How to Successfully Bring a Food Product to Market w/ Bruno Xavier

Seed Money

In the world of food entrepreneurship, having a product that tastes GOOD is only the tip of the iceberg. Going from your kitchen to a store shelf comes with a ton of considerations, steps and potential snags.

The margins are razor thin. Safety and stability are critical factors that can affect the viability of the product. Getting investors, retailers and co-packers on the same page can feel like trying to solve an impossible puzzle.

To successfully bring your product to market, there are key things you need to have dialed in from day one.

Even though the process can be challenging, it’s insanely fulfilling for a passionate entrepreneur. And now is the perfect time to innovate and bring something different to the marketplace!

How do you make sure you raise enough money to weather a lengthy production process? How do you deal with co-packers, investors and retailers?

In this episode, I’m joined by Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center, Bruno Xavier. He shares how food entrepreneurs can set themselves up for success and how they help them achieve their goals.

Topics Covered;

• Why food entrepreneurs run out of money (and how to avoid it)

• How to navigate co-packers, retailers and investors

• How to balance innovation with product viability

Guest Bio

Bruno Xavier is the Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center. A nationally-recognized food engineer and scientist, Bruno has a Ph.D in Microbiology (Cornell ’08). He is the Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center, a major extension program of the Department of Food Science at Cornell University and a Scientific Fellow at the New York State Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture. Dr. Xavier and his team develop outreach programs and extension activities to support new and established entrepreneurs, processors and farmers introducing new products into the marketplace, providing guidelines and assisting in regulatory issues to ensure the safety of food products. As a Process Authority, Dr. Xavier oversees the establishment of schedule process documentation to comply with federal and state regulatory requirements for more than 2000 products per year for companies throughout the United States. To learn more or submit your product, visit https://cals.cornell.edu/cornell-agritech/partners-institutes/cornell-food-venture-center.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

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The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.