Q: What's the one piece of advice you'd give to an emerging business?
Specialty Food Association members offered the following words of wisdom to founders
of budding businesses looking to enter or expand their position in the marketplace.
"Grow slow. Take your time. Make sure you have
the 'where to sell your products' because the
most important thing is to have cash flow."
—Juan Stewart, founder, Frescos Naturales
"Understand your business. Get your product to
a point where the cost makes sense. It's a hobby
until it becomes a business, and it can't become
a business until the margins are there."
—Karl Franz Williams, founder, Uncle
Waithley's Beverage Co.
"Make sure what you are doing is something
you are very passionate about. Being your own
business owner is never going to be easy, so it
needs to be something that, when you wake up,
you're ready to go because you are so excited about
[your brand] and because you love it so much."
—Jocelyn Ramirez, founder, Todo Verde
"Go narrow and deep. Pick the product you are
proud of and just focus on finding the niche and
working out how to get established there."
—Steve Muir, vice president of sales and
operations, Lewis Road Creamery
COMPILED AND EDITED BY GEORGE HAJJAR
Advertiser Booth Page
Aegean Exporters' Associations 1718 29
Alexian Pate 560 13, 70
Barilla America, Inc. 4912 22
BeeNZ Ltd 5734 71
Business France 927 14,15
Campo D'Oro S.r.l. 2140 71
Chelsea Approved 2440 69
Cibo Vita-Natures Garden 5207 69
Consumer Convenience Technologies 5842 69
Cookies by Shar 5110 70
Country Fresh Food &
Confections, Inc.
2260 70
Cypress Grove 369 70
Dulzura Borincana, Inc. 5133 69
Effie's Homemade 368 70
Ethel's Baking Company 2274 70
Faire Wholesale 5443 25
Flathau's Fine Foods 5408 70
Japan External Trade Organization
(JETRO) New York
500-633 5
Josephine's Baking Company, LLC 4220 70
Advertiser Booth Page
Korea Agro-Fisheries &
Food Trade Corp.
300-533 21
Le Gruyere AOP 653 7
Life Cider LLC 3602 69
Matosantos Commercial Corp. 4916 19, 34, 35
Morocco Foodex 1519 11
Myojo U.S.A., Inc. 5743 39, 71
Nana's All Purpose Alkaline Seasoning 3720 71
Omena Organics -- 71
Pretzel Pete, Inc. 2742 69
Setton International Foods, Inc. 2637 69
Foods and Wines from Spain 2001-2333 Inside Back
Cover
Terrapin Ridge 5824 69
Todo Verde Products, Inc -- 31
Universal Marketing SRL 2300-3333 3
USFI Sales LLC -- 23
Vin Expo- SFFS co-Sponsor Crystal Place 9
Viru 1874 Back Cover
Walkers Shortbread 2436 Inside Front
Cover, Belly
Band
resource guide
68 SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM
industry voices
George Hajjar is associate, content development
for the Specialty Food Association
