My Food Job Rocks! Dig In: Common Commercialization Pitfalls with Jamie Valenti-Jordan, Food Program Manager (among other things)
Jamie Valenti-Jordan shares his extensive experience in the food industry, discussing his journey from working in large corporations to founding his own consulting firm, Catapult. He emphasizes the importance of commercialization, investment strategies, and the challenges faced by startups in achieving profitability. Jamie also highlights the significance of innovative solutions in food production and the need for standard equipment in the industry. In this conversation, Jamie Valenti-Jordan discusses her journey in the food industry, focusing on identifying market gaps, building a network of expertise, and addressing the fractional needs of emerging brands. He emphasizes the importance of community engagement through organizations like Startup CPG and IFT, and shares insights on common commercialization challenges faced by new brands, particularly in their relationships with co-packers. Jamie highlights the complexities of product development and the necessity of understanding operational costs to ensure profitability.
Jamie Valenti-Jordan is the Program Manager for the Food Finance Institute, which provides business resources and training for food & ag entrepreneurs. Prior to this, he has spent his 20 year career at Campbell Soup, Del Monte Foods, and JUST in process R&D, engineering, and operations before starting Catapult Commercialization Services Inc, an 80-person consulting group focused on providing technical and operational solutions for food and beverage companies. During his career, he has installed over $100M in capital equipment, commercialized over 2000 products, and received a patent in tomato peeling. He taught Food Engineering and Food Processing at Mount Mary University. He serves on the Board of Directors for IFT and is a strong advocate for emerging and scaling brands. He also serves as Den Leader for his son and Dungeon Master for his weekly D&D campaign.
Find Jamie here
https://foodfinanceinstitute.org/
jamie.valenti-jordan@business.wisconsin.edu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fvmh97c/
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