Bringing Packaged Foods to Market

1001 South 6th Street,Council Bluffs IA 51501

24 August, 2022

Description

Starting a food business is not for the faint of heart. Launching a packaged food product is next level. Join us for an evening of discussion around bringing consumer packaged goods (CPGs) to market. Hear from an expert panel of food industry consultants and entrepreneurs who will touch on topics including start up considerations, product development, funding, safety/regulations and co-manufacturers. Panelists will share insights, best practices and much more. Bring your burning questions for our speakers and round out the night by touring the Kitchen Council facility. We promise, it will be fun too. Cost: FREE Ticket includes admission, networking, beverages + light bites. PANELISTS: Michelle Dill, Manager Partner, Big Green Tomato Jeni Ellick, Founder & Principle, Artisan Row Andrew Johnson, Director of Culinary Design, Conagra Brands Meghan McLarney, Co-Owner, Omaha Soup Company Additional Panelist TBA AGENDA: 5:30-6:00 pm | Registration, Networking, Food + Bevies 6:00-7:15 pm | Panel Discussion + Audience Q&A 7:15-7:30 pm | Tour of Kitchen Council + Networking PANELIST BIOS: Michelle Dill founded Big Green Tomato in 2010 as a regional granola company. Today, Big Green Tomato works with food businesses to refine brands and products, streamline operations for scalability, prepare for regulatory requirements, align financials for growth, and build profitability with practical and dynamic business models. Jeni Ellick spent over 15 years in Innovation and Leadership roles for Conagra Brands, Continental Mills and Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP before creating Artisan Row in 2019. She has built R&D and Innovation strategies, teams and capabilities from the ground up and delivered winning product pipelines on everything from frozen meals to bake mixes, snacks and beyond with an emphasis and passion in the natural and organic space. Her stints in fortune 500, mid-sized private and small, high growth organizations give her a unique perspective and a broad tool kit. Most days you can find her tinkering in her home kitchen, tending her vegetable garden or biking with her son, Griffin. Andrew Johnson is the Director of Culinary Design at Conagra Brands and has over 15 years of Culinary R&D experience there. Andrew’s background in culinary and product development has allowed him to help drive the modernization of many key brands within the Conagra Brands portfolio. Andrew has spent his entire career at Conagra Brands, starting out as an intern, and continually strives to find ways to provide the best possible food experience for consumers. A native of Omaha, this has allowed him to pursue his passion for food while still being close to family. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys spending time with his wife, Andrea, and three kids, Emmaline, Viviann & Finn; playing golf; traveling; and trying new restaurants, but wherever he is, he usually finds himself in the kitchen cooking to give people a new food experience or memory. Meghan McLarney’s indirect path to the CPG industry turned out to be the key ingredient in creating her business, Omaha Soup Company. Meghan will tell you she is from California but considers herself Nebraskan, and that often shows in her culinary point of view. As a registered dietitian and past culinary instructor who grew up working at the family diner, she developed a rich understanding of how people eat, cook and relate to food. Through her work Meghan began to follow her personal mission, to make great food accessible and easy for her community, leading to several entrepreneurial food ventures including the fortunate friendship with her current business partner and co-creator of Omaha Soup Company, Scott Brownlee. Today Meghan’s role as co-owner is focused as lead recipe developer for Omaha Soup Company which now features a line of dozens of simple to use dehydrated products from soups, risottos, salad dressings and sides to cocktail mixes, most of which require just water or minimal ingredients. Currently OSC products are sold in over 20 grocery stores in the Omaha area. McLarney was new to the CPG industry in 2019 when she invented the OSC product line, and attributes the success and growth of OSC to skills of her partners and a lifelong career in the diverse Omaha food scene. As busy as she is, Meghan proclaims she is queen of the stay-cation as she loves to make time and ‘test kitchen’ with her favorite people her husband Matt, preschooler Asher and cattle-dog, Gertie. Special thanks to our Kitchen Council Partners: Advance Southwest Iowa Corporation Greater Omaha Chamber Iowa West Foundation Photo and Video Release: By registering and participating in this event, you consent to the recording of your likeness, image, and/or voice and authorize Kitchen Council to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing your likeness, image, and/or voice in any medium for any purpose. Need more information? Please contact Holly Benson Muller, managing director, at [email protected].