The Food Business Podcast

On this episode my guest is the founder of an iconic Des Moines food business, Dereck Lewis. He shares his story of making cookies from his grandma's recipe and starting from scratch at farmers markets to now distributing ice cream sandwiches in the biggest grocery stores throughout the midwest and growing. Interestingly, part of Thelma's success is the packaging their cookies come in which resembles an old-time-y oven. Which goes to show how powerful good branding and design can be. If you're needing help with your own packaging then reach out to adam@aviditycreative.com to discuss details. http://www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

If you're wanting to start a coffee roasting company then this episode is for you. Seth Chapman, roastmaster for Water Street Coffee shares his experience and advice for finding foreign growers and what to expect from visiting them. Lots of great information in this episode. If you're starting your own roastery I'd love to help develop your brand to get you started on the right path. email adam@aviditycreative.com or visit aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

In this episode I am joined by Haylee Korth at The Outside Scoop. We discuss how they've been able to grow and manage their brick and mortar ice cream shop as well as multiple food trucks all while making over 60 flavors of ice cream from scratch and planning a second location. Considering opening your own ice cream shop or food truck? Let Avidity take care of your branding so you can focus on what you do best.  http://www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

Curious about how to get started brewing beer at home for you and your friends? Nick Rodammer is one of the best, award-winning home brewers in Michigan. He shares his advice for learning to brew and how to perfect recipes. http://www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

It’s practically impossible to keep brewery employees from drinking beer while at work. For some it’s simply part of their job. However, when too much alcohol is consumed and judgement is altered, some employees can put your business at risk of a law suit or physical damages. Joel Van Parys from Carothers DeSante & Freudenberger shares how he advises breweries to protect their business from such situations and how to prevent them. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

Many people have resolutions for their personal lives, but how about for your business? Adam shares advice one setting and sticking to resolutions in this episode. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

In this quick tip episode Adam covers all of the things you need to be aware of as a business owner and having a logo design created. He covers what the process is like, what kind of designer or agency you should hire and what you should expect to receive. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

A crucial ingredient to brewing a good beer is to have the right hops.  What variety of hops do you use? Where are they grown? What’s the flavor profile? Pelletized or full cone? Wesley Sindt is my guest in this episode and he shares his knowledge on these topics and more from his experience working with Buck Creek Hops. http://www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

Your product's packaging and label are not only important for brand recognition, but also for informing consumers. The are many things the FDA and other regulating bodies require you to have on your packaging and in specific places. Patrick Morin from Startup Food Biz joins the podcast to discuss what those things are that you need to have on your label and packaging.  http://www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

It's not uncommon for people to view designers as artists. However, there's a lot that we have in common with chefs, brewers, roasters, etc. In this Quick Tip episode Adam tells you why Avidity specializes in working with food industry clients and why you all should see yourselves as artists. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

You've seen breweries. You've seen wineries. You've seen distilleries. But, have you seen a business which combines all of them? Joel Bierling, founder of Bier Distillery, is my guest on this episode. We cover a variety of topics surrounding opening a rare and unique business like his and what some of the advantages are. http://www.aviditycreative.com/howitworks --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

On this episode of the podcast I have a very talented guest who was recently awarded Chef of the Year by the Iowa Restaurant Association. Aaron Holt is the executive chef at RoCA in Des Moines, which was named to the top 100 list of hottest restaurants in America by Open Table. Aaron shares some great advice about opening a restaurant, attracting new customers and developing a menu. http://www.aviditycreative.com/howitworks --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

Vanessa Phillips and Tryg Siverson are the founders of Feel Good Foods which is a frozen food company providing chef inspired meals made with fresh ingredients. They've been featured in various food industry publications and even appeared on Food Network's cooking competition show Chopped. Listen close and take notes as we discuss what the transition was like from restaurant to consumer packaged good and how they established themselves in the market. http://www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

There are many different paths to opening a restaurant. My guests, Lesley and Brian Triplett started their business by making food at farmers markets before opening Dumpling Darling with a couple more stops along the way. In this episode we discuss what steps they took to reach each new level of their business on their way to opening two locations. Just starting a restaurant? You should definitely check out Avidity Creative to help design your branding. www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

Starting a business is not easy. There are a lot of hurdles along the path to success. Today’s guest is Rashaun Robinson, one of the founders of Billy Goat Ice Cream Company which makes ice cream from goats milk. We discuss how he’s managed to grow his business and what struggles they’ve come across along the way. Need a new logo? http://www.aviditycreative.com BluJaket: http://www.blujaket.com/foodbiz --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

It’s not very often someone just up and decides they want to start a brewery. Most breweries start after someone or multiple someones have been brewing small batches of beer at home for fun and for friends. On this episode I talk with Marty Coatney who is a home brewer who is taking is passion from hobby to full fledged business. http://www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

Social media can be an affective marketing tool, but it can also hurt you if not used right. In this episode Aaron Steinmann from Brewhaus Media and Adam Feller from Avidity Creative share how you create a personality and a voice in your social media messaging in order to appear authentic and reach YOUR audience. http://www.aviditycreative.com/howitworks --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

Your target audience is a navigation tool for your marketing and brand strategy. It's how you make your business grow in a predictable way. In this episode Adam gives 3 ways to define your target audience and why it's important that you know who to target.  http://www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

Starting one restaurant is difficult. Growing it to a scalable franchise is a whole other challenge. CEO, Mike Mohammad, and Founder, Randy Wyner, of Chronic Tacos join the show to talk about what steps they took to grow from a few locations to over 60 in a short period of time. Things like systems and processes, culture and branding are a few of the topics we cover. http://www.blujaket.com/foodbiz http://www.aviditycreative.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message

Be sure to have your legal bases covered to protect your business. Chris Proskey is a guest with a ton of experience in intellectual property. We discuss things to be aware of as you're starting your business and what you're entitled to as you start to build your brand. Gain an understanding of the differences of Copyrights vs. Trademarks and Registered Trademarks and when you need and don't need each of them. http://www.blujaket.com/foodbiz http://www.aviditycreative.com/howitworks --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodbusinesspodcast/message