From Kitchen to Market: Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty this question feed

asked by bethness on November 20, 2006 12:43 PM
Grab a slice of the $39 billion specialty food pie with this updated, ultimate resource for gourmet food entrepreneurs. The specialty food industry is THE proven vehicle for entry-level food distribution in the United States. Retail sales of specialty foods averaging an annual growth rate of more than 7 percent presents, to some, a great opportunity—to others, a formidable challenge. Your ability to make your mark in the industry, establish your independence, achieve success, and acquire wealth depends on how effectively you prepare, according to Stephen Hall, a long-recognized specialty food marketing professional. In From Kitchen to Market: Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty, Hall outlines every food marketing opportunity and then supports entrepreneurial action with detailed guidance. Whether you own your own business or you are thinking about starting one, From Kitchen to Market will show you how to: •Identify a winning product and its most appropriate markets. •Get your product ready to market. •Advertise, promote, and sell your product. •Create your own success niche. •Professionalize your business. Also included is updated information about the role of the Internet, health and organic food markets, the latest government regulations and technological advances, and contact information for dozens of valuable resources.


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The gourmet food industry is perfect for entry-level food distribution in this country: it lends to testing new products, it doesn't require large start-up investment, and it's a fast-growing industry. To enter, consult Food Marketing International president Stephen F. Hall's latest 4th edition of From Kitchen To Market: Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty: it outlines and analyzes all kinds of food marketing opportunities for small cottage industries new to the business, discussing everything from building a product's concept using trade shows, brokers, and more. A 'must' for any newcomer cook who would market a product.
reviewed by maxwell on November 25, 2006 12:18 AM

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Having owned a specialty food store, and having developed a unique food product that distributors were interested in marketing through convenience and other specialty food stores (including McDonald's Express) I can attest to the accuracy of most of this book.

If you are already producing a great tasting product in a restaurant or Deli and making a living, you probably are wise to concentrate on expanding your retail business. If, however, you are tiring of the daily grind of running a small retail business, but wish to concentrate on producing your product rather than serving it to the public, then you probably have considered wholesaling.

Your wholesaling options are numerous. For marketing through supermarkets I advise you to thoroughly read Packaged Facts book, How To Get Your Product Into Supermarkets.

First, though, you should try marketing through more specialized channels. Health Food Stores, C-stores and nearby deli's and local grocery stores. In such cases you will absolutely need this book and will find it saves you serious bucks and a lot of questions posed to distributors, health officials and your suppliers. I know, because I spent months researching the options and not finding half the information that this book so succinctly provides.

Note: I had so little success finding the information that I chose to team up with a businessman and I became vice president of Billy Bob's Pot Pies in Canby, Oregon. The ill-fated franchise attempt resulted in me returning to work in the Middle East so I could save enough bucks to start producing my meat pies for specialty markets....

reviewed by glenn11 on November 26, 2006 11:04 AM

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This is well done, by one who has spent the time and provided his knowledge to prospective entrees into this market.

The material is up-to-date, with great stuff on Web Page Development, etc. I found his advice on channel management, i.e. where to sell, on finding distributors to be very useful.

All pertinent areas are covered, packaging to promotion to positioning. This is fine overview of the biz from a pro who has been down the paths and knows what it takes, then communicates it in an understandable, digestible and attractive manner.

reviewed by axelrose on November 29, 2006 9:43 AM

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I use From Kitchen to Market as the text for the weekend class that I teach through University of California Davis Extension, Getting Started in the Specialty Food Business. Hall's book is excellent; it is practical, not obtuse. He gets to the nitty-gritty of how to develop and launch a product. He also emphasizes the need to be market-oriented. You won't be guaranteed success just because you make a great tasting product; Hall discusses how you need to package,market and distribute your product effectively.
reviewed by redsink on November 29, 2006 2:23 PM

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After reading dozens of obtuse marketing studies on the speciality food business, I came across this book. What a delight! All the basic information an entrepenuer needs in one place. The author generously shares practical, authorative advice and guidance through very clear writing and diagrams. It's to-the-point and easy-to-read. The book is also well-organized, has a nice clean layout, and has great resource listings in back of book. Too good to be true? So far, it's been very helpful to me! Highly Recommended.
reviewed by bigwinner on November 29, 2006 3:20 PM

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