What I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Food Business

THE PANELISTS:

Panel Moderator Terry Frishman of Creative Marketing Workshops specializes in helping launch food products through consulting, workshops and teaching business classes at three culinary schools in Manhattan. Currently, she is Director of Sales for Sarabeth’s� award-winning products, has many clients whom she assists with strategic planning, branding and helping to take their businesses to the next level, and is on the board of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance. After graduating from Columbia Business School, where Terry was President of both the Marketing and Wine Clubs, Terry worked at Kraft General Foods, where she won many team awards and ran brainstorming sessions for new products.

Panelist Michael Altman founded Tumbador Chocolate in 2005. Tumbador is a high-end, all natural, private-label, wholesale, Kosher (both parve and dairy), chocolate manufacturer based in Brooklyn, NY. Their turn-key services include product customization and packaging design all the way through to distribution needs. Their clients include 4 and 5 star hotel and resorts, airlines, retail and internet operations and the corporate event and gift market.

Panelist Loren Brill owns Sweet Loren's Ready to Bake Desserts, an all natural ready-to-bake dessert company specializing in cookie dough and brownie batter. Sold online and at Whole Foods Markets throughout the tri-state area, Sweet Loren's desserts are made with all natural ingredients.

Cup & Compass was founded by Panelist Philip David Crouse while pursuing his MBA at Columbia Business School. C&C provides quick-serve restaurants a thoughtfully-designed, customized dispenser and packaged, natural juices and teas to sell to their customers. They launched in a small chain of taquerias in NYC and are currently selling a hibiscus lemonade spiked with cardamom and a rosemary limeade called “Sublimeade.” Before graduating, Crouse won Columbia Business School’s 15th annual Most Outrageous Business Plan Competition, receiving $7,000 in prize money. He also was awarded a $25,000 investment from the Lang Fund (Columbia Business School’s venture fund).

Yumspring.com is a virtual incubator for food entrepreneurs. Started by Panelist Alex Ginsberg, a Columbia Business School student, Yumspring offers food entrepreneurs a space for crowd funding, customer feedback and experimentation without spending a fortune to create a sustainable business.