In this engaging hour-long conversation, I sit down with Justin Freeman, consultant and founder of Juniper Rim Partners, to explore the critical topics facing today’s food industry leaders and founder-led companies. Our discussion covers essential themes for scaling food brands, including consulting best practices, navigating complex team dynamics, setting healthy boundaries in professional settings, and building resilience for long-term success. …
The Biggest Fallacy I See Every Day: “I Just Need a Co-Man.”
If I had a dollar for every email that starts with “I have a recipe and all I need is a co-man,” I could probably fund a few startups myself. Here’s the truth most founders don’t realize: Finding a contract manufacturer isn’t where your journey begins — it’s where it ends. It’s the result of months of preparation, validation, and …
Why You Can’t Rely on the Line Lead to “Figure It Out”
Last week I was back on the factory floor working on scale-up projects for two clients. These are the weeks I love most, when the ideas and spreadsheets finally meet reality. Seeing the product run through the line and watching a concept come to life never gets old. During one of these runs, a client had made some recipe changes …
How AI-Powered Transcription Transforms Business Communication: A Case Study
🚀 How AI-Powered Transcription Transforms Business Communication: A Case Study One of our favorite clients, a fast-growing food brand, faced a challenge many founder-led businesses encounter: communication gaps that slowed decision-making and efficiency. 👥 The business was co-founded by two brothers, each leading in different areas:🔹 One was a natural networker—gregarious, extroverted, and constantly engaging with potential partners, investors, and …
Easy predictive maintenance with ai and excel -no cost big impact
Equipment downtime can lead to significant time and money losses for small food processing facilities. Fortunately, once considered the domain of large corporations with expensive software, predictive maintenance is now within reach for small operations using free tools like ChatGPT and simple data tracking with Excel or Google Sheets. What is Predictive Maintenance? Predictive maintenance is a proactive approach that …
Which Certifications are Important for My Co-Packer to Have?
Which Certifications Should My Co-Packer Hold? When nutrition bar companies partner with co-packers, it’s important for those co-packers to hold certain certifications. There are many different certifications and capabilities available, and choosing a co-packer that holds the right ones to help your brand improve its reach and satisfy its customers can result in a profitable and growing energy bar business. …
How to Transition to a New Nutrition Bar Co-Packer
When nutrition bar companies are ready to move on to a new co-packer, it is a big decision. Co-packers can become ingrained in the brand, the business, and the formulas, so removing them from the process can seem like a daunting and unpleasant task. What’s more, after you’ve decided to break up with your current co-packer, you need to navigate …
How to balance competing goals in product development
Mastering the Culinary Conundrum: A Guide to Balancing Competing Objectives in Food Product Optimization Executive Summary Food product optimization requires navigating a labyrinth of conflicting priorities like nutrition, taste, cost, shelf life, processing constraints, ingredient availability, and certification requirements. This paper unveils strategies and technologies that empower businesses to reconcile these divergent objectives and elevate their food products. Introduction Optimizing …
The Art of Food Product Development
The Art of Food Product Development Introduction The food industry is a dynamic and ever-changing landscape, with new products, flavors, and trends emerging every day. This constant evolution makes food product development a crucial aspect of the industry. Companies are always on the lookout for innovative and successful products that will stand out in the market and capture consumers’ attention. …
What Does it Mean to Ethically Source Ingredients?
In recent years, the demand for ethically sourced and sustainable products has dramatically increased. According to a Nielsen survey, 55% of global respondents have valued brands with environmentally and socially ethical business practices, so much so that they’re willing to pay more for ethically sourced products. But claiming your nutrition bar is made with ethically sourced ingredients carries more weight …
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