Bringing your food product to market is not an easy business, but it can be done with the right help. The following are the six basic steps you’ll need to take to bring any type of food product to the consumer.
1. Work With a Food Business Consultant
A food business consultant will help to ensure that you are can source the highest quality ingredients at the best possible price. For a food product business, the ingredients are the most important part of the product. If the ingredients aren’t high quality, the entire product suffers. Food ingredient brokers also ensure that the supply chain is unbroken so that you can be assured of a steady supply of quality ingredients to fulfill your purchase orders.
2. Get to Know Your Target Customer
You’ll want to spend some time getting to understand your target customer so you can market to them effectively. Among the things you want to learn are:
Where do they hang out online? (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, forums, etc.)
How will they use your product? (everyday use, celebrations, etc.)
If you plan on selling to retailers or wholesalers, you’ll want to know things like
how will your food product be displayed? (end cap, register counter, etc). The more you know about the person or entity that will be buying your food product, the better you can focus your marketing efforts.
3. Hone Your Packaging
Attention to packaging is important for any product but in particular with food products. Food product packaging decisions need to take into account appetizing appeal in addition to package attractiveness. Large corporations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on packaging testing alone. This is an area where the services of a food business consultant will be invaluable. The food business consultant will advise you on details about food packaging that you probably hadn’t even considered before.
4. Adhere to Government Food Product Regulations
Whether you’re manufacturing and selling your food products in the U.S. or Canada, you’ll need to comply with food product regulations such as those set forth by the FDA in the U.S. These regulations include things like weights and measures, product labeling and even the verbiage that you use on your labels. You’ll want to either make sure you understand these yourself or hire a food business consultant to help ensure your business is in full compliance.
5. Implement Marketing Strategies
Once your ingredient supplies are sorted, you understand your customer and you’ve decided upon your packaging, you’ll need to implement your marketing strategies. This may include attending marketing events such as trade shows. For this, you’ll appreciate the support of food business consultants, who can help you navigate marketing events for the first time or even accompany you to the event.
6. Stick to Your Branding
Your company branding sends out important messages to your target customer. No matter what you’re doing, you want to stick to your branding with everything from the way you communicate with buyers to the packaging to the delivery. Again, your food business consultant can help to show you the ropes and ensure that your branding is consistent across all areas of your company.
As you can see, there are several important steps to take to bring your food product to market. Enlisting the services of a food ingredient consultant and a food business consultant will prove invaluable to the success of your food product business at every step along the way!
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