Due to pandemic market disruptions in 2020, Dafne Romero experienced a significant decline in sales because of retail and farmers’ market restrictions, plus human resource reduction. She enrolled her company, North Pacific Kelp Wild Foods (NPK Wild Foods), into the funded Food Business Refresh Program (Refresh) to formulate a pivot plan. Along with over 60 other B.C. food processors, she was appreciative of the personalized support she received to develop a strategy to ensure her Haida Gwaii kelp business could be sustainable in future market challenges.
To help businesses like Dafne’s who were impacted by COVID-19, the Small Scale Food Processor Association (SSFPA) launched the Refresh initiative in late 2020 with the financial support of Western Economic Diversification and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Farm Food Drink, was called on to develop, market, and facilitate the program.
Dafne’s intention when entering the program was to create a pivot plan to sell a frozen kelp vegan lasagna. While working with her Refresh business coach she became increasingly aware that she would need to address packaging design and distribution challenges associated with frozen product delivery.
The second phase of the Refresh program matched up Expert Advisors with each business owner, dependent on their plan requirements. In Dafne’s case, she was paired with Mehrnaz Roudsari, a Food Product Development Expert, who immediately saw the distribution challenge.
Mehrnaz was able to help troubleshoot Dafne’s pivot idea and costing for a more feasible plan. Instead of a frozen product, it was agreed to move to a freeze-dried ready-to-eat kelp vegan lasagna in a take-out compostable and vegan container.
Besides addressing a growing market and extending the shelf life of her products, Dafne’s plan allows for significant growth, with large-scale recipes, equipment purchase to increase production, and hiring a company to brand and expand her exposure.
“The Refresh Program allowed me to assess, plan and implement various aspects of my business,” explains Dafne Romero. “It has set me up to be more resilient and sustainable in times of crisis.”
The Refresh Program is a different type of support program in that it provides personalized coaching and funded implementation support. After receiving guidance and direction from a business coach to create their pivot plan, participants were matched with an Expert Advisor purposefully selected for their food industry knowledge and experience.
The Advisor’s role is to provide expertise to help participants further define, troubleshoot, prioritize and/or cost out their Refresh Plan and create their Refresh Funding Proposal for implementation help. In other words, their role is to help them develop a realistic pivot plan.
In Dafne’s case, her Expert Advisor, Mehrnaz, provided a breakthrough. Instead of wasting time, money, and effort on developing a product that would be challenging to distribute (frozen), Dafne received invaluable advice to refine her pivot plan for a more sustainable option (freeze-dried).
“Product development has so many aspects to it,” explains Mehrnaz Roudsari. “What a great opportunity for these businesses to receive specific advice for their unique plans.”
There are many support measures in the Refresh program. However, once businesses started digging into their pivot plans, it soon became apparent that many of them needed access to more than one Expert Advisor. Many participants had similar questions, or didn’t know what they didn’t know, so an Ask the Expert series was created.
Dafne from NPK Wild Foods took advantage of these group sessions to further hone her new plan. The Ask the Expert series included six discussion topics that benefited multiple participants:
In the third phase of the Refresh Program, funding is offered to help participants to actually implement the plan they’ve developed over the past couple of months.
Through the Refresh implementation phase, Dafne has applied for and been accepted for the federal and provincial government funding. She will use her $4,000 towards the purchase of new equipment, and labels design and printing for her new freeze-dried ready-to-eat kelp vegan lasagna.
It will be exciting to see the results of Dafne’s Refresh pivot plan.
For more information about Dafne and NPK Wild Foods visit their website.
If you are a small food processor interested in the Food Business Refresh Program, visit the website to get on the wait list.
Farmers’ markets can sometimes feel like a solo effort. You pitch your tent, stock your tables, and wait for the customers to start coming through. For many vendors, that is where the strategy ends. But the booths that consistently draw a crowd and drive sales are not just selling a product. They are creating an […]
Walk through any farmers’ market on a busy weekend, and you’ll notice a pattern.Some booths draw people in almost immediately. Customers slow down, step closer, ask questions, and buy. Others, often with just as much effort behind them, are passed over without a second look.It’s rarely about product quality.More often, it comes down to how […]
If you run a food business, you already know how busy things can get: production schedules, supplier orders, seasonal menus, market events, and more. But what about your marketing? Without a plan, it’s easy for social posts, newsletters, or promotions to fall through the cracks. That’s where a content calendar comes in. Why it matters: A […]
It’s February. Your Summer Revenue Is Being Decided Right Now. If you run a PYO (Pick-Your-Own), CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, or farm-direct operation, February can feel like a long pause in the season. In reality, it’s the planning window that determines how your late spring and summer unfold. While the fields may still be […]
A few years ago, hashtags worked very differently from how they do today. Back then, using the right hashtags could boost your reach, land your posts on the Explore page, and help new audiences discover your content. But with more and more people on social media, by the time you use a hashtag, your post could […]
If you’re running a farm, food, or drink business, chances are, you already have a logo. It appears on your packaging, website, and social media channels, helping customers recognize your company.As your business grows, branding becomes about more than just your logo. It’s a promise of quality and consistency you make to your customers, one […]
January arrives the same way every year for food producers: markets quiet down, orders slow to a trickle, and you finally have permission to breathe. But what if this slowest month could become your most strategic one?The Momentum GapThere’s a predictable pattern at the beginning of each new year. After weeks of increased production, holiday […]
Running a food business isn’t just about creating delicious products, but it’s also about making sure people know about them. In the crowded online space, where new recipes, products, and food brands pop up every day, the key differentiating factor isn’t innovation or budget. It’s consistency. Being consistent on social media builds trust, recognition, and loyalty. […]