Woman-owned Cheeza Pleeza was honored to sample at Central Market’s Hatch Chile Festival last week. Founder, Lynn Wilford-Scarborough, commented that it was a real thrill to participate. Cheeza Pleeza is a delectable selection of pimento cheese spreads in 9 flavors – perfect for sandwich making or as Lynn says on her website, “on eggs for breakfast, avocados for lunch, after-school snack with veggies, topping for baked potatoes, or top any meat for a do-it-yourself gourmet for guests.” Congrats, Lynn!
We caught local spice brand, Casa M, looking like hot stuff at Tom Thumb!
Food Scholarship Association of North Texas’ fundraising golf tournament, at Bear Creek Golf Course on September 13, is attended by many regional food buyers from Market Street, Kroger, Albertson’s/Tom Thumb and HEB/ Central Market as well as distributor partners like Ben E Keith, Jake’s Finer Foods, and many more. 3grams Food Group and The New Avenues are allowing CPG DFW members to hand out product samples at their sponsored holes for only $100 (regular sampling price is $500) and proceeds help fund FSA scholarships for folks in the food industry! For info, email lisa@3gramsfoodgroup.com by August 31. Space is limited
Attention Founders:
Looking for help growing your brand? There are two great opportunities coming up soon.
Dallas’ Impact Venture’s LEAP (Local Entrepreneurs Accelerator Program) is a 12-week 100% virtual program starting Sept. 1. Founders participate in group pitch sessions, weekly online learning modules, and peer-to-peer groups and have access to a network of mentors, coaches, and affiliate service providers. Apply here.
A BIPOC opportunity: Naturally Network, in partnership with NielsenIQ, is launching the first nationwide cohort of the M/O Fellowship, a 12-week program that supports the success of racially and ethnically under-represented CPG Founders. Apply here through August 31.
The Good Jerky was recently notified that it’s a semi-finalist for the Founders First CDC Job Creators Quest Grant.
“Extremely blessed whether we come out on top or not,” co-founder Quentin Crawford wrote on LinkedIn. “We want to make an impact in our community through job creation and this would help us towards that goal.”
Based in Fort Worth, The Good Jerky makes award-winning, flavorful “snacks from the sea”: offering salmon and trout jerky for those looking for a healthy, grab-and-go snack.
What an amazing DFW CPG event last week at Four Corners Brewing Co! A BIG
thank you to the SKUTeam, Emily Ingle Kealey and Michelle Breyer, and Kat Weaver of PowerToPitch for the incredible panel discussion: How to Perfect Your Pitch. We had a packed house despite the rain. Thanks to all of you who came out to join us. And kudos to our friends at Cohost & Four Corners Brewing Co. for a flawless and worthwhile event.
SKU has selected the five companies for the third cohort of SKU Dallas. “The companies in the cohort were selected based on their innovation, traction in the market and the strength of the founders,” says Emily Kealey, Managing Director of SKU. SKU Dallas ’22 includes: Mortal Ventures, Becca Schepps, Nakey, OMNI Bev, Pippy Sips, Amberlee Venti and True Scoops. Congrats to all!
Mentors Needed:
Are you a top executive in the industry, a successful founder or an investor? Are you a leading expert on such topics such as e-commerce or branding? SKU is currently recruiting mentors for SKU Dallas, which will take place from August 23rd – November 15th. You need not be based in Dallas to mentor for this hybrid program. If you are interested in learning more about being a SKU mentor, we would love to talk with you. Email Michelle Breyer.
The Santander Food Business Accelerator Program is seeking food CPG industry mentors for its fall program in DFW. Time commitment is only 3 hours – but your involvement could make a world of difference for an eager entrepreneur. Click here for more information on mentorship and here to register by August 20.
By the way, Santander and Impact Ventures have chosen their fall cohort including several local CPG companies. We’ll have a complete list in the next issue of the Insider!
Have a story for the Insider? Tell us about it and we will possibly feature it in an upcoming edition.