These articles are written resources that provide insights into building and funding profitable food, beverage and value-added farm businesses. They include editions of our free Edible-Alpha® Insights newsletter, Edible-Alpha’s® twice monthly roundup of the best food and beverage finance news, events and resources from Edible-Alpha® and around the web. These emails will be coming to you as “Edible-Alpha® Insights” from info@edible-alpha.org every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. These are currently all free. Learn more about our Premium Subscription to unlock everything Edible-Alpha® has to offer.
Article
All Organizations – Food Pantries Included – Can Innovate On Their Business Model
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
The business model is the sum of all the things that ensures the organization sustainably makes money and delivers on its core products, services and mission. What many food entrepreneurs don't often realize is that innovation comes not just in the form of new products or services, but also in their business model.
Article about Business Models for businesses that are Pre-Venture | Startups
Market Research Might Disprove Your Assumptions
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
Sometimes certain products or certain classes of products make more sense in certain markets than others. For example, heavy or perishable food items make less sense to sell online due to the shipping costs and logistics involved. But unconventional markets could make sense if location or customer data suggests it is a good idea.
Article about Sales and Marketing for businesses that are Pre-Venture | Startups
Consider That Unconventional Market
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
Sometimes certain products or certain classes of products make more sense in certain markets than others. For example, heavy or perishable food items make less sense to sell online due to the shipping costs and logistics involved. But unconventional markets could make sense if location or customer data suggests it is a good idea.
Article about Sales and Marketing for businesses that are Pre-Venture | Startups
Your Food Business Needs Multiple Strategies
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
Good strategies are ones that reflect current relationships with customers/partners and current market realities, and thus, can shift as those things shift. Without a well-documented strategy, even well-meaning food entrepreneurs can get distracted or fail to execute on their business’ core needs and goals.
Article about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
Why Financial Technical Assistance Is Key To Food Entrepreneurs’ Success
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
Access to high quality financial technical assistance is the biggest gap in accelerating the growth and success of more good food and beverage companies. Companies can transform, grow and thrive when they have access to this kind of assistance and when the founders surround themselves with the right people, including technical assistance providers.
Article about Raising Capital for businesses that are Pre-Venture | Startups
Food Entrepreneurs: Investor Due Diligence is Good For You
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
Because food businesses tend to grow in a stairstep function rather than incrementally, most food businesses need to raise outside funding to be viable and profitable. Investor due diligence can help entrepreneurs to mature their businesses into viable enterprises because the process forces them to get clear and articulate about how they make money.
Article about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
Your Food Business’ Capital Needs Change Over Time
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
Getting proper financing for growing food businesses is one of the most challenging obstacles food business owners face, due in large part to the high bar for fundraising and financial communication when growing a food business. And, there are often many sources of capital that need to be brought together to adequately fund the growth of these food businesses.
Article about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
Your Food Business Has A Life Of Its Own
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
What started as one person's idea or passion quickly turns into a complex branded relationship with a customer supported by complex manufacturing processes and multiple sales, marketing and other staff to support the business growth. While businesses go through "growth spurts", the life of a business that is built to last is a marathon, not a sprint.
Article about Operations for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
Your Relationships With Your Customers Are Your Food Business’ Biggest Asset
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
In a marketplace with rapidly changing food preferences, restrictions, diets and ethical concerns around food production, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to deliver a product that solves enough problems for the right customers while building a strong relationship with them.
Article about Sales and Marketing for businesses that are Pre-Venture | Startups
Great Food Entrepreneurs Are Always Learning
10 minute Free read by Edible-Alpha®
The best entrepreneurs are getting constant feedback from their customers, reaching out to potential mentors for advice and attending industry events and tradeshows to network with and learn from their peers and industry veterans. This learning can lead entrepreneurs to radically change directions in their business model, product or packaging.
Article about Operations for businesses that are Pre-Venture | Startups
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