by Ashley Arp
It’s February 4th and it’s an exciting time in Chicago. Not because we’re currently in the throws of 19+ inches of snow (thanks for confirming what we already knew, Punxsutawney Phil), and it’s not because it’s Restaurant Week (although that is a very exciting time to be in Chicago). It’s because we’re a little over a month away from one of the most important and innovative events that takes place in the city of Chicago, one that everyone in the surrounding areas and beyond should know about.
The Good Food Festival & Conference kicks off on March 19th beginning with the Financing & Innovation Fair – an event that presents “the dynamic opportunity for farms and food businesses seeking capital to engage with funders, pitch their business plans, and forge new partnerships.” Who will be attending this Fair you might ask? Entrepreneurs in the business of locally grown, sustainable food – those who grow, produce, manufacture, package or sell. According to FamilyFarmed.org – the founding company of the Good Food Festival, “The business must be located in and serve the Chicago foodshed and its core business values must align with Good Food values.”
In the last few years, Financing Fair participants have raised over $8 million in debt and equity financing. The Fair is an indispensible opportunity to connect with the decision makers in the food industry and the results can be life changing. Just ask Farmer Gene Mealhow, who had the privilege of working with Jim Slama and his team in a similar capacity to help launch his company, Tiny But Mighty Popcorn, years before the Festival and Financing Fair were full-blown events.
“A lot of what we focused on when we started working with Jim and his team involved marketing strategy, packaging design, competitive pricing, profit margins, business costs and sales,” notes Farmer Gene. “Then it came to the point where we put these items together in a professional business plan to present to the investors. Within a year of working together, we raised our first big chunk of investing.”
Gene stresses that it was the guidance and insight given, combined with the opportunity of being put in the same room with so many key players in the food world that really locked in his success.
“The people we were connected with in that capacity-there’s nothing like it. They essentially cut out the middleman and you get to talk face-to-face with the decision makers, the investors – which is exactly how it goes at the Financing Fair. It’s really an enormous opportunity and you can learn a lot just by talking to these folks. I’m proud to say all the connections I made back then, those relationships are still going today.”
The deadline to apply for the Financing Fair has passed, but you can still get tickets to the Good Food Festival and hear Farmer Gene speak on a panel – “Getting on the Shelves” at the 2015 Good Food Trade Show on Friday, March 20 from 4:00-5:15 pm at the UIC Forum.
Ashley Arp is the Marketing and Social Media Manager for Tiny But Mighty Popcorn, a family run business. Her uncle & aunt – Farmer Gene & his wife Lynn – grow, manufacture, package and sell this unique, heirloom variety of popcorn that dates back to the Native American’s. All of their products are non-GMO, gluten free, and vegan.