ChefZone Presents
From Cottage Industry to Commercial Enterprise
Hawaii Ag & Culinary Alliance (HACA) invites you to participate in the ChefZone Presents From Cottage Industry to Commercial Enterprise Program aimed at cultivating the next generation of Hawaii’s value-added entrepreneurs in partnership with Leeward Community College (Leeward CC) and the Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC), in cooperation with the State of Hawaii. A cohort of 15 local entrepreneurs utilizing Hawaii-grown, raised or caught ingredients will be selected to incubate their cottage industry, consumer packaged good (CPG) or value-added products with guidance from industry experts to establish their new food businesses.
As part of the HACA program, each entrepreneur will receive a scholarship to Leeward CC’s 12-week Aina to Makeke course, developed to bring food products to market and build successful food businesses. Whether you have a food product idea, are in the testing phase or are already selling out of your home, this course is designed to provide the fundamentals to building your food business. Featuring industry experts and guest speakers, with opportunities for one-on-one individual coaching, you’ll complete the program with a comprehensive business plan, presentation and pitch to start and scale your food product.
Cohort 4: June 17 – September 9, 2024
Applications Closed
Selected applicants will be notified by May 1, 2024
Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
- Scholarship to Leeward CC’s 12-week Aina to Makeke course from June 17 – September 9, 2024 (includes tuition, books, supplies, and course fees)
- Classes held Mondays & Wednesdays from 5:30-7:30 P.M.
- Mentor Speaker Series with industry leaders, celebrity chefs and other food & beverage professionals
- Opportunity to feature and sell products through a special marketplace
- Introduction to the new Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC) and FREE one-hour consultation with WVAPDC Product Development Manager
- Additional promotional and networking opportunities to grow your business
REQUIREMENTS
- Must be based in Hawaii and 18 years of age or older
- Product must include a Hawaii-grown, raised or caught ingredient
- Must be an early-stage food and/or beverage company with a consumer packaged good (CPG) or value-added product.
- Must have an annual revenue of less than $1,000,000
- Producing under Cottage Industry laws or out of a commercial kitchen
- Direct to consumer sales through an established storefront/retail presence, e-commerce, farmers markets, or other vendor markets are allowed
- Products already being sold in a specialty store or supermarket are also allowed to apply
- Must have obtained food safety training from Department of Health (DOH) or from a program approved by DOH
- Must be able to participate in all activities of the program including training classes, mentorship sessions, marketplace event, etc. Travel may be required for businesses headquartered on the Neighbor Islands. Classes will be held from June 17 – September 9, 2024 on Mondays & Wednesdays from 5:30-7:30 P.M.
12-WEEK LEEWARD CC PROGRAM
Brought to you by the Leeward Community College, Office of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, the 12-week Aina to Makeke course examines what it takes to become a successful food business entrepreneur. Weekly classes guide participants in how to scale-up a kitchen recipe into a commercial product ready for market.
Instructor Christiane Bolosan Yee will be joined by food industry professionals to lead students in how to:
- PRODUCE a safe and wholesome consumer food product
- PROMOTE a food product through established market channels
- PROFIT as a business from the manufacture and sales of your product
Program will provide sessions with business advisors, coaches or entrepreneurs in the creation of their new business and the logistics of sourcing ingredients and packaging, regulatory compliance, and approaches to specialty food marketing.
TOPICS COVERED:
- Your Product & Consumer, Marketplace Survey, Product Costs
- Licensing & Regulations, Introduction to Cost of Goods
- Food Science Workshop, Working in a Commercial Kitchen
- Working with a Co-Packer, Cost of Goods & Recipe Scaling
- Business Law, Start-Up Costs, Margins, Break-even
- Food Safety Modernization Act, Managing Your Business
- Branding, Packaging
- Doing Your Pitch – Sales Sheets and Evaluation Night Information
- E-Commerce and Social Media
- Selling at Supermarkets & Farmers Markets
- Distribution
- Pitch Presentations
Click here for more information on Leeward CC’s 12-week Aina to Makeke course and the Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center.
FROM START UP TO SHELVES
Hawaii Food & Wine Festival recognizes the use of diacritical markings in the modern orthography of Hawaiian language including the ‘okina [‘] or glottal stop, and the kahakō [ā] or macron. However, in order to ensure the best online experience visitors to our website, these markings may be omitted throughout our site. We thank you for your understanding.