Small Brands Huge Successes

It wasn't that long ago that small , artisanal brands were eclipsed by, national and more widely known ones.This is changing, as more and more foodies discover smaller , more naturally made foods. These are becoming popular and to the owners; and inventors; delight, successful.

Stephanie Strom wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Just as easy as it is to publish a book nowadays' due to platforms like Nook, it's relatively easy to produce a new item..Thanks to Facebook and Twitter small companies can get their product out to millions.Another reason is that sales are not tied to grocery stores anymore. Many companies, like the artisanal soda company,Zevia  received their success from sales on Amazon. Another boost comes from Whole Foods,it;s the store that sells  smaller, more naturally processed food stuffs,If a new food , whether a cookie or prepared meal gets a following there, they're golden, The company's decentralized structure allows for store and regional to incorporate small lots and batches into their store inventory. This is a boon for small companies that would usually start out selling or even handing out free samples at flea markets or street fairs.

For those who want to start up their businesses, there are some points to consider first. Concentrate on the product instead of the investors advises Will Rosenzweig, the founding chief executive of The Republic Of Tea and an investor as well.So many new companies should be improving their brand instead of trawling for angels.This is the reason he founded the Food Business school at the Culinary Institute of America, to help with the hard and sometimes financially demanding early days,Many smaller companies though  have passed this hurdle. There is the new condiment company, Sir Kensington , created by friends and former Brown University classmates, Scott Norton and Mark Ramadan. Their ketchup is a throw back to the original recipe of just tomatoes, tomato paste and natural sugar.Another new entrepreneur Lindsey Rosenberg has introduced a new kind of cake and bread mix, Cherryvale Farms. It's a big seller at Whole Foods and New Leaf Community Markets, a smaller all natural grocery store chain.

If you have a new food idea, go for it. Nowadays you can be a success with your gran's tomato sauce recipe or those peanut butter balls you love making. It's  a new era for food and drink entrepreneurs . Go for it and make a mint.