming back. People are missing the memories of what their mom or Grandma made.
- I was told pies is a cut-throat business because bakery items if you want to go in a BIG scale the shelf life needs to be 90 days. I was just a little shocked at this. That’s why there are so many chemicals and preservatives in pies and in general our food as well.
- To make the kind of pies I want to make, provide and the markets that I want to serve, there needs to be a large population base
- People miss pies..
- Boot strapping Sedona Pies has been interesting and challenging, yet fun
- The 5 minute bite is really important
- Using Social Media has been a wonderful experience to reach other to the people who can help me , to find the audience, to get people excited about how different and unique Sedona Pies are.
- Working and listening to experts in the field and paying attention to my own intuition, this has told me what is true for me
- Just because someone told me that I didn’t have a product, was because I don’t want to go into a mass produced product. Because I would have to add all the preservatives and chemicals.
- The regulatory agencies are very short-sighted and really don’t support small companies or products like myself. There are very many small producers that could really make a difference in having healthy foods to serve and make a living for themselves) Yes, we all want to be legal – the fees to sell and be in business are just too steep.
- There are many wonderful associations, people, farmer to chef groups, who are available for resources and help
- Boot Strapping this business financially has been difficult.
- What is the best pie baking dish to use that is eco-friendly – glass, food grade tins, foil?
- Pooling resources together with people in similar situations – to get a incubator, community kitchen together, what is needed to make this happen. It’s expensive on your own.
- Restaurants do not want to rent out their kitchens when they are not using them, I haven’t found one any way
- Many more things, that I have discovered that haven’t been listed..
- A Commercial kitchen to rent in Phoenix, I would also need to move there, was $1,400 to $2,000 per month PT.
- Permit fees and License fees
- Misc stuff like Nutrition labels, packaging
I was still working on getting Sedona Pies re-launched, a local kitchen is what I needed to be in business commercially.
In 2016, I relaunched Sedona Pies in CA. What I learned in my earlier days I’ve kept some ideas and let go ot others. Even after all these years some things haven’t changed.
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