| Starting a Business |
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Starting a Business
To assist you in developing your business ideas, this resource has information on business planning, marketing, regulatory, packaging and labelling, pricing and financing.
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| Farm Direct Marketing Trends |
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Farm Direct Marketing Trends - April 4, 2018
- Research tells us that in Alberta 78% of consumers made at least one purchase at a farmers’ market in 2016. The value of food purchased at farmers’ markets and farm retail exceeded one billion dollars and accounted for about 10 per cent of Alberta’s annual household food expenditure. Join Mimi Lee to learn the key drivers for the increase in direct marketing sales and see recent statistics comparing direct marketing farms in Alberta with those in other provinces.
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| Keeping your food safe: regulations, labelling and new products |
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Safe Food for Canadians Regulations – December 3, 2019
Speakers: Liz Zip, Leanne Ness, and Ryan Sefton, (CFIA)
- The Safe Food for Canadians Regulation came into effect in January 2019. All food producers need to know and follow the regulations that pertain to their business. This webinar will provide a general overview of the new regulations and the changes they bring to producing and selling food in Alberta. It will include specific production and marketing examples. Liz Yip with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is presenting this webinar.
Alberta Food Regulations for Farmers’ Market Managers and Vendors – March 5, 2020
- This webinar is about Alberta Health Services food regulations for farmers’ market managers and vendors requirements for 2020. Discover how an Alberta approved farmers’ market differs from other public markets under the law. Learn what you can and can’t sell at an Alberta approved farmers’ market. Find out how to safely display product at the market. Delve into the requirements for sampling and hand washing stations, and so much more.
Are you developing a new product? Let's make it safe! - April 7, 2022
- During this hour-long webinar, two panelists speak on how food labelling and safety testing can be incorporated into the product development process. An inspector from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency discusses the changes to labelling requirements, format to nutrition facts tables, the do's and don'ts of making product claims and more. A Food Processing Development Centre laboratory scientist also provides an overview of basic food safety testing, such as pH and water activity, that food processors can use to help ensure food safety and the quality of their products.
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| Getting into Local Food Series |
- Selling Local Food in Alberta (part one) (Dec. 8, 2020)
- Learn about the opportunity of selling your food product locally, the different market channels available to you and the pros and cons of each.
- Marketing and Merchandizing Strategies for Local Business Startups (part two) (Dec. 15, 2020)
- This webinar explores marketing strategies including image, display, curb appeal, merchandizing techniques and other tools to attract customers to your business and secure sales.
- Resources: view a full listing of Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development resources for information on business planning, marketing, regulatory, packaging and labelling, pricing and financing.
- Alternative Market Channels - April 16, 2020
Many Alberta food entrepreneurs are familiar with the traditional market options available for them to sell their products – from farmers’ markets to food service to retail. But there are many other options that may be less well known. Margurite Thiessen will talk about the opportunity to access new markets including online, major sporting events and more.
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| Pricing |
- Pricing 101 (Part 1): Know your Cost of Production/Break Even Points - June 18, 2020
You need a good understanding of how to determine your product costs before you can talk price. This webinar will explore the importance of knowing your actual cost of production and provide insight on how to determine your break even point. We will also look at how to use that knowledge to make sound business decisions. Join Marissa Brewer, new venture specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development, as she helps you solve the mystery of pricing your food products.
- Pricing 101 (Part 2): Adjusting for change - June 25, 2020
With a clear understanding of your actual costs, you are well positioned to determine a fair price for your food products. Are your prices accurate? Are you leaving money on the table or charging too much? Attend this webinar to hear Marissa Brewer, new venture specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development, discuss the basics of pricing, and how change can affect your price.
Pricing fact sheets
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| Selling through the Farmers' Market |
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Selling through the Farmers' Market
A seven-part series of short videos, featuring Jenny Berkenbosch with Sundog Organics, as she discusses creating an image, booth setup, product labelling, signs and signage, salesmanship and presentation.
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| Getting into Food Service Series |
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This two-part webinar series is offered to businesses looking for new market channels.
Margurite Thiessen, business development officer with Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development states that the webinars provide an overview of the food service market and the complexities of this market channel.
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| Getting into Retail Series |
- Getting Alberta Products on the Shelf – Peter Chapman (Jan 26, 2023)
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The retail market continues to evolve as consumers and customers are changing, as well as the impact from the recent pandemic on this market channel. Peter will provide an overview of what is happening in food and beverage with a focus on Alberta products and how to price products and the promotion plan required to get on the shelf. He will break down some of the costs and your return on investment including: category based pricing, setting your price and getting your price; your trade spend investing with retailers and your marketing spend connecting with consumers. You will hear about growing your baseline and take away a glossary of terms and a tool to help build your promotion plan.
Expanding your Market Channels This two-part series provides further information and resources to help you as you grow and expand your market channels for your company.
- Getting into retail is hard. Staying in is harder. (part one) (Feb. 24, 2022)
- If you have a retail listing and you are starting the journey towards expanding within this market channel , you will want to listen to this presentation. The webinar will build on the earlier “Getting into Retail” webinar series held between January and March 2021 and focuses on the things you need to do to maintain current listings while being able to grow your retail markets. A keynote presentation is provided by Jeff Doucette of Field Agent and he is joined by a retailer and an Alberta company sharing their experiences for how to sustain and grow your retail markets.
- Distributors and brokers - are you ready to work with them? (part two) (Feb. 24, 2022)
- This webinar is meant for businesses that are expanding and looking to either work with a distributor or a broker. The webinar focuses on when to use a broker or distributor, how to be ready and how to make the partnership work for your business. This is followed by a panel of industry speakers who share their experiences with distributors and brokers.
- Food and Retail Landscape (part one) (Feb. 17, 2021)
- This webinar is an overview of the retail food market including: key market drivers, market trends and the benefits and challenges of selling in this market channel. In this first virtual workshop you will come away with the ability to answer who’s who and the first step to ensuring your priorities align your products with the right place in the retail marketplace. Hear from an industry speaker on their own experience navigating this retail landscape
- Thinking Strategically about Getting into Retail (part two) (Feb. 24, 2021)
- This session explores the components you need to consider as you evaluate your readiness to enter into retail from production to packaging and labeling to pricing and costing and ultimately to making the pitch. In this second workshop you will come away with the ability to evaluate your business readiness and the second step to planning your entry into the retail marketplace. You will hear from a company who has grown from supplying to fifty stores in Alberta to 300 nationwide and the ups and downs of this journey, including the mistakes that propelled his learning curve.
- Connecting with the Retail Food Buyers and Business Development Advisors (part three) (March 10, 2021)
- This final session wraps up the workshop series by connecting with two retail food buyers who will share their insights on successfully getting into retail. These Alberta buyers will talk about their retail program, what is important, and how to work with them when you are onboarding your products with their banner stores. A business advisor from ATB Entrepreneur Centre will also join the speaker panel to share how they can work with you to become ready for the market place and about the ATB Market Place now available to Alberta entrepreneurs. In this final workshop you will come away with the ability to finalize your plan and be ready to successfully sell into retail.
- Co-packing Best Practices - Introduction to Working with a Co-packer (Nov. 2020)
This webinar is an introduction on how to choose and work with a co-packer. It's designed for food, beverage and natural health product businesses looking to utilize the services of a co-packer to increase production volumes or meet market requirements. Hear general Information on co-packing and how to determine if you are ready for these services. Learn about resources available for the industry and some tips for starting this relationship off right.
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| Communication: Building relationships with supply chain partners |
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| Growing a business |
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This resource provides information for businesses that want to expand, either within the same market channel or into new market channels.
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| Co-packing |
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This resource provides information for businesses offering co-packing services for a fee, and those seeking a co-packer. Services include product manufacturing, packaging, palletizing, and warehousing or may also include formulation, label design and shipping service.
- What to know: the legalities of the food co-packing industry (Oct. 20, 2022)
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Co-packing relationships can be fraught with legal complexities and uncertainties. Join presenter Glenford Jameson, founder of G.S. Jameson & Company, a Canadian lawyer with significant industry experience in the food sector. He will discuss core legal aspects of the co-packing relationship that often result in problems for both parties. One of the recommendations to address this issue is for co-packers and their clients to develop relationships based on written agreements (e.g., non-disclosure, confidentiality) that promote stability and clarity. The 90-minute webinar builds on the Key Legal Issues in Co-packing workshop held in February 2020. The event will also feature real-world examples and highlight topical issues such as food fraud.
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