It's spring already?

Rid here- Again, I apologize for not posting more often. Michael A. and I have been super busy moving this soon to be famous food company forward. It's a LOT of friggin work, thats for sure. We've been hustling our simmer sauces like mad.  Demos in stores.  Calling on reps and distributors. Even talking to exporters.  Gee, Lizbeth Lane in Japan.

Some things however haven't changed. For one, everyone is soooooooo slooooooww to get back to us. We get requests for samples and our super slick sales kits all the time from stores, reps and distibutors.  They all seem so excited when they ask us for our samples. So we bust our butts to ship them the goods.....then nothing.  No response. No followup. Nothing.  We call. They aren't in. We email. No reply.
If you're going into this business, be prepared for little if any response from all these folks who seem so interested in you. They will make you crazy.  Sometimes I think they just want free food...

But once in a blue moon, we get through to them and ask if they've tried our sauces. "No, not yet" they reply. Oh right, it's only been 6 friggin weeks since we've sent the samples!

The good news however, is that a lot of good stores are ordering. We also have reps who are covering territories in MN, ND, MI, WI and others who are coming on board soon.  We are also working with online wholesale portals, where stores can order through them--we pay a commission to the portal for sales.

We also just lined up our first distributor who will be covering PA, NJ, DE and MD.  We want to establish distribution in order to expand our brand into larger stores while selling to the smaller stores as well.  Our pricing is geared to compliment both markets.

Bottom line is this.... patience is a real virtue in the food biz. I have always dealt with deadlines in my advertising career-- gotta have it done by X date-- so this slow pace is killing me! When you combine the slow pace with the "Whack-a-mole" type of trying to find distributors-- there's one! Nope, he's gone--look another--where'd he go?--it can be torture....and costly.  You oughta see our UPS bill!!  Now I understand why it takes so long to turn a profit in this business-- you spend all your friggin money on shipping samples! Maybe we should charge them for the samples. Naaaahh.  
(Gee, wonder how they like our sauces?--we may NEVER know.)

Wow--what a ride so far.

Rid here:
Well folks, it's been a long, long time since we added to this blog. For a good reason though....we're extremely busy!  Michael A and I are jumping through so many hoops to drum up business and market ourselves to the trade, that I feel like I've joined a friggin circus.

I'm not sure where to even begin....  so I'll start at the beginning.

We started on our "get the word out" efforts by hiring marketing maven, Eileen Acello.  She's a foodie and has been marketing food items for a zillion years. She also teaches at St Josephs University in....tada... food marketing. wow.....   It seems like everywhere we go, there is someone who says they are in the food biz or know of someone in the food biz.  Totally amazing.

So, our first piece of business was with a great, 2 store chain of stores called, "A Taste of Olives". I called them out of the blue and they called back and said they wanted to place a pretty big order!  So Michael and I were running around like knuckleheads getting it all together.  We delivered the sauces and point of sale.
As it turns out, they sold the sauces in a matter of a few weeks and ordered more. People were actually buying our simmer sauces and loving them.  Hey, whats not to love, right?

We are in PA, NJ, MD. WA and more stores are calling every day!  (They saw our ad in the 2011 Gourmet Retailer Buyers Guide.)

We have done sampling in a few stores and have found that when people try them, they buy them.
I mean, people are going totally nuts for these sauces!  We had to do a second production run within weeks of our first sales.

We've also tightened up our accounting, inventory controls and have been able to reduce online shipping costs. UPS prices are a killer if you dont't make it to a threshold where prices drop considerably. And--did you know they charge an extra $2 to deliver to a residence?  Yup. They do.

Well, 2011 is the year in my mind where we will know whether these sauces fly or not. We are targeting volume sales by trying to get into upscale food chains like Whole Foods and Fresh Market.  We are also finding that being gluten-free is a really big deal.  Its opening up a whole new market for us as well. We are going to be picky though.  Our sauces are the finest out there. So the stores, whether brick & mortar or online, need to be the finest, too. We're hunting for reliable distributors, too. We are going to focus on the mid-atlantic area this year and "Go west" from there. (well, we certainly arent going east)

We are also working on a super secret line of gourmet pizza sauces.  Mind blowingly delicious and different than anything you'll find in stores.  We have a ways to go. Finessing and getting them on par with the simmer sauces.  These will not be your typical red sauces. Oh no......these are Lizbeth Lane Gourmet pizza sauces.  A whole new niche... a new world of "gourmet pizza saucedom".

Stay tuned. Stay hungry for more.

Doing Something Right…

Michael A. here.  Well, we must be doing something right.  Not only are people buying our sauces but now they are coming back to buy more!  That is the true measure of success.  It’s easy to get them to buy the first time, it’s much, much harder to have them come back and buy more.  AND, more gourmet shops are starting to order our sauce!  We are watching our inventory levels fall…so much so we are having a meeting with Rid’s favorite folks, THE CO-PACKERS, later this week.  Time to discuss that next production run.  And to see if my eyes get real small again.  I’ll leave that for Rid to report on.  One thing is for sure, this next production run won’t be for the minimum! 

Rid mentioned we went back to school.  St. Joseph’s University Food and Marketing program had us in one of their senior classes.  The class had been assigned our company as their mid-term exam.  We sat in on the class while they reviewed our company, our products, our business strategy, etc, etc.  We were impressed.  They were a bunch of very bright young people!  We had fun hearing their perception of our company and what we were doing and we got to answer their questions on why we have done what we have done.  (As if we really know…..)

And just this afternoon our PR guru, Eileen Acello, let us know we are featured, as a Top Story no less, on Food and Beverage World.Com.  (FBWorld,com) Wow, what a nice write up.  We really must be doing something right!

Stay tuned… more exciting things are in the works.  More media coverage, new products, holiday specials and who knows what else…

"I'll give em a try"

Well folks, we are in business. Stores are beginning to order our superb simmer sauces for their stores and sales are pretty good!  Some stores are sampling and when a customer walks into their store, they notice the wonderful smell of our Piccata or other sauce and ask, "Mmmmm, that smells good, what is that?" BINGO- thats the way to make a sale for sure!

We are showing off our sauces daily and know a time will come when we need to expand through the use of distributors.  Running around from store to store aint easy. I find myself exhausted by 4pm. Right now though, we want to meet our clients face to face. Know their business and work with them to maximize sales. It's a learning curve for us.

Eileen, our marketing guru, is trying to get us on TV. Articles are coming out which are giving us high marks for our sauces.  We are on our way......gotta keep that snowball growing!

A lot of customers are buying our 4-pak to give as Xmas gifts this year.   A tasty choice indeed!

Stay tuned--and buy our sauces online or in one of our retailers--if you live near Philly.

Knock knock......

Rid here: Well, now it's hustle time.  Pressing that flesh. Trying our best to get into every gourmet shop around. I am a little impatient though.  Of course they want to sample the sauces....that takes time. Ugh.
Then...they have to think about it.  Ugh. I want to walk in, wow them with our pitch and have them yell out, " OMG, I'll order 100 cases of each sauce-- you have created the greatest thing since sliced pineapple and we want it in our stores--NOW!"

Aint gonna happen like that.  I'm learning a whole new phase of this business now. It's called persistence and patience. Ugh. Ugh.

We had the good fortune of being featured in the local newspaper. A great article about two guys who, out of work, start up a unique food company.  And people are noticing.  We are getting calls, emails and the like.  We are also sending out samples and our sales kit to food websites, reviewers, online gourmet sites and media folks.  I'm now best friends with the girl at the local UPS store.  I walk in and she says, "the sauce man is back"  I tell her that I am now a saucier extraordinaire.  (Am I losing it already?) The trick is to hustle. Never quit. Work 12-15 hours a day.  Get out there. Analyze. Strategize.  Scrutinize.

Im also learning how to be a sales guy.  I'm not a sales type person.  But again, I'm learning. And listening. Trying different tacts.  Honing my skills.

Online orders are slowly coming in--and that's to be expected.  It's going to snowball. Into a really really big snowball we hope.

Tomorrow, Michael A. and I are attending a class at St. Joseph's University's Food marketing school. This is going to be a thrill.  And we are excited by being selected to be a part of their marketing assignment. These students will grill us and we will grill 'em right back. Ha!

Wow....things are actually starting to pop.  (wow)

time to cook dinner.  Am making my not yet famous shrimp scampi tonight (hint: add orange zest with the lemon zest-red pepper flakes, lots o garlic!)

Til later.....

Moving to the head of the class!

Rid here:  We are in a high state of marketing now. Calling on gourmet shops, gift basket companies, food publications, friends, relatives... everyone. The response has been good.  Very good indeed!

Now we have been invited by the good folks at St. Joseph's University for our company to be featured in a food marketing class. Students will be asked to develop marketing ideas for our new and growing food business. Michael A. and I will attend and answer  (oh Gawd) all those questions about our business.

Can't wait. Since my background is advertising and marketing, it should be a snap--right?  We'll see....

The game has changed in the world of marketing. Aint no more just run an ad. It's Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Dugg, FoodBuzz, whatever. I don't know this stuff.....so I'll excuse myself from class and turn it over to Michael. Hahahahahaaaaaa!!!

Good luck big Mike.  I'll get it all on video and post it Youtube.   Seriously though, it will be an engaging two hours of learning for the students as well as for two bald guys who sell the best simmer sauces in the universe.

Cha Ching$$$

Michael A. here.  It’s been a busy time the last few days at Lizbeth Lane Gourmet Cuisine.  As you know the sauces are in!  We’ve been selling 4 packs faster than we can box them up.  Pay Pal orders are coming in.  We even had an inquiry from Australia about buying our sauces!  Shipping is a bit much so the person is waiting to buy them when she comes to the USA in a couple of months.    Of course Rid and I are now considering the need to make a trip Down Under to set up a distribution network.

I had to make a bank run yesterday to deposit sales receipts.  Yeah…REVENUE!  After all these months of sending money out it’s really nice to actually bring money in!  I had so many checks to endorse that I went to Staples after the bank to order a “For Deposit Only” stamp.  Now that’s one expense I have no trouble paying.

Rid and I are busy sending out sample packs and sales data to Gourmet shops that are interested in our sauce!  We are meeting today with the fulfillment folks and UPS to get the best shipping rates for our customers.  Tomorrow we have an interview with a local publication about us and the company…photographer included!  Hey Eileen, how’s our spot on Rachel Ray and the View coming along?

It’s a busy time here at Sauce Central.  Check back in to keep up with what’s happening. 

Oh BTW, if your interested in buying sauce and live within 25 miles of Sauce Central, call or email us directly.  We’ll process your order and deliver it for free.