Ep. 095 [Bonus] - The Pitfalls and Realities of Ideal Food Products with Rachel Zemser, Independent Food Science Consultant at A La Carte Connections

Rachel and I have known each other for quite a while and I am finally glad to do this jam packed episode with her. We recorded over 2 hours of content and I found the first part so good, that I had to share it with the world.

In this segment, we talk a ton about bringing products to life, and the practicalities and pitfalls it takes to actually get started making a product.

This includes having people overvalue products and undervalue other aspects such as production and marketing.

Since Rachel and I are both in the bar space, we talk a lot about this type of product. This ranges from Keto Bars, bar marketing, dealing with silicon valley entreprenuers and how much money an actual product costs

No ads this time, this one is a freebie.

 Key Takeaway

• How to make a Keto Bar
• Marketing is everything for these products
• Trade Show Tips
• If an entrepreneur comes from tech, they think they have it all down

Question Summary

Do you have a network of consultants?: I have a network of independent consultants. For example, people call me for acidified foods and I call a hydrocolloids expert How did you become a consultant?: It’s hard to be a consultant fresh out of college. The more experience you have, the easier it is. How long were you a food scientist?: 1996 until 2009. I had near 20 years of experience before I jumped ship. About entrepreneur clients: Entrepreneurs need a lot of hand holding and they are usually short term clients

How to Network

- Walk up and down the trade show - Host events - The more resources you get, the better you can succeed as a Consultant

Netherlands and the hardcore science Why do you think tech entrepreneurs go into food?: Everyone cooks and eats, they think they can solve the problem

What is a big pitfall about food?: R+D is a small percentage of a product cost. People don’t know the costs of production or marketing

Other Links

Plum Organics Walnut Board of California Wrote an Ebook about Food Product Development to Entreprenuership Unilever Kraft Kagome Creative Energy Foods Ketogenic bar MCT powders Vegan protein powders RXBar bought by Kelloggs Juciero Hampton Creek Soylent U Mass Amherst Food Science Program University of Illinois Institute of Food Technologist SciBabe Food Babe Flavor Producers San Francisco State – Teaching Food Science

 

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