Business Models

A business model, not a product, determines whether a food or beverage company makes money. Our resources help you learn what makes a profitable and fundable business model.

Huddle Notes from May 3rd, 2021

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

The huddle this month focused on what’s going on in agriculture and a look at alternative packaging options and recycling initiatives. Listen to the...

Building an Artisan Meat Brand

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

Launching a processed meat business isn’t quick, easy or cheap. It can take many months, even years, to generate funding, develop a great product...

Are You ‘Just Another Food Brand’?

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

When launching or scaling a food business, most entrepreneurs think about branding—among the million other things bouncing around in their heads. Between product development,...

Connoils Scales from One-Woman Op to One-Stop Shop

41 minutes 17 seconds Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Stacy Peterson, founder and CEO of Connoils, joins Tera to discuss growing her oil ingredients company from a one-woman operation to a booming international business with a new 25,000-square-foot facility.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

The Secret to Building a Resilient Business

The COVID-19 pandemic threw a massive wrench that few food and farm businesses saw coming. Entrepreneurs barely had time to accept that this crisis...

The Nuts and Bolts (and Benefits) of Scenario Planning

53 minutes 39 seconds Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Scenario planning expert Eric DeLuca joins Tera to discuss this critical tool for scaling food and farm businesses. By mapping out plausible future stories, entrepreneurs can brace themselves for uncertainty and navigate disruption successfully.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Huddle Notes from March 1st, 2021

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

The huddles this month focused on climate change impacts on communities, food prices going up around the world, and the niche areas of our industry.

How to Keep Farmland in Farmers’ Hands

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

According to USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture, the average age of the American farmer is 57.5, up from 56.3 in 2012. What’s more, a...

Meadowlark Organics Forges Path to Farm Ownership

1 hour and 2 minutes of Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Tera and John Wepking discuss Meadowlark Organics’ farm transition journey, from securing the first loan to buy breeding cattle to building the infrastructure to mill organic small grains on-site, all under the mentorship of an experienced farmer.

Podcast about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Can Your Business Afford to Overlook Amazon?

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

Today, a huge slice of the U.S. population buys food on Amazon, and most won’t stop shopping there once the pandemic ends. They can find almost any product they want (including your competitors’), discover new foods to try (including your competitors’) and have their entire order (including your competitors’ products) delivered to their doorstep—all from their computer or smartphone.
Edible-Alpha® logo with #84. Below logo is Fenrici Brands logo alongside image of Michael Zang, CEO of Fenrici Brands..

Expert Insights into Selling on Amazon

1 hours 19 minutes of Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

In this episode Tera talks to Amazon expert Michael Zhang about what it takes to sell well on Amazon. Michael believes if you are committed to the channel you can make Amazon work for you. Tune in to learn more about what this commitment entails and how to tap into the power of Amazon to grow your food brand.

Podcast about Sales and Marketing for businesses that are Growing and Scaling | Startups

Huddle Notes from February 1st, 2021

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

The huddles this month focused on COVID issues related to food, the impacts the Biden administration may have on food and agriculture, and many topics to consider when working with your clients.

Breadtopia Builds off Pandemic Business Boom

1 hour 25 minutes Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Breadtopia’s Galen Saturley tells Tera all about the early e-commerce company’s roots, growth trajectory and skyrocketing sales through the pandemic.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

5 Success Lessons from a Famous Founder

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

The Edible-Alpha® podcast aims to educate and inspire listeners by showing “what it really takes to make money in food,” as Tera says in...

Article about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Paul Willis Talks Scaling up Humanely Raised Pork

42 minutes 58 seconds Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Famous founder Paul Willis of Niman Ranch joins Tera to discuss staying true to his values and scaling up humanely raised, pasture-raised pork to the benefit of small farmers and consumers nationwide.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Building Investment Cases for Regenerative Farming

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

Farming is hard work, but financing a new organic or regenerative endeavor is its own beast. Land can be expensive and tough to access,...

Article about Financial Management for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Gary Zimmer Shares How Healthy Soil Yields Success

47 minutes 17 seconds Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Gary Zimmer, the father of biological farming and founder of Midwestern BioAg, and daughter Leilani Zimmer join Tera to talk the importance of nutrient-stocked, structurally sound soil.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

white and black dairy cow in field

Can Dairy Farms Help Save the Planet?

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

When looking for ways to reduce environmental impact, an increasingly popular strategy is to eat less meat, dairy and other animal products. Considering the...

Article about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling | Startups

Scaling Managed Dairy Grazing for Max Impact

1 hour 4 minutes Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Tera talks with Joe Tomandl of Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship about the massive potential for managed grazing to promote farm succession, help mitigate climate change, localize food systems and revive rural communities.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Urban Ag Venture Blends Business and Social Mission

1 hour 11 minutes Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Mark and Judy Thomas of Garfield Produce Co. join Tera to discuss creating job opportunities for men facing employment barriers with their vertical, hydroponic microgreens farm. Based in a rough Chicago neighborhood, this innovative for-profit business/social enterprise uplifts vulnerable community members while supplying high-quality specialty produce.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling