Developing a specialty food or beverage business is a lot like building a house. It requires the right concept (product idea), blueprint (strategic plan), materials (ingredients, packaging, production), foundation (brand), team, and approach to market (sales strategy, execution, logistics, marketing). Every step of the process builds upon the previous phase, and if done strategically, will position a company for optimal success.

However, like building a custom house, every food brand has its own unique needs at each step. Houses can be large or small, located in vastly different neighborhoods, and feature wildly different layouts and building materials. Food brands are much the same – their products can be super-premium or value-oriented, bulk or single-use, and be priced very differently depending on the audience.

Whether your product is a multi-million-dollar home in a high-end neighborhood or a tiny house in the country, having the right partner on your side to optimize your opportunities at every step can be the difference between making that sale or struggling to find a buyer.

Today’s food and beverage markets are rapidly evolving. Due to health and wellness trends and a numerous specialty food products with various value propositions hitting store shelves, consumers (and therefore, retailers) are faced with a lot of decisions and are continually demanding more. Popular healthful callouts, unique ingredients, and packaging innovations are changing the retail landscape. No longer can you simply sell on good taste or quality – those attributes are expected. You need a product with clear differentiation to cut through the clutter and interest today’s discerning consumer.

Like with a new house, the right idea is critical. This is where an architect is exceedingly valuable. They can ask questions to determine where a house will be located, what architecture is appropriate for a given neighborhood, what building materials will be required, and how the house will be used. For a food product, we ask what’s differentiating about your product, where will it be sold, how quickly will it be used, who will buy your product, and will there be line extensions or other products in the future. These questions, and many others, help us to understand the idea and to offer input into how to fine-tune your product to last.

Pro tip: Suppose your product is a 20 oz jar of jelly. Most jelly has a long shelf life, which is great…but jelly typically takes a while to eat. It may be 6 months or so before the consumer buys another jar. A sales lead is not considered a customer until a reorder is placed, and new products can be dropped quickly if retail turn is slow. This size jar in this market simply may not perform well enough to maintain momentum. We can help you to determine the right size, price point, and packaging to ensure quicker turns and stronger sales.

When building a house, having the right materials is essential. You can’t build a garage without a garage door and you can’t have a basement if you don’t have the equipment to dig a foundation. For food products, for instance, this means ensuring that you have a secure, stable source for the right high-quality ingredients at the right price. Do you have the right certifications in place to attract the consumer – Non-GMO, Organic, Kosher? What kind of packaging will set you apart at the shelf? Will your customer care about your packaging’s environmental impact? By determining all of the material impacts for your product, you will ensure a successful and efficient construction phase as you get into developing a brand that will resonate effectively with your customer.

Pro tip: More than 65% of stores focus on natural products. If your product resonates with this audience, they’ll have certain expectations. Particularly on the West Coast, if you don’t have ethically-sourced ingredients, a clean label, certain certifications/callouts, recyclable/compostable packaging, nutritional value, and other key factors, consumers won’t know your brand…because retailers won’t carry it. Know the materials that matter to your audience and be sure your product is equipped.

An architect specifies a design and the materials that are required to build that design on a blueprint. A contractor organizes a team of drywall installers, plumbers, electricians, and finishing carpenters to contribute their expertise to bring that vision to life. Without these critical pieces working together seamlessly, mistakes happen, budgets overrun, and delays cost time and money. The same is true with building a food business. We ensure that from business planning to product pricing to manufacturing to packaging to sales and distribution, every member of the team is synchronized for efficiency and maximum cost control.

Pro tip: It might be tempting to bring in your own resources or to invest in an expensive solution. Sometimes larger investments are required, but growth also takes restraint. Spend too much on any one part of the plan, and those funds might not be there when your product takes off and you need to scale. This is why we’ve spent so much time vetting our resources and ensuring that our clients have access to the best team possible. The same team we recommend for your brand is likely the same team we use for our own brands.