Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

As we continue learning of the rich food industry in Colorado, our Meaningful Marketplace hosts are again joined by Mike Gabel of CSU Spur's Food Innovation Center, https://agsci.colostate.edu/spur/food-innovation-center/. Our guest today started to change her relationship with food after her children were born. That's when Farnosh Family, owner of Sun Ghee, decided on her health journey. Farnosh started with many diets eliminating gluten, then soy, dairy and other top allergens. Nothing seemed to help until she zeroed in on non- or minimal-processed foods and a large part of that regimen was cooking with ghee, which is the oil of butter, often referred to as clarified butter. It's the best part of butter, can be used to cook, sauté or roast any food and is lactose free. It is the most nutrient rich part of the dairy food. Farnosh began experimenting infusing the ghee with spices and herbs and found not only a tasty new food, but a healthy new food as well. The entrepreneur in Farnosh spurred her to think about selling her ghee in boutique shops around her town but quickly found out you don't do that with food, it is a much more regulated business. Farnosh didn't really want to go the retail route with all its rules, so she chose to begin sales direct to consumers under the umbrella of the cottage food laws in Colorado. In a story we have told many times on this show, it was farmers markets where Farnosh enjoyed her first successes and her first consumer feedback. That easing into the business turned out to be pure gold for Farnosh, as she gained not only tremendous acceptance of her product, but found out what consumers wanted from her ghee, what questions they had and set her up to ramp up production and grow her product line. Farnosh used the feedback in her packaging design, her labeling and what she would say on the package. This early knowledge was instrumental in moving her business into the retail level, where she is now in full swing. The farmers market experience was about a year in the making when Farnosh moved into a commercial kitchen space to ramp up production and sell through retail channels. After about three years of growing, she has partnered with CSU and that relationship has been the catalyst for scaling her business in both retail and wholesale channels. That fortunate partnership happened because Farnosh attended a CSU food event. As she was starting to leave, our host Mike Gabel invited everyone for a tour of the commercial kitchen facilities. After viewing the equipment, Farnosh realized it was everything she needed and wanted for her dream and the bond was set. Farnosh has recently worked a distribution agreement for sales in Texas, so her footprint is growing rapidly. Living in Denver also makes it easy for Farnosh to pop in on the CSU campus kitchen when needed. Farnosh's ghee highlights unique flavors such as sage and rosemary along with cardamom and ashwagandha. These flavors help enhance users' breakfast, appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Listeners discount code: Meaningful. View products on their website at https://www.sungheekitchen.com/ Follow them on IG: @sungheekitchen Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall. Mike Gabel: Michael.Gabel@colostate.edu

This episode starts our tour of Colorado foodpreneurs and our guide is Mike Gabel of Colorado State University. Mike runs the Food Innovation Center at the Spur campus, a brand new campus located in downtown Denver. The vision began ten years ago with the idea of creating a campus that would be open to aspiring college students – K through 12th grade – to come and observe a day in the life of a veterinarian, a food scientist or a water conservationist. The three big areas of the campus are food and agriculture, human and animal health and water conservation. The buildings are open to the public and all programs are behind glass so the touring groups get a true behind-the-scenes look at each profession. This was an opportunity for Mike to create a Food Innovation Center closely based on Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center, directed by our host Sarah Masoni. The Spur's FIC contains a commercial kitchen that serves as programming for the public, nutrition classes, events such as chef events, research and development and of course, product development for the foodpreneurs. Also, there are smaller labs; a meat lab and a dairy lab. Sarah Masoni has visited the CSU Spur campus and was incredibly impressed being able to watch veterinary operations in the animal science building and watching people learn to rice horses. Sarah was equally impressed with the architecture of the buildings, especially the water building. There is an historical link; the campus is positioned close to the Denver Stockyards where for a century people have come to buy and sell cattle and the stock show still is in existence. There are around 800,000 people attending this show and provide a perfect audience for Spur exposure to what food technology is being created in Colorado. Saying they “stole the idea from Oregon State”, Mike explains how the FIC utilizes expo events similar to OSU's FIC events to network with makers to extol the virtues of the FIC and tout the impressive list of equipment, mentors, scientists and connections they provide to help the entrepreneur be successful with their dream. Their last expo showcased 19 different makers and different brands that could be sampled and special times set aside for distributors and buyers to mix and mingle. One of the more fascinating future foodpreneurs is McKay, an eleven (or twelve?) year old maker who is learning to balance school life while scaling a product she has been working on for the last couple of years. Launching an official partnership with Naturally Boulder, https://www.naturallyboulder.org/, has been a boon to pushing Spur's mission. Naturally Boulder is an organization with a mission to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, brands, retailers and industry experts to make Colorado the best place to launch and scale natural products. This mutual networking and the ability to offer Spur's huge vault of technical resources to NB's expertise in regulation knowledge has paid great dividends. Spur's campus is as open to the public as possible, and keycard access for the 24-hour entrepreneurs is part of that open policy. Many of the programs are bi-lingual, a reflection of the Spanish-speaking population of the area. And you can't discuss Colorado's famous foods without acknowledging it's number one well-know product. Host Sarah Marshall did the research to discover it's Rocky Mountain Oysters. For the uninitiated, tune in to the interview and find out the answer to this paradox. You can contact Mike at Michael.Gabel@colostate.edu. Find out more about CSU's Spur campus at https://csuspur.org/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

As we close the chapter on Wyoming foodpreneurs for this year, we end with an interview with Melissa Hemken of Central Wyoming College, who has been co-hosting this series. In addition to all she coordinates with Central, Melissa is founder of her own company, Melissahof Hatchery, a chick-raising farm that delivers healthy day-old chicks to local poultry farmers. “Hof” means “farm” in German. Living near Lander, Wyoming, Melissa discovered that rural expansiveness hindered the mail shipment of healthy day-old chicks. Recognizing that other Wyoming folks also need healthy chicks for their flocks, Melissa raises dual-purpose heavy breed poultry from which to hatch purebred chicks. When eggs are hatched into chicks, there is a 50/50 gender split. Most customers purchase the female chicks – called pullets, as they are looking to raise egg-layers. Melissa raises the rooster chicks, nicknamed the “McNuggets,” on pasture for the farmers who raise chicken for their meat. Now to our interview today, Britni Haar of Cloud Peak Cultures, a local kombucha clan of kid-friendly home brewers who are working their kitchen magic, conjuring another batch of fermented tea. Founded by Britni and Kandi Broersma, they are at the forefront of Sheridan, Wyoming's burgeoning kombucha culture as Sheridan's first commercial kombucha venture. Britni's journey began in 2015 when her family took a trip to China to visit friends. One of the friends had been taught to brew kombucha and shared it with Britni, who loved the beverage. It got her thinking she also could be brewing kombucha and when she got back to the US she started her research. Britni made the decision to buy the starter culture, called scoby, from a fellow kombucha brewer, rather than try to grow her own. She began brewing and the story is a familiar one: Britni gave some to friends who told her she could sell her brew. Then Kandi came on board to help with the business and in 2018 they started selling at the Sheridan farmers market with great success. That propelled them into selling at the local greenhouse farmers market, a year-round market. The business grew but life has its road bumps; Kandi had a baby, started home schooling and the business was too much for her to continue so Britni has been solo since. But that hasn't stopped her from expanding. Springboarding off her fermenting expertise, she has developed a line of fermented jalapenos used in the dip Britni also sells. Of course, Britni has expanded the kombucha flavors by blending different ingredients, huckleberry-lemonade being her favorite. Flavored drinks are made by letting the kombucha blend sit for about a week. Then the fruit juices are added and the brew sits for another three or four days. It self-carbonites then it is refrigerated. Alcohol content is not a fine science in the kombucha industry and Britni's brews are pretty much in line with other kombucha drinks. However, Britni does say her kombuchas are more mild and less tart than most commercial kombuchas. As for the future, Cloud Peak Cultures is covered under Wyoming cottage laws so she can sell her beverage without the heavy regulation. But if she wants to grow, that will be a game time decision. At present, Clout Peak Cultures is not her full time occupation, so she is contemplating her next move. Find her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cloudpeakcultures/. Melissa: mhemken@cwc.edu https://www.cwc.edu/agri-business/ Melissahof: https://melissahof.com/about/Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

It was Swiss relatives, the Woofley side of the Jon Shumway's family, settling in the Star Valley of Wyoming in the early 1900s that inspired the original farming success that is now Shumway Farms. Then Jon Shumway's Great Grandfather, the Shumway side, merged with the Woofley's, who were dairy farmers and he was responsible for the big push to expand the farm. Now Jon is the founder of Shumway Farms, a family farm raising grass fed cattle, pigs and sheep and producing their harvested products. Those products are raw milk, flavored raw milk, raw cream, ice cream, yogurt, beef, pork, and free-range eggs. As Jon puts it, they are quite possibly the last organic dairy selling to the public in the area. That's because agricultural land in the traditionally cheese-making valley is fast disappearing. Being at the base of Jackson Hole, Wyoming has made the beautiful valley “discovered” by the public and development is taking place even as our interview is being conducted. The majority of the product line is from milk and the company recently became a licensed facility. The operation has an on-farm lab which is an important part of the food safety program. They test every batch of milk after bottling to make sure it's safe before being distributed to customers. Cows are milked in what is known as a harringbone style milking parlor. They can fit 12 cows in the barn at one time (6 on each side). While one side is being milked the other side is being prepped for milking. One of the more popular items is their yogurt, which has an interesting story. Jon's brother came back from a trip east having discovered skyr, and Icelandic cream product similar to yogurt. It's a full-cream, strained yogurt and is mixed with pure maple syrup. At first, people didn't buy the product as skyr was not a household name and sales were thin. So the company started calling it yogurt and sales did increase. However, there were loyal customers who asked “Where's the Skyr?” even though the product was exactly the same, only under a different name. On their website, you'll see there is still skyr available. With all their dairy products, whey is a big byproduct. What to do with it? Currently, it is tossed out. The company is so busy keeping up with demand that turning it into cheese is out of their bandwidth. On top of that, their whey is a sour whey, not the usual sweet whey, so it doesn't even work for pig food, as the pigs won't eat it. At some point, however, the family will add the machinery to process the whey and keep with their philosophy of responsible farming. On a side note, when informed by Sarah Masoni that one of Meaningful Market Place's earlier guests turned their whey into vodka, it definitely caught Jon's attention. The family loves to welcome all kinds of groups to the farm for visits and personalized tours. They regularly host school field trips, large family groups, professional organizations, and others to carry the banner for responsible, organic farming and its products. Or as their website says, more than organic. Customers in the local area can find Shumway Farms products in select grocery stores which can be found on the company website: https://www.shumwayfarms.com/. You also can order from their website, as the company has partnered with Beck Ranch to handle their shipping, including their ice cream! Follow them on: IG: @shumwayfarmswyo FB: shumwayfarms. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

“It's hard to find a good tasting salsa that doesn't look like spaghetti sauce”, says Richard Rhoades, founder of Red Pony Salsa, Clearmont, Wyoming, our guest today. Roughly 30 years ago, Richard planted around 30 different types of peppers in his garden, the impetus of creating a great salsa. Adding to his tomato crop, Richard experimented with other sauces and whatever exotic spice or vegetable that was on hand. However, moving to a commercial salsa meant he needed to focus on the ingredients that were accessible and in quantity. Jalapeno peppers and serrano peppers were abundant and Richard liked the flavors, so he spent about five years playing with the recipes until he got to a salsa to his liking. Richard then shared his concoction with friends and one in particular was Craig Johnson. Craig is the author of the novel, Longmire, which was turned into a Netflix series. Craig urged Richard to begin selling commercially and that was the start of the business. How those two met is a story in itself. Richard has always been an avid hunter, which had brought him to Wyoming at the age of 17. From there he had opened a Taxidermy studio in 1980, and also began outfitting hunters from the mountains to the open prairies. His personal hunts have taken him to Europe, Africa, Canada, Alaska, Mexico, and several US states. Craig had initially visited Richard as a customer of Richard's taxidermy and outfitting shop and their friendship began. It was in 2015 that Richard began to produce the salsa on a commercial scale. Richard had gotten his label with ingredients certified by Colorado State University and had things lined up. Right away, the product line grew. To avoid the spaghetti sauce look and keep the salsa thick, Richard drained the salsa of excess liquid. But he found the juice was so good he couldn't throw it away. At that point, the makings for a Bloody Mary Mix was created. So at this point, Richard had everything nailed down for the salsa and mix, ready to produce and bottle. Everything except a name. Then one night, after much debate, and many Rainier and scotches, Craig's wife Judy, suggested he use the Red Pony name, from Craig's books, and the company was set to launch. Originally, Richard made all the salsa but of course, ramping up volume meant larger facilities. He began with a co-packer in Denver who became too expensive. He then moved to one in California who was great but Richard's company was too small for them to work with. He's now talking to two others, one in California and one in Florida in order to have one on each coast. Such is the life of a foodpreneur. Red Pony Salsa is available in many stores in Wyoming and starting to branch into other states. Red Pony Salsa has three flavors, mild, medium and hot, plus the Red Pony Bloody Mary Mix is all available online at: https://www.redponysalsa.com/. Follow Richard on FB: Red Pony Salsa

"It's snowing in Wyoming so according to Melissa Hemken, that means springtime. The latest business news from Melissa is a series of statewide startup challenges for entrepreneurs and two of the four winners in her area were food businesses. Part of that strong Wyoming food business culture is our guest today, Ian McGregor, co-founder of Farmstead Cider. Are they the one and only Wyoming hard cider company? Ian says they are definitely the loudest and possibly the only one. He also hopes there will be more as it is good to have a community with common interests and a place to share best practices. The impetus for the company is not the usual story. Ian and co-founder Orion Bellorado sold pies at farmers markets in the summer just for fun. Then Ian spent time in the Napa Valley, California working in the wine industry before returning to Wyoming. Since he and Orion enjoyed working together, they started brainstorming ideas. Wine making was not practical, as grapes wouldn't survive the Wyoming climate. They never considered apples as the only ones they had ever noticed were the small crab apples. Then the light dawned on Ian as he noticed – for the first time – the abundance of apple trees in Jackson Hole. Once they decided on cider as a business and since the trees were planted by homesteaders, Farmstead Cider became the name. Then they randomly had a dinner party where a bear biologist was a guest. When questioned by the biologist about their business and how they were harvesting apples, Ian and Orion were told there was a problem in the area: Bears getting into the many apple trees of the residents. The biologist went on to say there was a wildlife budget to address the problem, and if Ian and Orion could use the money to harvest more apples, the bear predicament could be alleviated. Seeing their business could remove the living space conflict between people and bears while creating a valuable business as well, the company took off with their memorable moto: Save Bears. Drink Cider. On their website, anyone in their local area can add their apple trees to their map and give permission for the company to enter their property and harvest their apples, removing the enticing draw for the local bear community. Ian's time in the wine industry was invaluable, as they discovered tannins and other properties of the crab apples that created delicious and unique tastes. The apple's properties come from the ancient glacial soils, extreme sun, and cool nights all combine to make Wyoming a fantastic place to grow, harvest, and taste unique cider apple varieties including the high-tannin crab apples. Having rediscovered forgotten 150+ year old apple trees and planting new orchards, the founders are teaching people about high altitude farming along the way. Ian and Orion also take a small batch approach to cider-making. Wild fermenting slowly at cold temperatures and allowing the ciders to age in oak barrels mellows out the high acidity and tannins of crab apples. The result is a hard cider that's smooth, dry, and full of flavor. Farmstead Cider is also the first commercial cidery in Wyoming in over 100 years. Ian's time in the wine industry also shows through in the labeling of the hard ciders. Their bottles and labels mirror upscale wine bottles and the company has enjoyed winning awards with some of their varieties. You can join one of their clubs. Farmstead Cider Clubs offer a range of special releases and classic ciders. Cider shipments are automatically sent at a discount, four times per year: February, May, August, and November. Each shipment features two to four cider selections chosen by our cider makers, with the rest chose by the member. You also can shop at their store the next time you're in Jackson Hole, or order online at their website: https://farmsteadwyo.com/, they ship to all 50 states. Follow them on IG: @farmsteadcider. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall."

Before starting the interview, some great news from our Wyoming host, Melissa Hemken. The Wyoming Business Council in conjunction with USDA's Mountain Regional Business Center has created an online directory of Wyoming food and drink. More great resources from RFBC. Today's guests from the southern part of Wyoming are Lindsey Washkoviak and Ben Elzay, founders of Medicine Bow Creamery at Brush Creek Ranch. It's a big name of a big operation. It began 12 years ago when Lindsey and Ben fell in love over food. Lindsey is a Wisconsin native, so cheese is part of her heritage. Ben is a Wyoming native and hunting, fishing, gardening and the processing of food is his background, so their union was destiny. A year after meeting, they began making goat cheese leasing part of a friend's farm to feed and milk their goats. But when the Wyoming Food Freedom Act passed and they could make value-added products in their unlicensed kitchen, they started Slow Goat Farm. Volume grew to the point in 2017 they needed to grow past their own home. Then in 2019, Brush Creek Ranch contacted them because the Ranch had put in an infrastructure to have a food-to-table program, including craft goat cheeses. The Ranch initially wanted Slow Goat Farm to supply them milk, but Slow Goat could not legally sell them milk, so the conversation turned to cheese and creamery production. Brush Creek wanted to start such a program and since Lindsey and Ben already had the business dialed in, it was a natural to have the couple start up the business inside Brush Creek. The timing was excellent as the couple helped finish the design of the creamery and cheese facilities then fell right into production. COVID lockdown slowed things temporarily but the license came through in 2021 for their new company, Medicine Bow Creamery at Brush Creek Ranch. Every business has startup pangs and Medicine Bow has had theirs. When cheese ages, it needs a specific level of heat and humidity. Wyoming is a dry climate and the first batches of goat cheese did not turn out as planned. However, the company has enjoyed strong sales with feta being a big favorite. Interestingly, Brush Creek Ranch is the biggest client, buying all the yogurt that is produced and much of the other production as well. But as Medicine Bow Creamery ramps up production, the couple is confident they will be reaching markets will outside of the Ranch. The couple is excited about all the varieties of cheese they are making as they experiment to find the cheeses that will be most popular when they are able to expand their marketplace. And the chefs at Brush Creek are terrific sounding boards. A quick look at the Brush Creek Ranch: Going back to its founding in 1884, the ranch has stayed alive by evolving into a luxury resort that has upheld its past and western ranch heritage. The spirit of recreation, adventure, and good times shared together prevails, from famous barn and campfire cookouts to cattle drives and fishing on the renowned Brush Creek. This authentic heritage is visibly apparent and despite a plethora of modern amenities, Brush Creek Ranch is still a true working cattle ranch. Lindsey and Ben keep those standards high with their herd of Alpine, Nubian, and Mini Nigerian goats. Guests can meet and learn how the milking process works from the Dairy Managers, play with the kids, shepherd the herd through a relaxing pasture walk, and get a behind the scenes tour of the goat operation. Their award-winning creamery masterfully instills complex flavors into a variety of cheeses, blending old-world and old-west traditions. Their fresh and lightly aged cheeses lack a strong “goaty” flavor due to special diets and gentle milk handling practices. Visit the website at: https://www.brushcreekranch.com/the-farm/medicine-bow-creamery. Follow them on: Instagram andFacebook: Slow Goat Farm Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

It's the middle of calving season for ranchers, and if you don't know what that means, you're not alone. Tyler and Angela McCann fifth generation ranchers and owners of Wyoming Cowboy Cuts can tell you. It's when the cows are giving birth to their baby calves and as Tyler says, averages about three a day. That's intense work and Tyler admits he's rather tired as he gives his interview. Calves are born and raised on the undulating sagebrush steppe of the family's Hancock Ranch and when weaned from their mother cows, travel 72 miles to Tyler and Angela McCann's farm. There, the beef cattle reside in irrigated pastures, and, in addition to their grass diet, eat a corn, oat and barley grain supplement. The McCanns' daughters, the family ranch's sixth generation, often pet the beef cattle at their twice daily grain feedings.Here's the family story on how all this came about. Angela's grandfather and grandmother purchased the ranchlands where, today, the McCanns' cattle graze. When Angela's grandparents married, her grandfather owned a saddle and bedroll, and her grandmother had a few cooking pots and a sewing machine. The McCanns' honor their family's hard work by furthering the ranch business's environmental and financial sustainability for the next generation — their daughters. The family is the epitome of the American Dream. Technically, the ranch is a commercial beef herd raising a mix of Red Angus, Black Angus and Hereford cattle. The idea of “finishing beef” started about 12 years ago when Tyler and Angela married. Finishing is a process of essentially fattening up the cattle with the corn and grain feed instead of selling off the cattle after only grazing them in the pasture. Deciding that they would be losing money on the grazed cattle by selling them at auction, they chose to keep and finish the cattle and found the taste after processing was incredibly good. That led to the path of selling their choice beef direct to the public and eventually added pork and lamb to the product line. Business must be good, as a look at their website shows they are sold out of almost every offering. The company will ship their products, but shipping from central Wyoming poses some challenges. Luckily, the McCann's have experienced such high sales locally that they haven't had to do much shipping. The process of landing that delicious piece of beef on someone's plate is quite an odyssey. The McCann's time their calving for the spring of the year and after the calves reach around six weeks of age, the branding activity begins. That's when the company has a solid count of future cattle and the mothers will then continue to raise their calves through the summer. In the fall, the company begins gathering the herd in the pasture, which is 56 square miles in size. The cattle are in pairs, mother and calf, so the calves need to be weaned away then sorted into steers and heifers (boys and girls for us beginners). The ranchers then select the best heifers to keep breeding then sell the majority of steers to a backgrounder, someone who will take the steers from their weight of a little over 500 pounds and put them in a yearling program, meaning keeping them in pasture another summer. The McCann's also take the cattle they keep and put them in the same program where the beef will grow to the 850-950 pound range. They are then brought to the pasture for the finishing stage, being grain fed twice a day and checked carefully for any maladies. Occasionally, the lucky ones even receive a name (check the website). The company has found that the grasses in their pastures produce a unique flavor and have been experimenting with the combination of grasses and cross-breeding to offer multiple flavors of their products. When products are available, buy online at: https://www.wyomingcowboycuts.com/. Follow them on IG: @wyomingcowboycuts, FB: @wyomingcowboycuts Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Today, we welcome a fifth generation farmer, Sara Woods of Wyoming Heritage Grains. Wyoming is great for spreading out and having lots of elbow room to be a farmer, as the population is not huge nor all that concentrated. The family came out to Wyoming in the early 1900s as homesteaders and their current farm, located in Northwest Wyoming, 70 miles east of Yellowstone, was established in 1946. They have grown just about every commodity crop that exists and also raise beef cattle and alfalfa hay. They are focused on regenerative practices and use multiple species of cover crops and mob grazing to ensure rich biodiversity, and healthy soils. As an interesting note, the land once belonged to Buffalo Bill Cody, and was used as a Country club at one point in time. Irrigation became possible from the Shoshone Water Project from 1899-1947,and the water is fed by the Yellowstone Eco-system. The family farm had started a malting company a few years ago and sold to beverage brewers quite successfully. The pandemic put a hold on that business, but the farm began milling flour as the lockdown put a huge demand on that commodity. Sara left the farm at adulthood, but after having a corporate life and kids, she desired a slower lifestyle. So Sara quit her corporate job and returned as the mill had become a thriving business. It turned out to be a very steep learning curve for Sara as producing flour is not the simple process it appears to be from the outside. The company now offers five to six different grains from their mill and their equipment has been upgraded as the company expands and becomes more efficient. Sara also has gone down the proverbial entrepreneur rabbit holes, experimenting with heirloom vegetables, varieties of animals and other commodities that in the end were not good business ventures. Sara points to our changing diet as a driver for their choices of grains. After World War II, wheat was hybridized in order to feed a growing population. That phenomenon has created a very large population of people who are now sensitive to gluten, so that has served to take wheat out of the mix of grains that can be raised and processed for Wyoming Heritage Grains. Now the older varieties of grains are more tolerable, but of course the yield per acre is smaller than the hybridized wheat, so it becomes a price/quantity/quality puzzle for Sara and the family. The big breakthrough has been finding customers who could not eat grains previously and can now eat Wyoming Heritage Grains every day. Filling that market segment of people who cannot tolerate wheat but want the “wheat experience” has been the family's success to date. For example, their White Sonora grain was originally brought to the Americas in the 1500s and has been very easy to digest for people with gluten sensitivity. And since the company makes a pancake mix out of the flour, it's a real treat for every family. Wyoming Heritage Grains also sells Einkhorn grain and flour, a grain that has stayed essentially the same for 10,000 years. The family also has experimented with red and blue corn kernels. There is some great news about cooperation amongst food producers who care about the consumer who is eating what they produce. The family communicates with other millers to coordinate what is being grown and milled to make sure consumers are supplied with all the healthy food they desire. You can find their products in farmers markets in Cody and others around Wyoming. They also are about to be stocked in Bayard Grocery stores. Be forgiving when buying online from their website, as it is being re-built and all the recipes were deleted in the process: https://www.wyomingheritagegrains.com/. Follow them on IG, FB and TikTok: wyomingheritagegrains. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

As the Meaningful Marketplace Podcast Show continues its mission connecting food entrepreneurs with resources for success, we explore the six-state Regional Food Business Center one state at a time. Having spent the first two months of this year with Oregon foodpreneurs, we begin learning from Wyoming's best by joining with co-co host Melissa Hemken from Central Wyoming College. Melissa is the community food systems specialist at the college. Her role is to support market infrastructure and sales channels, boosting food companies from their current level to their next level. Wyoming has a state law that is a big help to entrepreneurs by allowing their cottage industry to flourish. Sounding similar to the Tennessee law discussed in episode #177, entrepreneurs can sell directly from their kitchen to the end consumer without licensing or inspection. The entrepreneur also can sell on consignment through a retailer, expanding their reach far past traditional farmers market sales. Melissa's program also has put on well-attended multi-day workshops touching on all aspects of the food industry from farming to production to consumer acceptance. Today, the trio is interviewing Daniel Stewart, founder of High Country Fungus offering functional mushroom products for everyday living. They are a small, family-owned and operated business in Riverton, Wyoming and their goal is to offer the highest quality mushroom infused products plus fun merchandise. A physics major in college, Daniel was taking a botany class in 2012 at Washington State University. On an outdoor hike with a group of friends and family in Idaho one of the party came running up with their hat full of morel mushrooms, talking excitedly about all sorts of recipes and what they planned to do with them that week. Daniel had never seen a mushroom before and was fascinated. That moment was Daniel's "ah-hah!" moment and sparked his continued love and curiosity for mushrooms. Idaho was a perfect spot for mushrooms to grow and while Daniel was working in a restaurant, he began foraging for them. He joined an association, started reading books and began introducing mushrooms into the restaurant. Daniel subsequently moved to Missoula, Montana and had been thinking about starting his own company for some time. He started his first company there in 2019 supplying mushrooms and offering not only mushrooms but also the necessary products for cultivating mushrooms. Then the “roadblock” hit, as happens to all entrepreneurs. It was the beginning of the foraging season for the business. Not only did COVID begin to hit, but while out foraging, Daniel stepped in a wasps' nest, then blew out his knee running away, requiring surgery. Moment of truth: Keep moving forward to quit? For Daniel, he used the recovery time to think about his next move. The business did not survive, having missed the foraging season, so he and his family moved to central Wyoming, where his wife grew up. It was a high desert climate as opposed to the rain forest Daniel had experienced before. So naturally, he turned to indoor cultivation, which the scientist in him loved as it opened up a whole new world to explore. This was in April of 2021 and started in Daniel's garage. Daniel has been fortunate to have many mentors along the way and encourages all entrepreneurs to find and work with a mentor if possible. High Country Fungus products are USDA Certified Organic, 100% Mushroom Fruiting Body Extracts. Their mix is made of Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, Turkey Tail, Reishi and Chaga. This mix is at the core of their lifestyle and the foundation of their infusions. The High Five Mix is for all-day energy and clarity; reduced inflammation, bloating, and over all wellness. Shop their products on their website: https://highcountryfungus.com/, Follow them on IG @high_country_fungus and FB@highcountryfungus. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

In this episode, our hosts interview yet another Oregon State University, Food Innovation Center “graduate”, Iliana Maura, Founder of the company that bears her name, Iliana Maura. The company produces dairy-free products for those who wish to or need to avoid dairy. From the start of the show Iliana credits the FIC, for which Sarah Masoni is the Director, for helping refine her product to be ready for the consumer market. The journey to the FIC was a familiar story. Iliana Maura comes from a family of experienced cooks and bakers. Fresh out of college, Iliana was one of the first entrepreneurs to start a line of fruit juice-sweetened cookies. She donated part of her profits from each sale towards helping animals. Her four flavors of gourmet cookies caught on quickly, were sold throughout California and ultimately gained national distribution. Passion for a healthy lifestyle and her love of animals and natural sustainability have always been a big part of who Iliana is. It was only natural for her to explore producing dairy-free products and after experimenting with recipes, began selling in local farmers markets. Iliana Maura foods were an instant hit and Iliana not only had a line outside her booth, but sold out every single week she attended. These markets are the genesis of many successful food products and any food entrepreneur (foodpreneur) who isn't selling their products in one is urged to check out their local market. In this episode, Iliana has many survival hints for all those entering into farmers market for the first time. It was in that farmers market community she was introduced to and joined the Pacific Northwest Food and Beverage Group, a real family according to Iliana. People in the group told Iliana about the FIC and all the resources available to foodpreneurs. After an introduction to Sarah Masoni, Iliana worked with one of the food scientists and began the process of taking the recipe from kitchen to consumer sales. Iliana Maura currently offers “Divinely Dairy-Free Butter”, an incredible alternative to regular butter, and sugar-free protein bars. Iliana sells both online and currently has one local market carrying her products on the shelf. However, she is always thinking of new products to expand the line and urges the visitors to her website to sign up for her newsletter and offer recipe ideas. In fact, Iliana is launching a new and improved butter product this May, 2024. She has extended the shelf life to five months, for which she again credits the scientist team at the Food Innovation Center. Besides tasting good and a long shelf life, products need great packaging not only to get the consumer's attention, but to emote an image of satisfying taste, healthy and sustainable processing and the hands-on, caring touch of the founder. Iliana's logo mark is a stylized self-portrait and says it all for her. It is very feminine, a standout from the more generic butter and bar packaging and is a reflection of her desire to bring wholesome and healthy foods to the world. Besides the one store location and the farmers market, you can order online at https://ilianamaura.com/. Follow Iliana o Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilianamauraofficial/ . Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilianamaura/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

We interviewed Donna Parker, founder of Blondy's Baked Goods, back in March of 202l - episode 66 for all you baking enthusiasts. A quick background on Donna: Living with allergies for over a decade and always having to compromise on foods, Donna made up her mind to create and share delicious treats that cater to everyone, regardless of dietary restrictions. Her gluten allergy turned Donna into a self-taught cook and baker specializing in dairy and gluten-free baking. It's been three years since we talked with Donna in Portland, Oregon, so what's changed? For one thing, she's moved to the Nashville, Tennessee area with her son and pretty much started her business again from scratch. At first, Donna wasn't sure if she would restart Blondy's Baked Goods. In Oregon, she had placed her baked goods in some excellent grocery stores, was in 20 different coffee shops and had kept the business alive during COVID. However, Nashville was an unknown in the gluten-free food category. Donna wanted to keep her company going, but also had a parallel career in the beauty industry and she finally had to choose one. It was a lot of effort and heartache to restart and keep going, but her passion to deliver healthy, nutritious treats was the spark to keep Blondy's going. Now in her fifth year a big turning point was this January. Donna gave up her career in the beauty industry to be full time Blondy's. There have been some big challenges. In the Portland area, there were lots of foodies who loved paleo and dairy-free and gluten-free foods but her new market was unknown. However, the town in which Donna now lives has more west coast people moving to the area and demand for allergy-free foods is increasing. Also, the one gluten-free bakery in the area recently closed down, leaving an opening for Blondy's. Still baking from home, Donna is appreciative of the fact that Tennessee is more lenient when it comes to cottage law than Oregon, but she is extremely careful to have all her corporate papers, permits and licenses in order to be in full compliance. Right now, working from her home kitchen is perfect for the volume of business, but Donna knows she will need to keep an eye on possible expansion. Our host Sarah Marshall of Marshall's Haute Sauce has a certified commercial kitchen in her family home and urges Donna to operate from her home as long as possible to work out the kinks of production and to keep down the headaches of overhead. And on top of the business at home, Donna is home schooling her son, so not doing a lot of commuting certainly helps Donna keep it together. Donna's approach in her second business incarnation is backward from her first. In Oregon, she started out as a wholesaler; Donna went right into a commercial kitchen and right into wholesaling. But in Tennessee, she changed her mind after discovering the difference between the state laws. Donna still does wholesale business and caters to cafes and restaurants in the area but without needing a commercial kitchen. There are new items in the product line since our last interview. Many people had come up to Donna asking how to bake gluten free and then were overwhelmed with the number of ingredients it took to do so. That inspired Donna to create baking mixes to simplify home baking. First, Donna took her paleo chocolate chip cookies and turned them into a mix. Next, it was the Blondy Brownie mix and the journey has been very educational for Donna to show that baking paleo doesn't need to be impossible. Being in this new market segment has also given Donna a chance to be in some fun specialty stores and expand her own professional background. Blondy's Backed Goods are available in a half-dozen coffee shops in Donna's local area and online along with the mixes on her website: https://www.blondysbakedgoods.com/. Follow Donna on: IG @blondysbakedgoods and FB @blondysbakedgoods. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

It's been since 2021, episode number 76, that we interviewed Stacey Givens, Farmer/Chef/ and Owner of The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen, Portland, Oregon. The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen is a 1-acre plot of land located in a mixed business/residential core area of the city. This urban farm's philosophy is seed-to-plate, meaning they grow and create meals all from the same plot of land. The company feeds around 15,000 meals annually through restaurants, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes, donations, catering, and farm events. Stacy grew up in Southern California, the youngest child in a big Greek family. With that background, Stacy was immersed within a deep food culture. Her mother taught her how to grow, forage, and preserve food as women in Greece had done for generations before. Stacey gained her first experiences in the food industry at the age of fifteen working in kitchens from Los Angeles to San Francisco and then to Portland. It was in Portland that she found a home and community and founded the Side Yard Farm & Kitchen in 2009. Stacy worked the land and built her catering business up, gaining such notoriety such as winning the Local Hero Award, plus being been featured on Food Network's Chopped, TIME Magazine and NBC's Today as well. It took until May of 2020 for the company and the community behind her to purchase the land outright to solidify their place in the community and also preserve it for farmers of the future. Now to catch up to the present with Stacy; what's changed? The biggest change has been personal with Stacy, she is now the mother of a soon-to-be one-year old. Not only has sleep deprivation been a big change for Stacy, becoming a mother has also affected her business. When she was around six months pregnant, her back began to hurt from the extra load on her body and she was not able to work the fields as much as before. Unfortunately, the pain has continued to haunt her and Stacy has needed a physical therapy regimen to deal with it. All this has changed her role at the farm and not being out there lugging a wheel barrel and joining in the planting and harvesting has taken away one of Stacy's big joys in life for the time being. However, Stacy is determined to get back out there and you can bet that will happen. Stacy talks enthusiastically about the community outreach programs on the calendar that take place at the farm and she runs through the calendar of events that is jam packed for the next couple of months. The company has brunches, movie nights and other events where everyone is invited and can purchase a ticket online. One spotlight group is the grief group, where those in grief can gather. Many bring a dish that was the favorite of their lost one and can share both laughs and tears with others grieving for a lost one. You can follow the farm on Instagram and Facebook. If you want to attend one of their events, pull up their website: https://www.thesideyardpdx.com/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Amza. Say it. Now say it slowly with your eyes closed. It hums, it's peaceful and rhythmic, isn't it? It's a beautiful word. It also is a region in Tibet and the birthplace of The Dalai Lama. And fittingly it is the name of Amza Superfoods a company founded by Jolma who is from Amza. Born and raised in Rebbong (རེབ་གོང་།), Amdo region of Tibet and growing up in Rebgong, Jolma was exposed to a vibrant cultural hub known for Tibetan arts (literature, painting & food). Jolma learned cooking at a young age from her beloved late grandmother, Sonam, who also raised her. Sonam was born a nomad and was illiterate her entire life. Still, she understood the value of education and told Jolma, "To discover the world, one must move beyond her own kitchen." Sonam's determination inspired Jolma to become the 1st girl from her village to earn a college degree and was the impetus for Jolma's journey from Asia to Europe and eventually to America. She learned English from the ABCs at age 30 and that drive to succeed continued as Joma sought to honor her grandmother and other disadvantaged Tibetan women like her by drafting a memoir cookbook, Beyond Her Kitchen, chronicling Tibet's healthy eating traditions and the stories behind each bite. It was more than a cookbook and more than a tribute, it was the book that her grandmother COULD NOT write because of her illiteracy. Jolma penned the book while working as a product user experience designer to support her son while he was going to a University. After he was done, Jolma then decided to go from cookbook to business. This seed from the cookbook bloomed into a meaningful food business, Amza Superfoods, from her Portland, Oregon kitchen. Amza Superfoods offers a family of nutrition-dense, tasty, sustainable nourishment that celebrates Tibetan culture. Amza prioritizes sustainability, social impact, and local sourcing of 100% natural, heirloom whole grains, delivered in eco-friendly packaging. They also empower underprivileged women and girls in Tibet through education. The hearty Tsamba snacks, barley breakfast mixes, and flaxseed spreads are handcrafted in small batches with Oregon bounty. They provide a convenient way to get high fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. There is a broad product line of bagged snacks and jars of flaxseed spread. Joma has added some warm spice to some of the spreads and the flavor warms the tongue without being too hot. And check out the health benefits of flaxseed when you have time. Jolma has been selling well at local farmers markets, but anyone can buy online at the website: AmzaSuperfoods.com. Follow Jolma on Twitter – @AmzaSuperfoods, LI - @AmzaSuperfoods, Instagram – @AmzaSuperfoods, Facebook – @AmzaSuperfoods. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

"Why can't you have all the good wind-down and relaxed feeling alcohol gives you without the alcohol? That's the question Thomas Angel had in 2020 along with his partner, Laura Melgarejo Silva. It started the quest for the Bend, Oregon founders to discover a truly delicious taste married with the wholesome ingredients that would offer that relaxed feeling without the after-effects. Thomas calls their company a pandemic baby because that's the genesis. As you may recall, the isolation of the pandemic led to an increase in alcohol consumption, giving them a challenge to solve. And there was more incentive; both Thomas and Laura came from families that abused alcohol so they were even more determined to offer alternatives to alcoholic drinks but still offer the same relaxing and social benefits. As background: Both became ex-pats living in China, with Thomas having an aviation background. It was an exciting and glamourous life, going from one party to another, but they both soon became aware of the role alcohol consumption took in their lives. When the pandemic hit, they were caught in the quarantine and though most people increased their alcohol consumption, Thomas and Laura went the other way, figuring out how to get it out of their lives. They had always been active people and were in good health, so eliminating alcohol made them feel better. However, they still desired the relaxing part of having a beverage whether with a group of people or just the two of them. So when the quarantine was relaxed, they headed back to the Pacific Northwest and began their entrepreneurial journey. They looked around and saw a social scene that offered opportunity. When there was a social function involving beer, wine or cocktails, people could opt for a can of sparling water of course. However, there was an awkwardness for those people that Thomas and Laura noticed, and that was the gap they intended to close. They decided to move to Bend, Oregon, a beautiful high desert area in central Oregon and begin to chase their dream. Of course, a name was first on the agenda. Three elements went into the name. First, Bend is a high-altitude location. Second, they wanted to reflect the elevated feeling they were achieving in their brand. Last, it's an ode to Thomas' aviation background. And so the name: Altitude Beverages. They created routine based beverages designed for a “better you”. The drinks really taste incredible, too; no stevia, erythritol, or allulose and importantly, no metallic aftertaste. They started selling their home-crafted drinks at local farmer's markets and have expanded to selling both online and select grocery stores in multiple states in the US. See them online and purchase any of their three mocktails or three lattes on: https://altitudebev.com/. Follow them on Twitter - @altitudebev, Instagram - @altitudebev, Facebook - @altitudebev, LinkedIn - Altitude Beverages. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

In episode 171, our hosts reviewed the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas. They will be attending the Summer Show in New York and so will this show's guest, Laura Dadap, co-founder of Djablo Sauce. Laura and company will be in the Incubator Alley section and the trip to the show won't be a long one; Laura was born and raised in Queens. For the genesis of the company, let's start with the name, Djablo. It is Philippine in origin, and in the region where Laura's father grew up, the letter “I” is replaced with the letter “j”. The original recipe came from Laura's father and the letter “j” made the family think of a boxing jab punch, so the hot sauce with a punch made perfect sense. As with any business name or logo, one has to be careful with infringing on trademarks, especially those owned by mega corporations. Laura started quietly to make sure she did not raise the ire of big Taco Bell and their Diablo Sauce, which is sold by the bottle as well as inserted into food orders by the packet. Laura started by doing an Internet search for companies spelling the word using a “j” and saw an opening. Flying under the radar until they had some money to lay a strong legal foundation, she then hired an attorney with a solid background to file the trademark correctly. Laura and our own Sarah Marshall of Marshall's Haute Sauce share a bond. Both were on season 22 of Hot Ones, the show about hot and spicy foods. And Bobby Flay, the Emmy Award-winning food TV pioneer and acclaimed restaurateur has recommended both Sarah and Laura's hot sauces. Djablo Sauce is the first locally produced, family owned and operated small batch Filipino hot sauce in the United States. Their zesty ginger and garlic forward sauce packs a punch with round, comforting heat is the answer to the ingredient focused, flavor fanatic searching the shelves of their local grocery shop to make any food more interesting. They officially launched sales in June 2019 with 2 flavors in 2 sizes ranging from $10-20 for those who like a little bit of spice, to those who want a Djab on every bite. They use all natural superfoods like beet and spirulina to keep the colors consistent, and they hand pick all the produce that goes into the sauce. Laura also thinks out of the box, offering recipes to spice up foods you probably had never thought about. See those recipes and shop online at their website: https://djablosauce.com/. Follow them on IG: @djablosauce and TikTok: @djablosauce. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Officially a business since 2019, Brittany Futrell, founder of Angel Wing Sauce, started years earlier experimenting in the kitchen making sauces. At the time, it was for a guy she was dating and she enjoyed cooking for him. Because her mother was an enthusiastic cook, Brittany got started creating recipes early in her life. She enjoyed using her date as her taste tester and when he was absolutely “floored” with her sauce as she says, she knew she was on to something. And that original recipe has stayed the same and now is the foundation of Brittany's company. She brought the sauce to parties and showers and the reception was similar to that of her friend – hands down fabulous! Brittany took the next obvious step, seeing if people would actually pay for her sauce. She began selling door-to-door with great results, and then took a break in 2015 to figure out that next foodpreneur milestone: Going from kitchen to the store shelf. It wasn't easy, being a single mom and doing research on starting a company, but she persevered and Angle Wing Sauce was born. The magic of her sauce is secret, but the ingredients start with a southern sauce base of molasses, then Brittany adds the heat on top of that. The taste is sweet at first and then you are in for a hot/sweet roller coaster ride. Not too hot, but warm and with a homemade taste. Her company operates out her home town of Raliegh, North Carolina and has become a destination for locals and food tourists. She has branched from multiple flavors of sauce and added a catering division that is very popular. At present, they focus on small events but are figuring out how to do large events in the near future. After a wedding event of 150 people, Brittany realized the company was not yet equipped to handle large crowds and so she has thoughtfully retreated to figure out how. The company continually adds to the catering menu with delights that are new, different and delicious. It isn't only the food, either. Brittany and company strive to offer customer service above and beyond the call. As you would expect, they shop for the finest ingredients and provide a wholesome sauce, as well as a hot, hot flavor. Shop the different flavors on their website, https://www.angelwingsauce.com/ and have your order shipped just about anywhere. Brittany even ships outside the US. In addition, the sauce can be found in seven select grocery stores on the east coast. Follow Brittany and Angel Wing Sauce on IG: @angelwingsauce, FB: tanytws, Twitter: @agnelwingsauce and LinkedIn: anglewingsauce. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

For the third straight year, our hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall attended the Winter Fancy Food Show in that magic town, Las Vegas. For a brief explanation of the show and the organization behind it, the show is where foodpreneurs connect with leading buyers, distributors, and retailers, network with peers and enjoy world-class educational programs. It's a cost-effective and powerful way to grow business because it is an environment rich with the movers and shakers in the food industry. And everyone is there to spend every minute discovering the latest in culinary delights. So how was the show this year? It was a big group that attended along with our hosts, 21 companies to be exact. Take a look at the roster at the end of these notes. And what were the show favorites for our hosts? For Sarah Masoni, the number one attraction was the generosity of the exhibitors. In particular, the Japanese exhibitors were incredibly kind and generous. One exhibitor who produces a rice cracker snack pulled out a sack and filled it with bags of all the different flavors they offered for her. Sarah Marshall uses the connections at the show not so much as a place to increase distribution directly, but to interact with as many people as possible, get known and teach others how to use her hot sauces in cooking. She feels this spreads the word about her product in a roundabout way that ultimately leads to more magazine articles, blogs, IG posts and also more loyal customers. Another favorite was Mama O's Premium Kimchi of Brooklyn. They sell kimchi and kimchi starter kits to make your own. They also have a paste that can be used for other spicy condiments and added to other main dishes for hot spice. But the big attraction was the interaction with their crowd. Sarah Marshall was given a starter kit to make her own kimchi, given a Mama O's bag to pack it around with and then was photographed with the crew for social media posting. That pretty much made Sarah a lifelong fan and a great way of demonstrating how to create an experience, not just another sample taste. One of the big crazes of the show was frozen grapes, dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with assorted crunchies. They seemed to take off like wildfire. Another example of imagination is Athena, a very traditional Greek food company. They took their stuffed grape leave dish and put in Jalapenos for a very different type of fusion. Evidently, it was well received and a great example of never standing still in the food industry. Next show is June 23-25 in New York, so start planning your trip! The Fancy Food Summer Show link: https://www.specialtyfood.com/fancy-food-shows/summer/ Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall. A partial list of the companies attending the show. All are from Oregon except Loren Lee from Waco, Texas: Linda Jodoin, Miss Hannah's Popcorn, linda@misshannahspopcorn.com, Nikki Guerrero, Hot Mama Salsa, hello@hotmamasalsa.com, Lindsay Gott, Gateaux, gateaux.lindsay@gmail.com, Lee Hedgmon, the Barreled Bee, Lee@thebarreledbee.com, Kenny Baker, Sh'Mallow, kennyb@sh-mallow.com, Willis Anderson, My Daddy's Sauces, mydaddyssauces@gmail.com, Loren Lee, Mirth, lorenwho@aol.com, Tina & Patrick Welch, The Pink Wagon, twelch@pinkwagonfoods.com, Ginger McCabe, Chili Royale, spicyordie@gmail.com.

It's the Sarah trifecta again on this episode. Sarah Marshall and Sarah Masoni interview Sarah Marcus, founder of Briar Rose Creamery, Dundee, Oregon. This is another check-in show, as Sarah was interviewed previously on episode #68, released in March, 2021. For background, Proprietor and Cheesemaker Sarah Marcus is a Bay Area native and started making cheese in her kitchen. In 2005 she took a chance and got a job as a cheesemonger at Cowgirl Creamery in San Francisco. It was there that she fell in love with the world of cheese and developed her palette. Her cheesemaking studies took her to England, Spain, North Carolina, and Vermont. In 2008 she and her husband moved to Dundee, Oregon with the intention to build Briar Rose Creamery. So what has changed with the business and the industry since we last talked? The Creamery did have sheep milk supplied to them for a short while and made a special cheese from it. However, the owners of the farm raising the sheep sold the farm and that product line ceased to exist. But the all-cows'-milk program is working great and the company is selling more cheese than ever before. The company sells whole wheels of cheese only and consolidates the wheels in a Portland, Oregon location where trucks are loaded along with other cheese makers' products and delivered to the customers. The company is a small business, however, and subject to the ups and downs of circumstances beyond their control. For example, the local area recently suffered unusually cold weather, icing up roads and making travel difficult. It stopped milk supplies and kept employees from getting into work, so now Sarah is trying to balance increasing shifts to make up for the lost days, lost production and ultimately, lost revenue, all at the mercy of the weather. All cheeses from Briar Rose are artisan. As much art as they are food, most of the cheeses are soft and luscious. They are a golden color and the crusts take on that golden glow as well. And as the cheeses age, they get a deeper and deeper golden hue. They also get richer tasting and softer as they age, taking on a buttery experience and complexities similar to complexities found in fine wines. The company and its cheeses also have been featured in Food and Wine magazine as one of the top 50 cheese makers in the US. Sarah still does not know how that happened, as they must have been visited at either their Farm Store in Dundee or at one of the Farmers Markets they attend. So there's a message here for all foodpreneurs: Treat everyone who shops your products as best you can, because you never know if they are customers or undercover reporters. In addition to the company's Farm store, you can buy Briar Rose cheeses at local Oregon Farmers Markets and special markets and grocery stores up and down the west coast, including Alaska. Look at the amazing offerings of cheese on the company website: http://www.briarrosecreamery.com/. Follow Sarah and company on FB, https://www.facebook.com/briarrosecreamery/. On IG, https://www.instagram.com/briarrosecheese/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Welcome to the new, expanded format for The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast Shows. Starting with this show, we will be interviewing foodpreneurs from Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, thanks to the NW and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center, https://nwrockymountainregionalfoodbusiness.com/ . This regional effort offers an incredibly rich center of information, education and connection to the food industry for mid-size growers, farmers and producers. It's been since episode #81, May of 2021 that we interviewed Jana Jenkins who wears two hats. She is the founder of Oregon Ag, a food distribution company moving mostly local food specialties from producers whose stories and products are unique and interesting. Her other big hat is Sales Director for Oregon Wild Rice, a family-owned producer located in the fertile Willamette Valley of Oregon. We ask Jana, “What's changed?”. Oregon Wild Rice is owned by the Langdon family who has been farming in the area for over a 100 years. For most of those years the family had drained the farmland to grow grass seed. But a few years ago they committed to a new plan to more effectively utilize their heavy clay soil and the abundant Oregon rainfall. In 2016 they chose to boldly plant Oregon Wild Rice. It took four years to expand the rice crop and to learn how to effectively process the high-quality rice for human consumption. Currently, they sell everything they produce locally. Recent numbers are 25,000 bags of wild rice sold last year in approximately 25 stores. Sarah Marshall also highlighted Oregon Wild Rice on a local TV program. As for changes in Jana's Oregon Ag company, distribution is still a challenge. She is enthused however after the recent Fancy Foods Show held in Las Vegas (covered in Episode #140 released last March). The shows provide a plethora of offerings close together and in sections that make exploring for new products efficient and successful. Her greatest surprise was in the international section, where foods from Italy and Spain were particularly fascinating. Both the packaging and the foods themselves had incredible eye appeal and gave consumers new, rich food experiences. What does Jana look for in taking on new products? She loves the story and the passion of the maker behind the product, because it's the story that appeals to the consumer looking for something new. So if you contact her, and she hopes you do, start by simply showing her what you make. If she takes on your product, her favorite stores for placement are Market of Choice, New Seasons, Zupans, Mckay's Market and Ray's Market. Jana also has placed products in quality venues such as Willamette valley Vineyards and Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Her current client list includes Humblebee Honey, Kickin' Pickles, Portland Salt Company, Nuts on the Run, Wildfire Elixirs, Fields Grassfed Beef, and Franklin and Sons Beverages London, England. Jana is particularly thrilled about Sh'mallow, the first aerosol marshmallow that tops any dessert or beverage. What's Jana's advice to all aspiring foodpreneurs? Take every opportunity you get. And don't stop; no one is doing what you're doing. Tell your story. Contact Oregon Wild Rice, IG: oregonrice.com. Website: oregonrice.com IG: oregonwildrice.com. Contact Jana, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jana-jenkins-895683186/. Email: Jana@oregon.ag. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

It was almost exactly 100 episodes ago we first interviewed Andrea Ludlow, founder of Showstopper Cookies; episode 69 released March of 2021 to be precise. She had started her business about six months prior to the show. Cookie companies are everywhere and they come and go like streetcars. So how has Andrea's company endured and what makes her cookies legitimate showstoppers? Answer: Focus. Andrea makes only one, very large, special, salty chocolate chip cookie and sticks with her winning recipe. Every showstopper cookie is lovingly handmade and baked under supervision in their southeast Portland, Oregon location. They use only the best, tastiest ingredients including locally sourced flour and eggs and chocolate from the Guittard Chocolate Company. They source carefully from the Camas Country Mill for flour, the Cairnsprings Mill also for flour. They use only organic white and brown sugars, Maldon salt, unsalted butter. They buy local free range eggs, and to top it off, they use only Andrea's homemade vanilla extract. Showstopper cookies aren't made for dunking in milk while enjoying a TV show. They are for gifts and special occasions. When you visit their website you'll see why, but their description paints the picture: “Showstopper cookies are dancing and singing their way into mouths across the country…a magical way to treat yourself…” Since launching Showstopper Cookies at our first interview with her, what has happened to Andrea and her company since then? For one thing, when asked how many cookies she's sold since our last interview, Andrea has no idea! And Andrea gives a big thanks to our show hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall, who urged her to learn to freeze her cookie dough to increase the production and shipping components of her business. Special occasion businesses have seasons of course and Showstopper is no exception. From May to October, Andrea attends one or more farmers markets which results in 600 or more cookie sales a week. Then it's a lull until the Holiday season, then another lull from January until spring. The “lulls” aren't completely bad either at this stage of Andrea's business, because it gives her time to catch her breath, look ahead and also think of ways to eliminate the lulls. For example, a customer asked about ordering one giant cookie as a birthday cake. After some Instagram posts, Andrea saw she had a winner and has added that to the website recently. Birthdays are a “lull-resistant” product. Andrea is grateful for the advice she received from Meaningful Marketplace, and would like to pass on advice to other foodpreneurs now that she has had more time in the pilot's seat. For one thing, ASK. Ask questions of everyone you meet everywhere. Whether it's the vendor in the stall next to you at the farmers market or the distributor searching for new products. “Be friendly with error” is one of her quotes (I love the way she puts it, ed.) meaning get up every time you fall. Do favors for others and ask for favors, too. And because of COVID and the aftermath, Andrea also has made some big moves. She has spent some advertising money on a popular podcast show (Ask Ronna) and she has started going after corporate accounts, both new moves since our first interview. You can purchase Showstopper Cookies at local Portland area farmers markets and on online at: https://www.showstoppercookies.com/. Follow her at: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/showstopper_cookies/. Also on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/showstoppercookies. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Today we reconnect with Hannah Crum, founder of Kombucha Kamp, with whom we had the pleasure of interviewing on episode #84, released in May of 2021. For a quick refresher, Kombucha is fermented tea, an ancient elixir consumed for hundreds or maybe thousands of years by civilizations all over the planet. The most commonly attributed Kombucha Benefits include better digestion, increased energy, and a clearer mind. Avid drinkers also report Kombucha helping with their digestive tract, liver detoxification, reduced cravings, and athlete support. Hannah got the idea to make kombucha a business when her landlord loved the delicious free organic k-tea that came with her rent check each month. So did her neighbor, who enjoyed sipping the Booch after yoga class as it made her knees feel better. Her husband was hooked and all of a sudden, she was struggling to keep up with the demand. It was time to educate the public on how easy it was to make kombucha to have plenty on hand. Kombucha Kamp was born, a company to show people how to make their own kombucha at home and also provide the products to do the home brew. So how has the business been operating these last years? Well for one thing, the scientific community is doing more and more validating of the health benefits of drinking kombucha, so the industry is not depending on testimonials or anecdotal stories for consumers to believe in its effectiveness. It's being called the tea of long life, the tea of immortality and so forth, a big boost to all who are involved in getting it in the hands of more and more people. Kombucha is being recognized as a healing beverage, in particular protecting the liver and kidneys. The studies on humans have really put kombucha over the bar in not only acceptance, but in education as well as a benefit for living bodies. The studies are coming out of Georgetown University and Hannah was asked for a referral of a kombucha manufacturer who could provide not only kombucha for the study but also a placebo that tasted the same. Subjects consumed beverages for four weeks, then four weeks off, then another four week consumption, not knowing if they were drinking kombucha or the placebo. The sample size was small, but the findings dynamic enough that the scientists are seeking funds to conduct a much larger scale study. One big finding was that people with type two diabetes who drink kombucha daily for four weeks show significantly lower fasting glucose rates. The conclusion was that kombucha supported a healthier liver which helps metabolize sugar more effectively. Now, there is a mild controversy in that sugar is added to the tea to aid in fermentation to produce kombucha. The FDA has dictated that the label must show that sugar has been added, but Hannah points out that chemically speaking, the fermentation process changes the sugar molecules and do not produce the same reaction in the body as table sugar. Hannah has been a huge advocate for the industry and all the providers and continues to promote a healthier planet. Her giant book of recipes, “The Big Book of Kombucha” has sold over 375,000 copies worldwide, so she is definitely being heard. Get educated and check out their offerings online at: https://www.kombuchakamp.com/. Follow them on Twitter - https://twitter.com/kombuchakamp, Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kombuchakamp/, Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KombuchaKamp. . Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Organ meats are nature's multi-vitamin, according to James Barry, founder of Pluck. Pluck is seasoning for foods, but not just for taste and it's not just any seasoning. Freeze-dried organ meats are mixed with spices and salts to not only increase the taste of the dish, but to provide a supercharge of nutrients. The flavor Pluck seasoning adds is more than just the spices too. The organ meats provide the savory Umami taste, a unique flavor. The principles of ancestral eating drive Pluck's operations. The philosophy of nose-to-tail eating, no waste of the animal is primary in their mission. They feel people are missing out on the nutrition benefits when only the muscle is consumed. Or as James puts it, “As close to nature as possible”. There also is a connection to ancestral eating in James' family as he found out. Apparently, his family lived in Brooklyn, ate liver and onions regularly and would go to the open market for items like chicken. They'd pick out a live chicken, then come back later after the chopping and plucking and take home a warm carcass. That's about as close as you can get to the source. But organ meats aren't widely consumed in the US, mainly because of the odd taste. That's where James' 16-years as a professional chef came in handy, to add the organ nutrition to any food without the traditional organ taste, the perfect gateway into capturing the nutrition of organ meats. That plus the fact he was a very picky eater as a child and young adult, not having an adventurous palate at all. He grew up eating fast food and frozen vegetables and microwave meals. But the real impetus for introducing organ meat nutrition to the world came when his two-year old daughter became afflicted with Shiga toxin, a life-threatening disease. She became extremely thin and weak as James and his wife struggled to get nutrition into her body. She survived and is a healthy specimen today, but the experience left James with his determination to provide a functional food product anyone could consume without having to step outside their comfort zone. James points to the book, “Eat Like A Human” to underscore his philosophy of consuming the entire animal to be completely healthy. In the book, the author points to the development of human beings, going back a few million years. Our ancestors were foragers, then scavengers; neither role amounting to much nutrition to aid development. Then around 2 ½ million years ago, they developed tools to be predators and that's when humans started to evolve. They consumed organ meats, blood and fat, which led to larger bodies, more developed brains and the evolution into modern day humans. It was more nutrients with less effort. So James looks to provide the nutrition from organ meats to today's consumer, but also wants the consumer to have quality organ meats. He sources only quality grass-fed, grass-finished, humanely treated, pasture-raised animals raised with no GMOs or hormones. He currently sources them from New Zealand as he has not had success finding that quality in the US, but he keeps looking. The spices and herbs come from sustainable farms as well. All this to make getting better nutrition as easy as replacing your salt and pepper with Pluck. And this daily habit is microdosing, which has a cumulative effect of making you healthier. You can find Pluck in special places in 17 states currently. Buy online at https://eatpluck.com/. Follow them on Twitter - @eat_pluck, Instagram - @eatpluck and Facebook - @eatpluck. Follow James on IG, @jamesbarry, FB @jamesbarry. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

As we continue to check in with guests from previous shows, we circle back to Carrie Solomon, co-founder of Greater Goods and, as we learn in this podcast, Microjoy as well. Microjoy is new since our last show with Carrie, episode #67, released in March of 2021. For a quick background recap, Carrie and her husband started a medical cannabis company in 2014 with a very potent and great smelling topical, and then quickly launched an edible line of truffles and chocolate bars. The products were a hit and they rapidly expanded in their home state of Oregon. That has continued into a thriving cannabis business in the recreationally legal market. In 2019 they took their creations to a wider audience of consumers outside of our the state, launching Greater Goods to provide high quality products that were also conscientiously crafted and joyous at the same time. Since Carrie and her husband are both food and CBD enthusiasts, they only use ingredients that are organic and delicious, including fine chocolate, locally and responsibly sourced inclusions to add fun flavor profiles to their products, as well as Oregon sungrown hemp oil. However, in 2020, as the couple rolled “profoundly into the depths of the pandemic” as their website says, they noticed what that they missed the small joys, the miniscule interactions, of daily, routine life and assumed there were many others who felt the same way. Those infinitesimal moments that had punctuated life without trying; the microjoys in life. And their second business was born. Microjoy offers uncomplicated remedies that actually work and taste good; each formula created to address a specific challenge meant to be effective, quickly. Handmade in their own facility ingredients are sourced from the best suppliers – same philosophy as Greater Goods – and created to help unveil a more calm, well-rested, resilient person. The couple's background in CBD, hemp and dabbling in certain mushroom ingredients has helped create the mood-enhancing gummies in Microjoy and the candy selection, tinctures and gummies offered in Greater Goods. Carrie makes a big point that there are NO psychedelic ingredients or effects from any of the company's products. The big difference between the two companies is the phenomenon called microdosing. The benefits of microdosing are leveraging the use of certain mushrooms to be sub-perceptual to merely sub-perceptual levels to assist in managing traumatic events or depression by creating more activity in the brain. In more pedestrian language, it helps prevent shutting down and going into a funk. Most people use this method episodically, but some use long term for more chronic situations. The couple has evidently hit on a hot market, as their Greater Goods and Microjoy products are available in 12 states in the US, with many locations in both Oregon and Texas. They also have gone international, now selling in both Amsterdam, Netherlands and in Australia. Of course, you can buy online at https://hellogreater.com/ and https://microjoyful.com/. Follow them on IG @grtrgoods, FB @hellogreater, IG @microjoyful. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

We first interviewed Lisa and Maly Douangphoumy, sisters in the family business Sao Noi, on episode number 54, released September, 2020. Their company produces flavored chili oils and flavored beef jerky, all originated from the family's restaurant business in Hood River, Oregon. Their mother, Marnie and father, Tom started the restaurant and quickly became a staple for the community because of Tom's peanut sauce and Marnie's chili oil. The business name, Sao Noi literally means “little girl” in Laotian as Marnie is the youngest of her eight siblings. She began making her sauces from their cozy restaurant kitchen. The exotic flavors in Sao Noi‘s sauces reflect their Southeast Asian roots, evoking a nostalgia for the family's traditional Lao and Thai culinary recipes. Marnie used her chili oil on one of the restaurant's premier dishes and an employee commented the taste was so fabulous she should bottle it and sell it. The family did start producing the oil in jars and selling in small quantities. One day Maly took a jar to the CEO of the company where she worked and the next day he called her in to place an order for a jar for every employee in the company, 210 in all, the largest order the company had received up to that time. On top of that, the CEO had a recipe contest for everyone in the company and those recipes plus the family recipes went into what is now the “Sao Noi Kitchen” cookbook, available on the website and on Amazon. Much has happened to the family business since our last interview. The oil product line has expanded to three flavors, original, lemon grass and ginger. They also started a beef jerky line thanks to one of their food brokers. He came into town to call on them, and overnight dreamed they would have a line of beef jerky. The family liked the idea and the broker introduced them to a copacker who could make it happen for them. That was a relief to the family, as dealing with an animal product puts you under USDA regulatory control and the family did not have time for that learning curve. In addition to knowing the regulations, the copacker was instrumental in taking the three oil flavors and experimenting with the formulas to come up with the three scintillating jerky tastes. Although they started selling the oils in the restaurant in 2015, it was really 2017 when the family expanded out into the community and sold in farmers markets. Their popularity has led them currently to being available in 46 retail outlets in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and East coast. Market of Choice, an Oregon grocer, has been their biggest volume seller and a superb supporter of the local community. Sauces and jerky are available for purchase online. The sauces are still handcrafted in small batches locally to ensure that “a whole ‘lotta love goes into every jar!” as their website says. Their website: https://www.sao-noi.com/. Follow the on: Facebook- @saonoipdx, Instagram- @saonoipdx. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

This show is another check-in with a former guest to see what's changed since our last interview. Today we talk with Kelly Calabria, founder of Kelly's Jelly. We last chatted with Kelly on episode #46, released in June of 2020. A quick background: Kelly's Great Aunt Danny had a special recipe for peppery jelly that was irresistible and downright addicitve. However, part of it's specialty was the difficulty in making it. The hot flavor came from the habanero peppers, which unleash and incredible burning sensation to skin and eyes when they are cut into. On top of that, boiling sugar water can also create a messy and dangerous situation. But Aunt Danny's Habanero Pepper Jelly was worth the work and Kelly and husband Adam would create jars of it for family and friends for the Holidays. Then that same story you have heard before, everyone said “You should sell this!” and the entrepreneurial journey began. Starting in 2010, it was local Farmers Markets and the name change to Kelly's Jelly, which had more market zing to it. Apologies to Danny. So what's changed since our 2020 show? COVID caused many problems with food service and supply chain issues, which have improved but still haunt the company. Inflation is a bigger problem confronting the company now and distributor mergers have taken away choices and eliminated competition for distribution channels, meaning higher prices for the food producers. But the company has also countered with new products for their audience. In addition, they have come up with smaller sized jars of their pepper jellies to fit in cheese and deli sections where the shelf real estate is very valuable. Charcuterie boards also are a perfect place for specialty jellies, and the smaller jar fits right in with that venue. The newest product is a pepper honey product developed in cooperation with the Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center (host Sarah Masoni is the Director) which just shipped the same week as this interview. In addition to the pepper honey, the product line is an assortment of delicious pepper fruit jellies and fruit spreads in individual jars and gift packs. Fruit flavors are pineapple, strawberry, blueberry lemon and marionberry, the company's number one seller. All berries are Oregon grown and all ingredients are sourced from producers who represent the best of their local production. Kelly's Jelly is family-owned and woman run (Kelly). Kelly loves the challenge of the CEO role, relishing the problem-solving of issues that face her company on a regular basis. She loves navigating the path through the food industry hurdles for a small company slaying the big dragons of the grocery store shelf. The big questions facing her now are: Go national? Distribute 100% through distributors? These are huge questions because they put a CEO in the position of committing a company to expenses and obligations that can sink the ship if things don't go to plan. But Kelly and Adam seem to be faring very well to date. You can buy their jellies and spreads online at: https://kellysjelly.com/ You also can find them at local Portland area grocers, and national grocers on the west coast. Follow them: IG @kellysjellyoregon, FB @kellysjelly. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Boba has been a highly popular addition to tea drinks worldwide for some decades now. Originating in Taiwan in the 1980s, it has taken the US by storm, served in restaurants, tea bars and sold in grocery stores. The popularity encouraged mass production. Enter Allison Sodha, founder of Better Boba, because Allison believes people deserve the best boba. If you are not familiar, boba is tea with pearl-sized nuggets that have a mild flavor offering a heartier drink than tea alone. The preservatives and additives that make up most packaged boba pearls in the US don't match up to the natural, artisanal boba sold in Taiwan. Besides taste, the mass manufactured boba are not as healthy as those made with a few, simple, natural ingredients. That is Allison's mission, to put soft, supple, easy to digest original recipe boba in the hands of US customers. It's not only the health of the customers that is of interest to Allison, it's also the health of the planet. She works to constantly develop more sustainable manufacturing and distribution processes. In addition, Better Boba has all-natural packaging to further stress her passion for sustainability. This all began with Allison's tea shop, where the boba distributed through food services seemed hard for some of their customers to digest. It started her on a worldwide tour of the various manufacturing processes and led her to discover the artificial ingredients and shortcuts taken to produce boba faster and in larger quantities. The business reasons for this practice were rational, but Allison was not buying in. She went on a mission to put authentic boba within reach of the public by not only offering her products through participating tea shops, but also on grocery shelves where the consumer could take the boba home and enjoy the real thing. She is raising the education level and the boba pallet of the consumer. The pandemic also wound up being a friend to Better Boba. As boba supplies dried up with the withering supply chain, tea shops reached out to Better Boba just to stay in business. This made Allison realize that a US manufacturing facility up to her standards was needed and she embarked in the effort. This also opened up new possible worlds for people to enjoy healthy boba. It can be included in snacks and other versatile additions and now the company offers both drinks and snacks. You can shop for all those products online on: https://thebetterboba.com/. Follow Allison on IG: @thebetterboba. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

We first interviewed Robin Rosenberg, CEO of Bobbie's Boat Sauce on episode 64, released November, 2020. Actually created at sea on a sailboat, Bobbie's Boat Sauce borrows its name from a repair concoction used by boaters, but not the kind of “sauce” you want to eat. While cleaning out the refrigerator on the boat and with some jazz playing in the background, Robin accidently created a flavor and zest she had never experienced before. The creation went fabulously well with the fish she was cooking, then the eggs she prepared the next day and a new flavor was born. As she says on her website, “Bobbie's Boat Sauce is an addictive tomato-chili concoction enhanced with aromatics, lime, and fish sauce. Squeeze a little spicy, tangy, umami on everything you love to eat!.” Bringing the recipe back to Portland, Oregon, Robin formed a company and began the journey. That took her to the first road bump, the name Boat Sauce. Her legal consul determined the name was too broad and would be difficult to trademark, since many boaters, especially those with wooden boats, all had their own secret boat sauce they invented to make repairs on their particular boat. However, the bump was cleared and so were many others on the way to what is now national distribution of Bobbie's Boat Sauce. But much has changed since our first interview with her. Back in 2020, Robin had one sauce flavor plus a hotter version of that flavor. Since then there has been an explosion of product offerings. Her first addition was a marinara hot version, tomato-forward but with a briny tang. The new flavor was actually a production mistake (another fortunate accident), as she was in the middle of changing co-packers and although the recipe was not followed correctly, it yielded an outstanding new product to the line. It's the serendipity that happens to determined entrepreneurs like Robin. A very new venture is mixing the her sauces with cheddar and cream cheeses. Robin began doing this at Holiday season in a commercial kitchen and then selling it at markets and fairs. She now has distribution in three Portland stores and has many inquiries. However, she is still a company of one, as she says, and the aspect of scaling that part of the business is daunting. Going from a shelf product line to a refrigerated product line is a huge and complex step and takes lots of resources, including human resources, let alone all the extra space required for processing and transporting. The good news is that the cheeses freeze well, which makes inventorying for Bobbie's and Bobbie's distributors easier. Another idea at the back of Robin's head was to create seasonings for her audience. So now she is launching Boat Dust seasonings! They are basically dehydrated Boat Sauce flavors in a two ounce shaker glass available in boutique food stores and small fairs. Ever the inventor, Robin continues to produce Holiday and special treats on a limited basis, always experimenting with the public to see what catches on. Check out the line on her website: https://bobbiesboatsauce.com/. Follow her: IG@bobbiesboatsauce. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

It was three years ago we interviewed Allison “Alli” Ball, founder of Retail Ready and Food Biz Wiz Podcast. It was episode 59 for those of you who want to listen again, or if you missed it the first time. Alli is a former grocery buyer who shares her insider secrets to help packaged food entrepreneurs scale up their sales. She knows what buyers are looking for and what key information buyers need to start a conversation with an entrepreneur, or “foodpreneur” as Alli calls them. She shares many great hints and perspectives in her weekly podcast show, which recently posted its 200th episode. The whole idea of Food Biz Wiz Podcast is to help food founders step up their strategy, get on the shelf and grow their business. Alli brings in industry experts, students from her Retail Ready program and draws on Alli's career as a buyer to help listeners get into that buyer mindset to understand how to best communicate and persuade grocery store buyers. While it's incumbent on all entrepreneurs to soak up all the free information available, there is a limit to where that can take them. To get the secret sauce, you need to pay for someone else's knowledge and contacts that they, in turn, had to pay for to get that most valuable knowledge. Retail Ready® is the program offered by Alli which gives founders the tools, strategies, and support they need to get on retail and e-tail shelves, and to have high sales once they are there. Retail Ready has schooled over 2,500 founders with emerging food brands with curriculum, live strategic support, accountability and a live community for the tools to set up sales systems to get on the shelves. The program is for food brands in production or just ready for production, but not early stage food development. It's 90-day program, which is a big change since our last show with Alli, when the program was 12 months. The reason? Each foodpreneur had a different set of circumstances, based on their food category, geography, finances, energy and so forth. Some people would breeze through the program in 30 days, while others would complete the 12-month program and sign on for another 12 months. Alli found that when she told prospective students that the program was 12 months it turned them off. The Retail Ready team did a survey of students and found that the 90-day mark was the success point for most of them and so the dialog was changed to a 90-day program and it has been well received. And since many of the founders in the program re-enroll and want to stay part of the valuable community, the program is really more of a “go at your own pace” experience anyway, so the 90-day label really doesn't matter once a foodpreneur has started. The other new wrinkle since interviewing Alli last time, is the 90-day program also includes one-on-one support sessions in addition to all the video courses. There are courses for which the foodpreneur has perpetual access and some that require monthly subscriptions. Find out more at her website: www.foodbizwiz.com. Follow Alli on Instagram @itsalliball, Facebook @foodbiziwz, LinkedIn @Allison Ball. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Back in May, 2020, we interviewed Nafy Flatley founder of Teranga Foods; the show was released in July, 2020. In this episode, Sarah Masoni talks with Nafy to see what's changed in her business since then. As a refresher, Teranga literally means hospitality in Wolof, the Senegalese national language. It is the spirit of camaraderie and acceptance of one another. Nafy's favorite childhood memory is of her grandmother using baobab fruit to make refreshing, invigorating and nutritious beverages. She and her mother continued the tradition after her passing and when the family moved to the US Nafy wanted to bring the flavors of her childhood with her. Baobab is special because the Baobob tree, also known as the tree of life, grows throughout most of Africa and is an essential part of African cuisine and culture. In Senegal, baobab is a natural remedy for many ailments. It has more Vitamin C than oranges, more magnesium than kale, more potassium than bananas, more calcium than milk and is high in soluble fiber. It's a superfood, and it's in most of Teranga's products. Teranga offers snacks, drinks and hot sauces in their line, all natural and wholesome. Beside the online business, Teranga's products are now available in 17 San Francisco Bay Area farmers markets, cafes and grocery stores. COVID of course pushed sales to online during the lockdown, but even as guidelines loosened up and grocery stores did more volume, Nafy sought new distribution channels for her products. In the Bay Area, you can now buy her foods through Ubereats, and she is a big proponent of Good Eggs, an online platform born out of the COVID lockdown. Her push for sales has also resulted in her most distant delivery - to China. A previous customer was putting on a conference in China and wanted some Teranga products for the swag bag. Getting the products into the country turned out to be a struggle but resulted in many orders later from the US attendees upon their return home. Another big change since the last show was the opening of a restaurant in the Municipal Market in San Francisco's Tenderloin area. The market is owned entirely by Women immigrants from half a dozen countries, so Nafy fits right in. Not to be overlooked are all the recipes Nafy offers on her website, healthy, nutritious and delicious. She also has contributed to a nonprofit cookbook with recipes, including the last meal she made in Senegal before immigrating to the US. Her business is growing and thriving and her words of wisdom are, “…share that passion with the world, don't be scared. Go for it, make your delicious sample and then take it to whomever…”. That's an attitude you can take to the bank. Visit her website: https://www.terangafoods.com/. Follow her on: IG @terangafoods FB@terangalife. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

This show is definitely authentic, complete with real tractor noise in the background. Yes, we're coming to you live from the Ellis family's farm in Mollala, Oregon where they operate their farm-to-consumer business and live a very full life. We had Laura Ellis on our 58th show released back on September 11th, 2020 and our hosts are very interested in checking in with her to see what's been happening with the farm and the business. Just to give a quick background, the Ellis family – Mike, Laura and sons Samuel and Mason – began with Mike and Laura meeting at Eastern Oregon University, where Mike received his degree in Range Ecology and Management. Laura grew up on a rural Alaska family farm so it pretty much was a match made in heaven. They first lived on Mike's family farm in Mollala which is over half a century old and where they have constantly enriched the soil and quality of its output. But opportunity called and the couple started their own farm business and fruit spread line in 2014. All their fruits and berries are grown to the highest standards with a finely honed commitment to quality. They have created farm-to-jar products from the fruits they both grow and source, while also using local ingredients such as Oregon rum, sea salt from the beautiful coastline, and freshly ground spices from a Portland shop. They use certified Organic ingredients (such as sugar and lemon juice) whenever possible. They don't add any high fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, flavors, or coloring. Everything they make is natural and non-GMO. However, on the day of our first show with Laura, they had to wonder what was in store for the future. That day, the family had a combine catch fire and at the same time, that's when Western Oregon wildfires started happening and they didn't know if they would have to evacuate the farm. Luckily, they avoided disaster and kept moving forward in their journey. It has been a learning experience and Laura shares some lessons with our audience of food entrepreneurs. For one thing, their original goal was to build a big business. But after time, they realized what they really wanted was to own and work their own farm, grow and produce a quality product and support their family. Scaling and all its inherent risk wasn't really a strategy for them. That big change in strategy has paid off. Not only have they created a business that has involved other family members, their personal relationships with the community have allowed them to survive the wildfire setbacks and cash flow difficulties they have faced. Succession is also an ongoing question, as passing down the farm and business to their son or sons is a possibility and will resolve itself over time. But Laura and Mike absolutely do not pressure them one way or the other. The family also has learned to pivot on a moment's notice, as weather, fires, crop yields and consumer tastes change continuously. They have come up with their offering formula, however. There are six fruit spread flavors that are standard, every other flavor is based on the local availability and quality. This formula has allowed them to keep their customers supplied with a stable supply of favorites while sprinkling a surprise flavor on a regular basis to keep things interesting. Distribution has obviously increased since the last show, as Mt. Hope fruit spreads are available in select stores across the US and still available both online or by pickup at the farm. To order direct: https://mthopefarmsoregon.com/. Follow them on Instagram: @mthopefarms and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mthopefarms. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Following the growth of our past guests and seeing their success has been a truly inspirational experience, and checking in with Julie Sullivan and Carolyn Cesario, co-founders of Ground Up, is another uplifting show. Our last interview was show number 19 which was released January 22nd, 2020 and for your background, Ground Up is a company that delivers peanut-free nut butters in amazing flavors. The company began in 2016 when Julie returned from Uganda where she had been overseeing an employment training program for women overcoming poverty. Back in her hometown of Portland, Oregon, she soon recognized the need for a similar program at home. However, she needed a product and a company as a base for the training programs. Coincidently, Carolyn had been perfecting sugar-free, peanut-free nut butter recipes due to dietary constraints and when the two met, it was destiny. They took a unique angle at their business model, calling themselves a “not-only-for-profit” business. They partner with local nonprofits (currently 30-40) to employ womxn overcoming adversity who have the motivation but need the opportunity to get back into the workforce. The company does NOT do background checks on the applicants as they believe in second chances and anyone coming forward with a good attitude receives that chance. By working in Ground Up, womxn get job training in a 6-9 month program and are part of a team selling healthy and delicious nut butters to the public. Great place to start, but what has happened in the last three-plus years? Julie and Carolyn have expanded the product line and part of the expansion is to produce seasonal flavors, often highlighting their vendor partners. At the time of this show, Funfetti is the highlighted product. They partnered with Mia Swinehart of Gathered Nutrition, a treasure trove of nutritious and delicious recipes. Mia loves funfetti cake and also has an obsession to add almond extract to baked treats. She has always had a “dream” nut butter and now has gotten to live that dream with Ground Up. This almond and cashew butter tastes just like cake batter (but of course, healthier). It's made from a blend of almonds and cashews, then blended with cacao butter and almond extract, and finally, finished with swirls of honey, cacao nibs, and plant-based sprinkles from some of Ground Up's other vendor friends. And definitely follow the company for their upcoming fall release, which they are coyly keeping under wraps as of this show. The company has always done 100% of its manufacturing. That in-house passion means superb quality control, but also comes with challenges. Especially for the Ground Up concept, where Julie and Carolyn are marrying a job training program with manufacturing a consumer food product and there is a myriad of regulations and health requirements. Specifically, they have faced big problems with their squeeze pack machine. The squeeze packs were originally created so people could sample the product without having to open a whole jar. So they were perfect for events such as trade shows and other marketing opportunities and people have loved them. However, the blankety-blank machine that makes them is most temperamental and it's taken roughly two years of trouble-shooting to get the hiccups down to a reasonable frequency. A huge change since the last show has been the explosion of distribution. You can now find Ground Up Nut Butters in grocery stores in the pacific northwest. And a recent deal with Target means you can find the Nut Butters in many locations on the west coast. As in the beginning, you can buy online at: https://grounduppdx.com/. Follow them at: Twitter - @grounduppdx, Instagram - @grounduppdx and Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/grounduppdx/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Back on May 13th, 2020, we released show episode 39, an interview with Genevieve Brazelton, self-proclaimed “Bitter Housewife” and founder of The Bitter Housewife cocktail bitters. You realize very quickly there is absolutely nothing bitter about her, but her products certainly are. Quick background reminder: The Bitter Housewife products are cocktail bitters, handcrafted in small batches in Portland, Oregon. Bitters are a mixture of botanicals, roots, and spices steeped in a spirit base. They are used to complement, soften, or heighten the flavors of alcohol and cocktail ingredients. Adding bitters to a drink makes for a more complex flavor profile. Think all bitters are alike? No. You'll never find flavoring, coloring, or artificial preservatives in any of their products. They use only the highest quality whole ingredients to craft unmistakable flavors. Genevieve got tired of being “told” by bartenders and others about what to drink in a cocktail and tired of the eyerolls at some of her orders. Drinks shouldn't have rules, she decided, and set out to produce a full line of bitters for others who were tired of being talked down to. Real ingredients, great taste and fun make a great cocktail. So what's changed since our last show with her? On the first show, the company had one flavor. They quickly expanded to three but a quick look at their website shows eight incredibly creative flavors for your cocktail. However, that first product, a canned bitters-and-soda flavor was very popular and at one point was 50% of their online sales; a huge success. But then they killed the entire line. Distribution chain problems, production cost increases and cans became scarce and the whole perfect storm made continued production impossible. Grocery store shopping also came to a screeching halt because of COVID and the challenge was to get people to find their bitters, mainly online. Even that became an issue as well since Facebook and Google ads started changing their algorithms and ad response tanked. Plus breweries were putting more product in cans and that hurt because the company couldn't get can production. So, regroup, as all entrepreneurs do! Production is much simpler now than blending bitters and soda and canning it. And then there are fewer skews to track as well. The downside is, of course, smaller revenue with the canned beverage line gone. It causes the owners to crawl through the financials line by line to see what's necessary to keep the boat afloat and keeps the organization lean. It also makes decision-making clearer when dealing with a simpler product offering. You can find the eight flavors in grocery stores in the local Portland market and in specialty stores across the US. You can buy online at https://thebitterhousewife.com/. Follow them on: Instagram - @thebitterhousewife. Tiktok - @thebitterhouse. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

This show is a repeat of the “hottest” episode in Meaningful Marketplace's series. Our own Sarah Marshall of Marshall's Haute Sauce, interviews Catherine and Matt Kuerbis, Founders of Heat You Can Handle (HYCH) makers of another great hot sauce. They were first interviewed February 5, 2020 (episode #25) when the company was called Hoss Soss and we're going to see what has changed in their business since then. These two traveled the world and eventually landed in Salem, Oregon to start their own company. Dissatisfied with hot sauces they would take home and find simply too flammable to swallow, they began to experiment with other ingredients and found great recipes they could enjoy cooking and eating. And since they had seen so much of the world and experienced so many other cultures, it was only natural to include those other exotic flavors into their sauces and start sharing them with the world. In 2016, they launched from their home kitchen and have been at it ever since. Both Heat You Can Handle and its acronym HYCH (Hitch) were adopted in January 2023 in place of the original name, Hoss Soss. The couple just knew they wanted to get rid of the more generic play on words and after session upon session of trying to find the perfect name, they saw it right in front of their own eyes. They had already trademarked the phrase “Heat You Can Handle” so why not let it be the company name? And HYCH fell right in line with “hitching” a ride on the carousel of world flavors the company offers, so it was a natural fit. Initially, the couple thought they would need a complete rebranding and did some label mock-ups getting rid of the black background, the flames and changing the type font. However, their customer base resisted, feeling the original graphics were more in tune with the spirit and attitude of the company. Catherine and Matt also discussed changing some of the flavor names, because they thought the international names were difficult to pronounce. Again, the loyal customers replied those names were authentic and helped make their company unique. So they renamed their company and rebranded the products while keeping the magic of the original name. The new name and rebrand effort took much more time than they anticipated and in hindsight, the couple wishes they had started the journey earlier. Key to their success was communication. Not only by being sensitive – and smart – going to their loyal customers first, but also by being out in front of the brand change with their retail customers. Catherine and Matt (married since their first show with us; congratulations) made sure as the old product ran out on the shelf that the new product was brought in to sit alongside the old and make the transition smooth for the shopper. When you visit the website, https://heatyoucanhandle.com/, you'll see the video of Chef Matt (he has all the credentials) giving a rundown on all the flavors, with subtitles so you can read the exotic names. You can order sauces from there and find HYCH in retail locations. Follow them on: Twitter - @heatucanhandle, Instagram - @heatucanhandle, Facebook - @Heat You Can Handle, TikTok - @heatucanhandle. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Continuing our check in with previous show guests, Sarah Marshall talks today with Katie McCarron Founder of Portland Pet Food. Our last show with Katie was January 8, 2020 (episode #14) and to refresh our audience on her background story, Portland Pet Food began with the family Poodle, Rosie. At 14 years, Rosie had lost her appetite and her health declined. Determined to find something healthy that Rosie would love, Katie began cooking meals for her at home. She used locally-sourced, natural ingredients, and Rosie loved it. She regained her appetite and stayed strong for two and a half more years, living to 16 ½ years old! Just like that, Portland Pet Food Company was born. All products are human grade, no preservatives, hormones or meat by-products. Only natural and local meats, vegetables and grains are sourced. All meals and toppers are packaged in slim pouches that need no refrigeration. The company also produces baked goods for dogs and cats. Since our pre-COVID show with Katie, the company has added a couple of new lines to the product mix, but the most popular item continues to be the beef and rice dish originally served to Rosie the Poodle. The lockdown caused huge problems with the supply chain, hitting many industries hard and the pet food industry in particular. However, PPFC sources its ingredients locally, so they had a big advantage over other pet food purveyors. Not only that, but cans were in short supply during the lockdown as well. There again, advantage PPFC; the company packages it's meals in pouches and the pouch supply did not suffer. The company also had the advantage of being an essential business, so they could remain open, but of course, people had to be protected. And during the lockdown, they managed to get by with no COVID cases. The company was also counter to the lockdown trend, its business growing instead of shrinking. However, expanding during the lockdown was tricky to navigate. The kitchen with which they started was small and volume got to be overwhelming. They added a second location, with their office still in a third location, and inventory, production and keeping track of everything became a nightmare. That challenge was solved when they moved into their current, 15,000 square foot building where they can maintain better control. Of course, there's always a trade-off: The larger facility is a larger financial commitment which has added another challenge to the business. Plus, wheeling and dealing with distributors and grocery stores is a daunting task and finding the people with whom you can trust and do business with in the long haul is never easy. Katie and company also learned much about promoting their products in the last years. They used to promote all products at the same time and have learned to be more selective about both timing and products to promote. They enjoy store locations in both the entire US and much of Canada, a testament to their quality and the loyalty of pet lovers everywhere. They also enjoy a strong consumer direct business as you can see when you visit their website: https://portlandpetfoodcompany.com/. Follow them on: Twitter - @portlandpetfood Instagram - @portlandpetfood Facebook – IG @portlandpetfood. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

As we continue to look back and interview previous guests to learn how they are doing currently, our host Sarah Marshall talks with Tessa Koch of TMK Creamery. Our first interview with Tessa was November 20, 2019 (episode #6). They had just released their first dairy alcohol product, Cowcohol Vodka. And then the lockdown hit. The facility that was going to do their distilling suddenly had to switch all production to hand sanitizer and the big pivot was on. Tessa and her husband began to construct their own distillery and obviously learn HOW to distill alcohol. But not just figure out the final product, but also how to use the curds for new food products, purify the water and recycle it to the cows and turn the whole operation into a zero-waste production. The operation also is a closed system. TMK uses only the milk from the Cowlebrities (that's right, new word invented by them) they own, no outside milk purchased. And in keeping with their complete transparency policy, they are very open to the public, encouraging visitations and offering tours. Of course, COVID and the lockdown threw a wrench into that model. At first, the numbers of visitors needed to be limited, but being an outdoor facility helped the company comply with protocol and still be able to allow the public access to their production process and beautiful acreage. The husband/wife team is very focused on educating children about the wholesome dairy business and will have 2,000 – 3,000 young people visit their farm every summer. The food and beverage operations are behind glass for health reasons, but the Cowlebrities and Junior Cowlebrities are in open barns and available to walk up to them and pet or feed them, or both! There also is a food truck with all their food items plus ice cream and ice cream treats and cocktails from their distilled beverages. So once more, entrepreneurs figure it out because they have a goal and a vision and the determination to get there. COVID pulled the rug out from under TMK's plans by first taking away their distiller and then cutting down on their agritourism visitors. So Tessa and husband dug in, built their own distillery, managed their visitors and have come out with a unique and popular business educating and entertaining many. The tagline on their website at https://tmkcreamery.com/ says it all: Real Farm. Real Food. It all starts on the farm. Follow them at: FB and IG TMKcreamery and YouTube TMKcreamery. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

In 2000, three families got together to open a neighborhood market, a place where local communities could come together to connect with where their food came from. They wanted a friendly, inviting place that honored its region's farmers, ranchers, growers and makers—helping them – and their customers – prosper for generations to come. They called it New Seasons Market. A previous New Seasons guest on our show, Lori Hunter whose title is Local Finds and Culinary Events Program Manager (say that three times in a row fast) joins our host Sarah Marshall to talk about the difference in operating their grocery store chain now, in comparison to her first, pre-COVID lockdown interview. Loris starts by saying that having an online presence has been one of the biggest changes since then. The shift worked well for New Seasons as people went to online shopping and grocery store pickup, because the company had aligned with Instacart early on. New Seasons also has a dedicated e-commerce team that worked with its vendor partners to load their product pictures and pricing information onto the website to keep sales moving. And to go the extra mile, New Seasons put its local vendor products on end caps and helped their vendor partners develop new recipes to stimulate sales. In the beginning of the COVID lockdown, they limited the number of people in the store and had all the social distance, masks, hand sanitizers and dots on the floor to keep customers and staff super safe as no one was sure what was going to happen. One of the big curve balls the lockdown threw to grocers was the proverbial toilet paper “shortage”. The grocery store that was popular was the store with toilet paper, right? But when the TP started getting distributed again, delivery trucks were full with nothing but TP, because the boxes were so large. This, of course, created a shortage of other products because there was no room left on the truck. But because New Seasons' vendor profile has always been local makers and growers, their deliveries of cheese, fish, meat, vegetables, wine, fruit and all the other great foods didn't change and they dodged the rows of empty shelves that many other grocers faced. Another big change was the traditional in-store sampling. The lockdown made the New Seasons' team take a new look at staffing structure for that activity. Their previous formula was to let people in each store conduct sampling activities spontaneously and was heavily recipe driven. As Lori's title of culinary events demonstrates, sampling is now arranged as a promoted and targeted event company wide. As an example, the chain recently promoted sockeye salmon in their sampling to create a great customer experience revolving around trying something new, liking it and buying it. The salmon is local and in addition, New Seasons promotes the sauces and spices to go along with the recipes and those are also locally sourced. And this cooperative spirit comes back to New Seasons: Their local vendor partners create recipes for the promoted items on their own social networks and wrap the effort around the item being sold at New Seasons Market. It all works to support the company's mission: To build community through good food. Go to their website for a great experience: https://www.newseasonsmarket.com/. Social media: IG@newseasonsmarket. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Yvonne Finde, founder of Portland, Oregon based Momo Coco was the very first guest in our show series. This interview is a great opportunity for aspiring food entrepreneurs to hear not only how a fellow founder has survived and grown over the last years, but also managed to navigate the challenges of the COVID lockdown. She is the maker of a variety of non-dairy coco mixes so that everyone can enjoy a delicious, warm cup of coco. Most of their products are vegan and all are gluten free. The high coco butter content makes the drinks exceptionally creamy and highly comparable to dairy based coco drinks. So, since that first show in 2019, how have things changed for Momo Coco? For one thing, Yvonne was a startup back then with two or three products. The line has expanded greatly and the company has revamped its packaging since then. The coco mixes now come in a pouch you tear open and the company logo was enlarged and a bright color coding scheme was adopted to differentiate between flavors and to help the package stand out on the shelf. And if you look at the package you'll see, front and center, a cat. That's Momo, who represents “Curl Up With a Cup!”, the company's trademarked slogan. Yvonne's creativity and her mission to have everyone enjoy a cup of coco has earned the company Good Food Awards. These awards are given by organizations that support and honor food companies whose products are nutritious, sustainable and created with quality control. It's not only an honor to be recognized, it's great publicity and puts Momo Coco in a category shared with only the best companies. Part of the magic of Yvonne's story is that chocolate is everywhere in the world and offers a way for everyone to connect. And by including those who cannot tolerate dairy, the ingredient becomes even more omnipresent in the globe. Momo Coco can be found in Farmers Markets in the Greater Portland/Vancouver area, at regional grocery stores plus The Meadow and its NYC stores, or purchase online: https://www.momococoa.com/. Follow them on Instagram - @momo_cocoa_co and Facebook - @momococoaco. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

A Florida native now living in Portland, Oregon, Margalaxy founder Margaux (no last name apparently; you know, Cher, Sting, Madonna) always had a passion for creating healthy bodies by feeding them healthy food. She also had a love of baking pastries since the age of 14. So with that as the background, here's the story. Margaux got her degree in International Baking & Pastry Arts and spent 15 years in the baking world, seeing the gut busting cane sugary consumption of everyday Americans and pondering how to offer healthy pastries. She experimented with refined-sugar free, and healthier dessert options and upon arriving in Portland, her passion developed into helping individuals with their sugar addictions by offering her creations as an alternative. Margaux's business savvy also plays heavily into her story, as she realized early on if she wanted to be successful in helping people, she needed to have a successful business strategy. She took the crawl-before-you-walk approach by offering a grab and go coffee cart which is still operating, then transitioning to a superfood bar and café location of which she is co-owner. Of course, the bar and café opened right at the beginning of lockdown – a familiar story – but pushed through the pandemic and survived. Margaux's “Galaxy” as she explains it, happened when she put together the perfect orbit of grab and go, mixed with healthy foods, mixed with delicious dessert. This trifecta has evolved into a sugar liberation movement for all who wish to indulge without the side effects of refined sweet foods because her pastries are easy for the body to break down and use as fuel. Her products are made without ovens and refined sugar and Margaux is constantly experimenting with new recipes. Recently, the café and bar were honored in the top 20 vegan restaurants in Portland, a city with a huge vegetarian and vegan community. Margaux's website, food cart, bar and café combination offer an incredible number of smoothies in addition to pastries and cookies. If you go to the galaxy website you'll see the dazzling array of raw, dairy/gluten/soy free, nutrient rich of desserts: http://margalaxy.com/. Currently, Margalaxy's products are available consumer direct from the website, food cart and bar and café: http://bestfriendpdx.com/ . Follow her on social media: IG @bestfriendpdx @margalaxysnacks, FB @bestfriendpdx @margalaxysnacks. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Sitting in her apartment, Clare McLeod took stock of her relationship with food. Like many young women, she had been addicted to “healthy eating”, restricting added sugar, calories, processed foods, etc. Because of those restrictions to only eat "clean" foods, she intensely craved "unclean" foods. That swing between restriction and indulgence was exhausting - physically, mentally and emotionally so she decided to do something about it. Clare adored Greek yogurt and consumed it daily but desired a dairy-free option to keep with her more vegan lifestyle. She tried 30 different brands looking for yogurt high in protein, low in sugar, thick in consistency, creamy, good tasting and under $10 a jar. Nothing! And so the inspiration to create her own brand to satisfy her desires and – hopefully – the desires of many other consumers on which to build a food business, was born. Clare started at the beginning of the COVID lockdown in 2020 to develop the right recipe in her kitchen. This was in Washington, D.C. where Clare was working an intense job but starting her business on the side. She was accepted into an accelerator program but the directors wanted her to quit her day job and that was not an option financially. This prompted her decision to move back to her home town of Portland, Oregon knowing that there was an intense community focus on Farmers Markets where she could begin sales and distribution on a startup budget. Back in D.C., Clare branded her first product alt, short for an alternative yogurt, but after moving to Portland, wanted a fresh start and therefore a fresh new name, ona. Clare liked vowels and short names and ona just rolled off the tongue. Clare's recipe starts with tofu as a base and adheres strictly to a non-GMO sourcing regimen for the three main flavors, Oregon strawberry, Oregon marionberry and plain. She also believes in sourcing locally and supporting local businesses. The brand strikes a balance between what our bodies crave (a touch of authentic sweetness) and what we need (protein to get us through the day). After a year-plus break to work a job and perfect the yogurt culture, Clare launched the packaged ona product in 2023, so the new brand is still young. She sells only in Farmers Markets in the greater Portland area so far, but her success and drive will obviously keep her business growing. Website: https://www.onayogurt.com/about. IG @Ona.yogurt. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Sena Seafoods (pronounced see' nuh) has a long, long history of fishing. As Sena Wheeler of Sena Seafoods recounts, her grandfather immigrated to the Ballard, Washington from Norway with his brothers and became a commercial fisherman in 1938. They fished using traditional Norwegian longlines, and passed the knowledge to their children, who passed it on again. Their boat logs show the family fished the waters from as far north as Alaska and as far south as Mexico. Sena's father, Art, fished for thirty years, and Sena has fond memories of making trips with him on the Alrita as a teenager. Now in their fifth generation of fishing, the family loves what they do and are contributing the dinner table as well as to the environment. Our hosts received some fishing education in this episode and want to pass it along to the listeners. Salmon are caught in smaller boats because they are found at the mouth of a river as it empties into the ocean. By contrast, a longliner is typically fishing for halibut, black cod and bottom fish out in the deep ocean. The term longline comes from using one very long line that is dropped to the ocean floor. It lays on the floor for about a mile and every three feet is attached a shorter line with a hook on it, called a ganyard. Crews are usually five fishers and the boat is large (imagine the boats in the show, “Deadliest Catch”) with hydraulics to pull in the longline. Processing is done in Sena Seafoods' fisherman-owned custom processing facility in Cordova, AK (60 North Seafoods) where they focus on the frozen portion of their business, freezing six-ounce portions, wrapping them in parchment and individually vacuum-sealing each and every prize piece. They specialize in premium quality and traceability which means the fish never leaves their hands and they have complete control of our entire process. Selling directly to the consumer has allowed Sena Seafood to keep a high quality product by also educating their customers to the “whys” of their fish tasting better and what to look for in a quality cut of fish. Sena Wheeler is well qualified to handle the quality control aspects of the business as well as manage the environmental issues. She has a masters degree in Nutrition and Food Science with a specialty in quantifying omega 3's in fish, and determining preferred handling practices for premium quality. Go to their website to order amazing cuts of fish, spices, smoked fish and delicious recipes: https://www.senasea.com/pages/about-us. And follow them on social media at Instagram - https://instagram.com/senasea_seafoods and Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/senaseafoods/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

"Inspiration is always the key to the startup, and Richa Gupta, Founder of Good Food For Good, got that inspiration in 2015. Growing up in India, her mother cooked three fresh meals each day – every day – for her family. Using only fresh and natural ingredients, Richa got to experience a nutritious childhood bathed in goodness. But upon moving to North America and having a demanding career in marketing at General Mills, Richa experienced a time squeeze that her mother never had. With a huge proportion of her time spent keeping up in her job, there was no time to purchase fresh ingredients and prepare fresh, home cooked meals for her children. And serving fast food such as pizza and burgers to her children was leaving her wracked with guilt, not being able to pass down the experience she enjoyed as a child. So the big question confronting Richa was this: How could she help other mothers create meaningful, nutritious meals for their children by providing them with wholesome ingredients to cut down on the time it takes to prepare those delicious, fresh cooked meals she enjoyed? It was a challenge, but nothing this bright and energetic woman was about to shy away from. First, none of her products would contain any refined sugar, soy, corn syrup, gluten, dairy, or preservatives. They would be certified organic. Her philosophy was, if you wouldn't add it when cooking from scratch, you wouldn't find it in her products either. And unlike most store-bought sauces you can find, she did not believe in relying on sugar and artificial additives for flavor. All of her organic sauces would be Keto, Paleo, Vegan, and Whole30 Approved. There are two “Goods” in the company name for a reason. The first is for the food, the second is for the good that goes to the world for buying her products. Every time you buy one of their products, they donate a meal to someone in need. They are a Buy One, Feed One venture on a mission to make the world a better place for all. Along with their customers, Good Food For Good has donated over 900,000 meals through partnerships with food banks & nonprofit organizations across the US, Canada and India. As a B Corp Certified™ Company, they use business as a force for good in the world. You can buy line at https://goodfoodforgood.ca/ and shipping is free in the US and Canada. You also can find her products in stores across North America. Find out more: IG @goodfoodforgood. FB @goodfoodforgood. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall. Instagram - @masoniandmarshall."

Founder, CEO, Mom and Baker, Joanna Strahm takes on all the challenges of a female food entrepreneur and keeps moving forward. She is every inch the baker, beginning with her Mom in the family kitchen, side-by-side. The passion continued, and she chose to formalize her hobby into a profession, receiving a pastry certificate from Tante Marie's in San Francisco. Although she had a fulltime job, she shoehorned in an internship at Tartine Bakery during the morning bake, the sure sign of a hardcore entrepreneur. The experience made her very employable at Batter Bakery, a very busy neighborhood bakery. It was there she learned to incorporate whole grains into baked goods to elevate flavors, a skill that would become the foundation of her own company. Batter Bakery also provided her with a crash course in starting a company from scratch. The Batter people decided to open up a satellite branch with Joanna the chosen implementor. Getting a baking business up and running from the ground up – on someone else's dime – proved invaluable to Joanna in starting her own company. When the satellite branch did not work out, the Batter management encouraged Joanna to go out on her own, and that was the jump off point. She opened Small Baking Company in 2016, baking out of a shared kitchen space in Portland, Oregon. She was inspired by the style and flavors of the PNW and immediately built her recipes around them. First sales were in the ample locations of Farmers Markets in the area, and her success was quick. She still consistently sells out at nearly every market day, leaving sad customers who got in line a little too late! The company has wholesale accounts and their delights are available at select restaurants. They also accept orders online for pickup at the Farmers Markets. However, it's a good idea to order early, the company is still not able to keep up with current demand. The menu includes lots of different whole grain cookies and rotating flavors of scones, cakes, and more. Joanna uses seasonal, locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, including organic whole grains and seasonal fruits. Just this year, Small Baking Company moved to their very own kitchen in their hometown, Oregon City, where they plan to have a drive up window soon. Besides their retail channel, Small Baking Company creates custom orders for your very special occasions such as weddings, graduations, anniversaries and so forth. The website is well crafted and shows off the line well: https://www.smallbaking.co/. IG: @smallbakingco. FB:@smallbakingco. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

In the late 1980's Mahsa Darabi's family made the big immigration jump from Iran to Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA. That's the real beginning of her company, The Moody Persian, because it was Mahsa's heritage from Iran that she learned to fall back on and from which to draw both strength and happiness. As a Middle Easterner dropped into a very Western culture, she endured the slurs and laughter sent her way by those who saw her as different. At first this was humiliating to her, but then she found that clinging to her culture and background made her proud that she had a different point of view on life and that her point of view was warm and beautiful. And much of that culture revolved around succulent food shared at a big table with family, friends, singing and dancing. As Mahsa began cooking and sharing her Iranian dishes with others, the heckling and cat calling started to die down and the cultural gap began to evaporate. Once again, the power of sitting down together and sharing a meal broke down previous cultural barriers. Mahsa had another talent as it turned out. Starting at about 14 years old, she began acting in TV commercials and launched a budding modeling career. Yet again, she found her background “differences” – her facial and body features – that made her feel like an ugly duckling were considered exotic and exactly what modeling agencies look for. Then COVID rocked her life, cutting off her work and leaving her in terror for the health of her family, including the recent birth of their third child. This is where Mahsa turned again to the power of cooking and sitting down to a meal together. She didn't want her daughters to Zoom away their day, so she started teaching them science, math and culinary arts. She had them all in the kitchen cooking and preparing meals and that made sitting down together afterward an even richer experience. Mahsa has always found the kitchen as the place where she could concentrate, and it was there that the idea for her company was born. She always liked being in front of the camera so she decided to share recipes on Instagram. Then, when assembling recipes to write a book, Mahsa remembered that there was usually some person who inspired her to create that recipe and put her into the mood to create that dish. The Moody Persian name was born. Also part of her Iranian/Persian culture is tea, and she drinks lots. Too much as it turned out, as she was getting the jitters from too much caffeine. So she looked for decaffeinated tea but did not like the taste and longed for the spices and richness of her home tea but without the caffeine. Back to the kitchen, Mahsa took a year of experimenting and came up with Moody Chai, which is available on her website. Mahsa has been a finalist on Food Network's Cutthroat Kitchen. She's also been a real estate agent, private chef, accidental influencer, and has enjoyed an enduring career as a model and actor in the Portland area for over 20 years. Website: https://www.moodypersian.com/. Social media: @moodychai @themoodypersian. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Always looking for that REALLY unique gift? Lots of people, and lots of companies, are looking all the time. To dazzle the recipient, brighten their day, or make a memorable impression. That's the business of Founder Leigh Griffith who owns Bella Vino Gifts. Bella Vino is a hyper-local gift procureing company that puts a dazzling touch on the cornucopia chosen by the buyer. Bella Vino's packaging, whether boxes, baskets or bags, is simply stunning and is so hand crafted it gives a custom, “made just for you” impression. The uniqueness of the company is in the sourcing. All items in the gift are from Oregon women-owned and small-family owned businesses. And those Oregon food entrepreneurs have an amazing, imaginative range of gifts from food items, toys, snacks, wines and beers. Wine and beer have some restrictions on shipping, but nothing major. This ambitious business works because of a robust website. Individuals can order a box or basket online with some room for customizing the gift and then putting the sophisticated ribbons and bows on from there. Custom orders can be really fun as well, and you should visit the website to see that there is no limit to the imagination for Leigh to turn into a gift. Corporate gifts are custom and volume oriented and this is where a company's brand gets glowing reviews. Any company looking to make a lasting statement with their customers and partners can score big time with Bella Vino Gifts as they are breathtaking. And small businesses and individual consultants, real estate agents and others who have a personal connection to their clients also can benefit from the Bell Vino mystique. The company is located in Corvallis, Oregon, home of Oregon State University (whose OSU Food Innovation Center is a sponsor of this show) and most of the products sourced come from this area. How did Leigh think of this great idea? Well, speaking of OSU, Leigh graduated from there with a degree in exercise and science which led her to do the “gym thing” in Portland, Oregon for a while. A back issue scratched that career from her life list, but she found that she was extraordinary in the field of gift packaging, which she stumbled onto simply by creating packages for her friends. Baby showers, birthdays and other occasions started the word of mouth and pretty soon someone convinced her she could sell her packaging talent. Leigh then did her homework, researching magazines and searching the Internet to figure out how to start and maintain a business. She made the decision to look locally for food gifts initially and magically found the best items were from the small family and women owned businesses. That turned out to be a huge selling advantage, as customers were eager to support those types of businesses. Of course, the focus of our show, “Meaningful Marketplace”, is to highlight female food entrepreneurs, we so truly have a mutual admiration society going here. Website: https://bellavinogiftbaskets.com/. Insta: @BellaVinoGifts. FB: @bellavinogiftbasketspage. Pinterest: @bellavinogifts1. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Dtocs Founder and Mompreneur Pallavi Pande explains the company name “Dtocs” comes from the obvious word that means “a cleansing journey”. And this is what inspires her mission to collect fallen palm leaves and use them for beneficial purposes before they deteriorate beyond usefulness. The slight variation in spelling is to catch a person's interest and begin the conversation into the life benefits the company has to offer them. But Pallavi's detoxification process is much larger in scope than the usual cleansing of the body, she is looking to detox the planet. Their products are straws, spoons, bowls, plates and party packs made from naturally fallen palm leaves on which to enjoy your clean, healthy meals while having the knowledge that the utensils you are using are completely biodegradable. They are chemical free, plastic free, compostable, microwave safe, elegant and single use disposable. And Pallavi's design sense for a clean, lean, minimal impact on the planet company goes one step beyond being sustainable and environmentally careful. Dtocs employs a majority female workforce and part of the proceeds from sales go towards improving education for the poor local communities in India. Her line is tasteful, uplifting, and beautifully designed, to show you can be a sophisticated person and still be responsible to Mother Earth. How did she get there? Her upbringing is from India and the diet and philosophies of her upbringing continue today. While in India, she wanted to spread the consciousness of being aware of one's senses and surroundings. When visiting a farm that grew nuts that fell from palm trees, she got the idea of making something of the fallen leaves before they rotted. By heat-compressing the leaves, they are easily shaped into the designer table wares and their natural beauty is an added attraction. This particular palm only grows in India, so don't go taking the leaves off the palm trees in your neighborhood and expect to make plates and straws. Now people have a choice for their single-use utensil products; ones that sit in the landfill or Dtocs utensils that give back to the earth. Pallavi sums it up best on her website: I started DTOCS with these 3 things in mind- Sustainability, Community and Usability. Dtocs products are available online, https://dtocs.com/. Wholesale prices also are on the site. Personal Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pallavi-pande-bb5abb1b/, Business Linkedin for Dtocs- https://www.linkedin.com/company/57414687/admin/, Fb page- https://www.facebook.com/dtocsplates, Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dtocsplates/, Tiktok- https://www.tiktok.com/@dtocsplates, Pinterest- https://www.pinterest.com/palpande/ , Twitter- https://twitter.com/DtocsL, youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9fvPs051hLboYHa_XjxlUg. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

There are wheat farms, corn farms, even fish farms, but not a lot of thimbleberry farms. In fact, we only know of one and that's the Thimbleberry Collaborative Farm located in east Multnomah County, Oregon. So what is a thimbleberry anyway? It fits on the end of your finger as does a thimble and is similar to a raspberry with a bit more tartness. It grows wild and makes a great hiking snack, so look for them on your next outdoor trek. When the founders of Thimbleberry, including Executive Director Amanda Martinez, came up with their concept of a sustainable collaborative farm, the thimbleberry plant made the statement they were looking for. Thimbleberries grow by expanding through their root system; they pop up naturally in all kinds of locations. That made it a popular symbol for the founders as they wanted their farm concept to grow in the community the same natural way. It also is notable the group calls their farm a collaborative and not a collective. The founders recognized there were other great organizations that had been serving the community longer than they had and so collaborating with them in workshops, education, CSA efforts and so forth expanded everyone's reach and success in the community. Thimbleberry has focused on the vegetables and fruits that grow well in the region with impressive results on a half-acre plot. That will change soon as they expand to a five-acre plot close to their current location. The farm is a constant experiment in agriculture to always be on the leading edge. The founders just started a deep mulch initiative, which will allow for an earlier start to the growing season. And there is a learning garden for experimenting with new foods and new growing practices as well as producing food for the community members and serves as the classroom for their field trips and workshops. Although not open to the public at all times right now, the group has applied for all the necessary permitting for their new, larger farm to allow much more public interaction. Amanda's background is a natural for her Executive position. She grew up in the hills near San Jose, CA, where she and her family raised farm animals as pets. She attended Stanford University, where she studied Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture on the University farm. She has worked on educational farms, directed summer camps and managed nonprofit organizations which shaped her dream to start an educational community farm. Additionally, Amanda recently graduated from an MBA program at Yale School of Management. Find out more at Instagram is @thimbleberrycollaborativefarm. Website: https://thimbleberrycollaborativefarm.org/. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Shelley Elkovich and husband Jeff were always entertaining people, with Shelley taking the role of bartender. Then, the couple took a whale watching trip on the Salish Sea where Shelley developed an extremely rare neurological reaction to the boat trip. It affected her equilibrium and cause her “break up with booze”, as she puts it. Shelley soon became aware of how people can feel marginalized when they don't join in with a drinking crowd and it bothered her. A self-described food nerdie, Shelley looked for, but couldn't find, alcohol free drinks that met both her palate standards and her ingredient standards. And as happens so often in the entrepreneur world, when you can find what you want, start making it yourself, and that's just what the couple did. In spring of 2020 they launched For Bitter For Worse. A playful pun on their wedding vows, yes. But more, a heads up to the consumer that Shelley, the Taste Maven of the company, likes cocktails with spark, with zest and drinks that create a memory, this from her years behind the bar. Her experience also determined the line, offering two sparkling drinks currently, which are great as aperitifs or spritzers. One still beverage is a red beverage basically an alcohol free red wine. The other still is a potent, smoky nightcap, so the entire entertainment evening is covered from AF aperitifs to AF nightcaps. The couple also has taken their AF red wine and added single servings in cans, keeping up with consumer preferences. The process to create these elixirs is quite fascinating. Jeff's the Reverse Bootlegger. For Bitter For Worse uses all botanical ingredients for their beverages. They macerate this proprietary blend of herbs and botanicals in neutral alcohol and water to extract the flavors. Using a still, the remove the alcohol (“reverse bootlegging”). This creates their robust, bitter spirit base. Jeff invented the patent-pending process and converted Shelley's recipes to scalable formulas, no easy fete. This is how the couple is fulfilling their mission: To provide sober folks and those who are simply cutting back on booze a way to embrace occasion and community, inviting opportunity for richer relationships. They aim to create a healthier, more inclusive culture. For Bitter For Worse beverages are available in major groceries stores in Oregon, select grocers across the US and online at http://forbitterforworse.com/. Social media at @forbitterforworse and Twitter @drinkFBFW. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

It's Fancy Foods Show time again, the big industry show of the Specialty Foods Association. SFA is a membership-based trade association in the United States representing 3,000+ member companies. The SFA was established in 1952 to foster trade, commerce and interest in the specialty food industry in the U.S., worth $148 billion as of May 2020. Our very own Sarah Masoni is on the board of SFA and so is a strong believer in the benefits aspiring food entrepreneurs can receive. Attending the Fancy Foods industry show puts company owners face-to-face with distributors and retailers alike. The Association obviously has accumulated tons of data available to company owners and also offers many instructional courses for going to market and expanding. Regional support staff also is close by to answer entrepreneur questions and help keep your company growing. Enough about the organization and on to the Winter Fancy Foods show in Las Vegas this last January. Sarah Masoni took a group to Incubator Village, including Nomad Snacks, FiMi Kingston, Portland Salt Company, Community Co-Pack Northwest, TaTu Protein Waters and Tan Tan, Deli, all previous guests on our shows. Feedback from everyone was positive and there also was an Oregon pavilion which drew good crowds. Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center, of which Sarah Masoni is Director, had a space in the Innovation Village. And in that space, our own Sarah Marshall, Marshall's Haute Sauce, had her first pop-up chef's counter. Sarah cooked for some of the food companies Sarah Masoni brought along highlighting their products in her dishes. The extra room to cook made for a much more kitchen-like area for preparing than the usual crammed booth and the results were very well received. On the menu: Steak and potato bites on a skewer and later on, lettuce wraps. The creative and new idea brought people in who filmed the action and not only the Association but also YouTube channels filmed and played the unique idea. It has resulted in great publicity for Sarah, her Haute Sauce line and also for the recipes she has created and offers in her books. Of course, we are students in life and constantly learning, and Sarah Marshall now has learned more about transporting food and cooking utensils. One of the best parts of the show is expanding one's palate because of all the fine foods from around the world brought to one location for sampling. The other great aspect is seeing where the food trends are going to keep up with the industry. Here are the top 10 as Fancy Foods sees them: 1.Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Culture, 2.Fermented for Function, 3.Honey Is Hot, 4.New Packaging Form and Utility, 5.Starters, Bases, Kits, and Shortcuts for Convenience, 6.Pantry Without Borders, 7.Sustainable, Upcycled, or Regeneratively Grown Ingredients, 8.High-Quality Meal Prep, 9.Health in Balance and 10.Beneficial Beans (and Lentils). Interesting; we've seen many products in these categories show up on the show and many more being produced in Oregon, home state of our hosts. So tune in even deeper on social media for Sarah and Sarah: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Guest number nine on our podcast show in late 2019, Jacoba Gundle was just getting ready to launch their new product a protein beverage. That, of course was the beginning of the COVID lockdown and a lot of commerce came to a screeching halt, including their targeted marketplace. The company had been readying packaging, fine tuning its recipes and had called its drink Restore Protein Water. Co-packers were all lined up and then…nothing. The market strategy was to sell at yoga studies, Pilates studios, exercise gyms and all in-person types of venues, which of course were vaporized. So from that point until 2021, the company rebranded, changed their marketing strategy, kept the formulation engineered at Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center (our very own Sarah Masoni is Director) and named the drink Tatu (tah too') Protein Water. There are two flavors, lemon ginger and orange mango, both loaded with 15 grams of protein but zero sugar per can. So the sudden stop of the lockdown became a blessing in disguise according to Jacoba, because it forced the company to slow down, make more thoughtful decisions and clearly this new path is working well. The company, Mindful Proteins has created its distribution through grocery store shelves and online sales. However, now that in-person venues are revitalized, the company is also selling in the yoga and exercise studios it originally targeted. Orange Theory studios and cycling studios have been particularly popular places to sell Tatu as people are paying attention to health more and more. And Mindful Proteins is right there to serve them as their mission is to create a family of high-protein, functional foods and beverages made from healthy and simple ingredients. So the vision is for many lines of healthful food products for people seeking that healthy lifestyle. Tatu is the first and appeals to the active person because of the high protein content. At 15 grams per can, each can delivers about one-third of the daily recommended amount and it's the protein, especially right after a workout, that restores muscle growth, helps prevent soreness and provides an energy lift after exercise. The word is getting out. BevNET, a Beverage Business Insight industry blog and highlighted by Fancy Foods as a new trending item. There is a mission behind the mission, as well. Mindful Proteins is sustainable at every turn, including the cans, packaging and a commitment to people, planet and profit. They track with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and you can check their progress on their website: https://mindfulproteins.com/. Also: IG @drinktatu. Tiktok is apparently live but Jacoba didn't know the handle at show time. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

2007 Was the birthday party for Montavilla Famers Market of Portland, Oregon, when the local residents and business people decided to get together, raise some money and provide a community resource. It has remained a staple for the neighborhood and indeed the city and is still located on the same grounds. In 2020, Lisa Hall joined as the Marketing Manager, doing such an outstanding job that about a month ago, she was named Executive Director of the entire operation. It's only natural. Not only does Lisa have a marketing background, she lives in the Montavilla area, circulates amongst the neighbors and truly has an ear to the ground for the community's desires for an open marketplace. Montavilla is the real Goldilocks size; not too big and not too small, 80-90 vendors during the year. That gives the populace a place to shop for craft foods without being crushed by the masses and yet have a great selection of specialties to take home. Lisa has a solid background for running the Montavilla market, having been part of the Portland Farmers Market previously. That organization ran five market places and was one of the largest in the area. The big difference was of course resources; the Portland organization had more vendors and revenue and could do special events such as bringing in name chefs for demonstrations. However, the neighborhood market scene caters to the loyal neighbors who live close by, shop regularly and it maintains a family feel you don't get with the big crowd of large events. In fact, a survey recently showed about half of the people at the market walked there from their home. To become a vendor, a company applies online and if their product looks enticing and like it would add to the overall offering of the market, they are invited to present to a taste test group for a final approval. If the company has a viable product that would appeal to the shoppers, then space obviously is the next consideration, as a small, intimate marketplace needs to remain small. That aspect comes into play during seasonal items, such as fruits and berries, which take up a lot of the limited room. Another wrinkle about being a reflection of the neighborhood is recognizing its ethnicity. Not only does the market offer ethnic foods desired by the community, the market's website highlights them in different languages to cater to the people living there. And in keeping with their mission to provide local, healthy food to the community, a vendor requirement is that at least 25% of their ingredients be sourced directly from farmers. Many vendors source an even larger percentage and therefore stand out. This guideline keeps the authenticity and vision of the boutique market alive. Plus, it adds to the farm-direct offering of dairy products, farm-direct wines, beers, ciders and even beans and grains by solidly engaging the local farmers. The market is open fulltime year-round now as the vendors and farmers wanted the outlet for their foods and the neighbors were delighted to have fresh foods offered year round. Win-win. So you have a number of businesses trying to survive and shoppers looking for their food treasures. The rhythm of the market meets the rhythm of the community. Harmony on display. To learn more: IG and FB: @montavillamarket. Website: montavillamarket.org. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.