Do grandma’s cookies have what it takes to become the next Oreo?
Organizers of Rural Forum 2007 will put Manitoba entrepreneurs’ best food product ideas to the test in the Great Manitoba Food Fight, to be held April 26-27 at Brandon’s Keystone Centre.
As part of the new format for the 15th annual event aimed at boosting the rural economy, food entrepreneurs are invited to present a sample of their food product to a panel of judges and compete for a $20,000 business development assistance package from the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie, Man.
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Myrna Grahn, a business development specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, said the contest is open to anyone with a promising idea.
“Like people who might be selling their products at small gift shops or roadside stands who don’t really have the official packaging and labelling or recipe that they need to take it to the next step, which would be mass production.”
Competitors must pay a $25 entry fee and register by April 1.
The grand prize includes expert help with business planning, recipe refinement, package design and marketing. Second place will receive a $10,000 package and third place, $5,000.
After the contestants present their product to the judges and make a 10 minute sales pitch, they will tour a trade-show style commercialization station covering the nine stages of bringing a food product to the mass market.
At each stage, they will talk with representatives from the Food Development Centre, packaging companies, market research firms, business planning consultants and financiers.
“Even if they aren’t the winner, they will have learned who they need to talk to,” Grahn said.
“We’ll have a staff person who will help them go through the process so that they have a good conversation with everyone.”
Other events at Rural Forum will include Meet Your Match, a business version of speed dating.
Individuals interested in buying an existing business or launching a new enterprise in a rural or northern community will meet community representatives and be given a few minutes to make their pitch. When the whistle blows, they move on to the next community representative.
