Welcome to the NC Specialty Foods Association’s
‘Summer of Learning’ series of events
Throughout the Summer of 2023, the NCSFA will offer a series of live, online events designed to help our members learn and grow in this season of change. Please review, sign up early to reserve your spot and take advantage of this opportunity to connect with your peers and expand your knowledge on a variety of topics.
Each event will be a live, interactive format using the Zoom video platform. No account or login required. You will receive complete information when you register.
Current NCSFA Members: Free
Guests: $10 per event
** Exclusive – NCSFA Member Only Benefits **
- Official NCSFA swag mailed to you from NCDA if you attend at least one event
- Door prize for each event if you register AND attend the live event
- Incentive bonuses for members that register AND attend the events
Grand Prize: $200 grant from the Carlye Teague Education fund
First Prize: Two members will receive a one-year extension on your membership
Second Prize: Three members will receive a six-month extension on your membership
Here is how the incentive bonuses work:
Incentive awards will be drawn at random during our Grand Finale on August 23th. Members will receive one entry for each session you actually login and attend. If you are a member, please register using the Member Ticket and login to Zoom with your real name, otherwise, you may lose your chance to win.
NOTE: Registration alone does not qualify you for an entry. Attend more sessions – get more chances to win!
~How Specialty Food Businesses Can Use Their Story for Social Media Success~
As owner of Raleigh-based Stories Taste Good, Karen wears multiple hats: content writer, copywriter, storyteller, strategist. Her specialty is helping clients weave effective stories to build brands, promote businesses, and spark sales. Karen’s family created a specialty teriyaki sauce called Truly Hawaiian, available in The Fresh Market stores.
Who: Karen Kanakanui, Stories Taste Good
Date: Wednesday, June 14th, 2023
Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
~Your Online Presence: Tools for search and analytics~
Your online strategy is becoming more important every day. Website, Facebook, Search Engine Optimization, YouTube, Instagram, Podcasts, Substack, TickTok?!?! What works, and what should you focus on? I’ll cover the current landscape of “findability” on the Internet and the 3 levels of effort to choose from for success. Create, measure, optimize, measure, test, measure, win. It all starts with a plan – If everything went perfectly for your business for the next 3 years, what would your business look like? That’s where we’ll start.
Who: Phil Buckley, Senior Search Engine Optimization Strategist for IBM
Date: Wednesday, June 28th, 2023
Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
~Using Digital Marketing to Grow Your Food Business~
We will discuss digital marketing trends, a review of the current tools available and a portfolio of examples of these services. Ed has four decades of food industry experience and is dedicated to growing clients’ businesses.
Kristen is an innovative, marketing leader with extensive experience building brands and audiences for companies in the food industry.
Who: Edward Zimmerman and Kristen Agin, TheFoodConnector.com
Date: Wednesday, July, 12th, 2023
Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
~Just the Basics – An Overview of What Starting a Business Entails and Requires~
This session will cover the basics of starting and running a business. We will start with the difference between a business and a hobby, talk about setting up a company, sources of funding, in-house or outsourced manufacturing, distribution, fulfillment and marketing. This session is intended to be interactive so please have a few questions prepared in advance. Our speaker, Jay Mebane, has both started and sold several companies and currently invests in early stage consumer product companies.
Who: Jay Mebane, Bootstrap Advisors
Date: Wednesday, July, 26th, 2023
Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
~Pricing for “Free Shipping” Workshop~
Don’t lose money on free or discounted shipping. This workshop will help you understand your product and shipping costs to create a shipping offer that benefits you AND your Customers!
During this workshop you will:
– Calculate your product margins
– Determine exactly how your current shipping offer is affecting your profitability
– Consider your shipping options + choose the right shipping offer for your business (and your customers)
– Create an actionable plan for setting up your offer
– Implement a simple strategy for ensuring you achieve your financial goals long-term
This workshop includes access to the Profitable Shipping Offer Calculator.
Who: Sarah Delevan, The Good Food CFO + Sarah Delevan Consulting
Date: Wednesday, August 9th, 2023
Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
~The Grand Finale and Awards Presentation~
What retailers look for and how to position your brand for your goals
This session will cover topics regarding working with a retailer – some of the points in this presentation will be specific TFM requirements, what we look for and how we qualify vendors for local versus for chain-wide, how to position your brand best, what we see that makes it easier for vendors and what makes it harder to work with vendors. A path from local to growing your business beyond a regional or state set up. Presentation will take place with a short Q&A after.
Emily Jones has been with The Fresh Market for 10 years, now the Category Manager of Local for all stores. Previously an Associate Category Manager buying for Own Brands at TFM and before that several years working in store positions.
And stick around after Emily’s presentation to find out who the winners are in this year’s Awards Competition!
Who: Emily Jones, The Fresh Market
Date: Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023
Time: 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.