1. In what year did your company begin operation?
2008
2. How do you define success? With the sofi win, are you “there” yet?
Hard question. The sofi is definitely a help, but seeing the growth, profitability and acceptance of the product is also a way to measure success.
3. What challenges did you face in establishing your company?
Cash, getting in front of buyers, and funding growth in a controlled way.
4. How long did your initial roll-out for the above product line take (months or years?) and how much did it cost? ($5,000? $20,000?) What kind of funding was available to you?
We self-funded and worked very closely with the bank and our line of credit.
5. Please share your insights and advice for new to industry companies.
Be patient, it’s a long haul process. Listen to people that have been through this already. Manage your business and keep a very close eye on your cost of goods, sell price and financials. Have a thick skin, since you will need to work through rejection occasionally.
6. How do you define your “vision”? Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years? Describe in the present tense (as if you were reporting from the year 2020).
Sitting on a beach. My goal is to sell the company.
7. How would you define your exhibitor experience in the 2016 Specialty Food Association Summer Show? What was your total investment (booth, travel, drayage, promotion, etc?)
Not so good. That is definitely not a fault of the SFA. We were last minute entrants to the show and ended up in an all California booth. As a result we were in a dark back corner. The special events put on by SFA made the show worthwhile.
8. How did participation in the SFA Show impact your business? Did the added exposure encourage buyers to buy? Will being a sofi winner impact your business in the long run?
Overall I think being in NY was well worth it. I had some very good and exciting leads, but of course you don’t know whether you can turn them to customers for at least six months.
Contact:
Moon Dance Baking Inc.
Debby Dyar
625 Martin Avenue #5
Rohnert Park, California 94928
707-588-0800
email: info@hollybaking.com; Website: hollybaking.com
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