Food Innovation Center Offers Food Business Basics Workshop and Training Session for Food Entrepreneurs

The Food Innovation Center at Rutgers is having a Food Business Basics Workshop and Training Session for early stage entrepreneurs on Monday, September 9 from 9:00am-5:00pm at the Rutgers EcoComplex.

Food Business Basics is a unique opportunity for food entrepreneurs to learn critical aspects of entering or growing their business in the prepared food and beverage industry. Attendees will be in front of movers and shakers working in the industry, who will give advice on to how create, commercialize, market and sell in this competitive market.

The one-day interactive workshop and training session will include hot panel discussions and round table breakout sessions where attendees will be able to learn and get questions answered by business and technical experts, including food scientists, food safety regulators, food buyers and distributors, legal experts, trend and category experts, marketing and packaging gurus, successful entrepreneurs and many more! 

Hot Panel Discussions (as of 8/13/29) will include:

Selling Your Product – How to sell to the retail buyer, foodservice operator and through ecommerce: John Lawson, regional grocery buyer, Whole Foods Market; Lisa Tenore, senior food buyer,  Rutgers University; Diane Holtaway, associate director of Marketing & Business Development, Rutgers Food Innovation Center (Bridgeton); Matt Christmas, sales, Driscoll Foods (Distributor)

Show Me The Money – How to plan for and access capital:  George Cook, co-founder, Honeycomb Credit; Carol Waties, director, NJ Small Business Development Centers; Marc Kramer, executive director, Private Investors Forum; Janis Grover, specialty food consultant, Grover Global Food Marketing LLC

From Concept To Commercialization – Transforming your idea from concept to package:  Richard McArdle, executive director, Rutgers Food Innovation Center (Bridgeton); Nolan Lewin, director, Rutgers Food Innovation Center (Piscataway)/director of operators-Bridgeton; Anshu Dua, co-founder & CEO, The Chaat Company; Joe Sudo, founder, Not Joe Mama’s Sauce; Julie Elmer, associate director of food technology, Rutgers Food Innovation Center (Bridgeton)

Food Safety – What you need to know:  Donna Schaffner, associate director of food safety, quality assurance & training, Rutgers Food Innovation Center; Eva Szewczyk, food safety HACCP trainer, Rutgers Food Innovation Center; Jeanne Garbarino, food safety consultant

Brand Power – Creating and protecting your brand: Danielle DeFilippis, Esq. trademark attorney with Norris McLaughlin P.A.;  Deborah Smith, president of FoxTrot Media LLC & Owner/executive editor of Jersey Bites; Michael Wilson, owner & creative director, Madevisible Studio; Damon Riccio, account executive, ROI-NJ

PLUS, many more panelists that will help get you prepared for developing, managing and growing a specialty food business.

At the end of the day, there will be an opportunity to network with fellow attendees and presenters to develop and build business relationships that will be invaluable to you and your business. 

Agenda:

8:15am – Attendees sign in
9:00am – 10:30am – Panel Sessions
10:40am – 11:00am – Break
11:00am – 12:40pm – Panel Sessions
12:40pm – 1:30pm – Lunch
1:30pm – 3:30pm – Round Table Sessions
3:30pm – 5:00pm – Networking

Registration fee:

$249 per person registration fee
$29 per person student registration fee (student ID must be presented on the day of the event)

REGISTER. Lunch will be served.

To learn more about the workshop, contact us by email at [email protected].