Just as you can never have too many cooking utensils from which to choose, you can also never have too many resources. Therefore, we present for your consideration the following resources for you to check into, check out, and harness those that seem useful to you as you prepare to make your mark in the specialty food industry. While these resources will get you started on your research, they are by no means the only sources out there. We have done our research, but events, websites, and businesses in the ever-changing specialty food market move, change, fold, and expand. As we have repeatedly stressed, you need to do your homework—but here’s a jumpstart as you get out and start investigating.
Creating a Thriving Business: How to Build an Immensely Profitable Business in 7 Easy Steps by George Horrigan (New York: Morgan James, 2013)
The Daily Entrepreneur: 33 Success Habits for Small Business Owners, Freelancers, and Aspiring 9-to-5 Escape Artists, S.J. Scott and Rebecca Livermore (Irvine, CA: Entrepreneur Press, 2014)
Directory of Convenience Stores, find it at www.retailbuyers.net
Easy Gluten-free Nutrition Advice and Recipes, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Tricia Thompson, MS, RD, and Marlisa Brown, MS, RD, CDE, CDN (Chicago: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2011)
From Kitchen to Market, Stephen F. Hall (Chicago: Kaplan Business, 2000)
Marketing Guidebook: The guidebook of the supermarket industry lists over 1,300 retailer chains and wholesalers in the U.S. and Canada along with 1,500 specialty distributors and brokers. Information to help sell products to supermarkets. Find it at www.retailbuyers.net.
Start Your Own Business, Sixth Edition: The Only Startup Book You’ll Ever Need, The Staff of Entrepreneur Media (Irvine, CA: Entrepreneur Press, 2015)
Start Your Own Food Truck Business, Second Edition, The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. and Rich Mintzer (Irvine, CA: Entrepreneur Press, 2015)
Start Your Own Microbrewery, Distillery, or Cidery, The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. and Corie Brown (Irvine, CA: Entrepreneur Press, 2015)
Allergy and Free-From Show (www.allergyshow.co.uk). Specialty show in the U.K. specifically promoting dietary concerns for those who need to live “free from” ingredients like eggs, dairy, nuts, gluten, etc. Originating in London, the show is expanding to Liverpool, Germany, and Scotland.
Atlanta Foodservice Expo (www.atlantafoodserviceexpo.com). At the Georgia World Congress Center annually in the fall, bringing together all sectors of the restaurant, food service, and hospitality industries showcasing the latest products, technologies, and services.
Free From Food Expo (http://freefromfoodexpo.com). A European free-from trade event with distributors, manufacturers, importers and exporters, and information on packaging and process technology.
Food Ingredients (Fi) (India, Asia, South America…), FiGlobal (www.figlobal.com). A series of exhibitions in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East for learning about food ingredients from all over the world.
Prepared Foods’ New Products Conference (www.preparedfoods.com). The premier food and beverage event for gaining valuable insight into global new product introductions, culinary advances, and emerging consumer trends; the 2015 conference was in Palm Beach, Florida.
Retail Week Tech & Ecomm (https://techecomm.retail-week.com). In the U.K., an annual event created to bring together the best minds across disciplines in current retail changes and challenges.
United Fresh Produce Event (www.unitedfresh.org). In Chicago, annual conference of the fresh produce segment with exhibits and education sessions on business management, produce marketing, supply chain logistics; held in conjunction with the Food Marketing Institute and the International Floriculture Expo.
Mintel (www.mintel.com). Offices in London, New York, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Belfast, Munich, Chicago, Sydney, Tokyo, Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, and Toronto.
Any of these magazines’ websites can be searched online by the magazine name. Most sites have great information and many offer the ability to look through the current magazine in a digital edition from their site.
Baking Business—www.bakingbusiness.com
Cakes & Sugarcraft—www.cakesandsugarcraft.com
Cooking Light—www.cookinglight.com/magazine
Cooking Wild—www.cookingwildmagazine.com
Cook’s Country—www.cookscountry.com
Cook’s Illustrated—www.cooksillustrated.com
Diabetic Living—www.diabeticlivingonline.com
Farm and Table—http://farmandtablenm.com
Food and Wine—www.foodandwine.com
Food Business News—www.foodbusinessnews.net
Food Network Magazine—www.foodnetwork.com/magazine.html
The Gourmet Retailer—www.gourmetretailer.com
Saveur—www.saveur.com
Taste of Home—www.tasteofhome.com
American Association of Candy Technologists, 711 W. Water Street, P.O. Box 266, Princeton, WI 54968, (920) 295-6969, www.aactcandy.org
American Bakers Association, 1300 I Street N.W., Suite 700 West, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 789-0300, www.americanbakers.org
American Cheese Society, 304 West Liberty Street, Suite 201, Louisville, KY 40202, (502) 583-3783, www.cheesesociety.org
American Culinary Federation, 180 Center Place Way, St. Augustine, FL 32095, (904) 824-4468, www.acfchefs.org
American Institute of Baking, P.O. Box 3999, Manhattan, KS 66505, (800) 633-5137, www.aibonline.org
American Pie Council, P.O. Box 368, Lake Forest, IL 60045, www.piecouncil.org
American Society of Brewing Chemists, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121, (651) 454-7250, www.asbcnet.org
Association for Dressings and Sauces, 1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30342, (404) 252-3663, www.dressings-sauces.org
Culinary Institute of America, 1946 Campus Drive, Hyde Park, NH 12538, (845) 452-9600, www.ciachef.edu
Food Processing Suppliers Association, 1451 Dolley Madison Boulevard, Suite 101, McLean, VA 22101, (703) 761-2600, www.fpsa.org
FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740, (888) 723-3366, www.fda.gov/aboutfda/centersoffices/officeoffoods/cfsan/
Grocery Manufacturers Association, 1350 I Street, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 639-5900, www.gmaonline.org
Institute of Food Science Technology, 5 Cambridge Court, 210 Shepherds Bush Road, London, W6 7NJ, UK, 44 (0)20 7603 6316, www.ifst.org
Institute of Food Technologists, 525 W. Van Buren, Ste. 1000, Chicago, IL 60607, (312) 782-8424, www.ift.org
National Honey Board, 11409 Business Park Circle, Suite 210, Firestone, CO 80504, (303) 776-2337, www.nhb.org
Organic Trade Association, 28 Vernon Street, Suite 413, Brattleboro, VT 05301, (802) 275-3800, www.ota.com
Snack Food Association, 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 650, Arlington, VA 22209, (703) 836-4500, www.sfa.org
Specialty Food Association, (646) 878-0301, www.specialtyfood.com
Specialty Foods Group, 6 Dublin Lane, Owensboro, KY 42301, (800) 627-1902, www.specialtyfoodsgroup.com
Bags and Bows (www.bagsandbowsonline.com/retail-packaging/home)—Retail packaging
Crown Cork (www.crowncork.com)—Brand-building packaging
Encore International (http://encoreintl.com)—Creative custom packaging
First Impressions Packaging (http://firstimpressionspackaging.com)—Boxes, bags, gift boxes, tissue, and eco-friendly packaging
Jenn David (http://jenndavid.com)—Logos, packaging, print collateral, websites
Pacific Bag (http://pacificbag.com)—Coffee bags and stock and custom packaging for pet food, tea, and specialty food
ULINE (www.uline.com)—Shipping supplies and packaging