BUS6820 - Advanced Food Business from Maui Food Industry X-celerator Program

Course Description

Take your value-added food business to the next level by scaling up production and securing retail accounts. Pitch your food business to a panel of judges for cash prizes and present your business to an audience of food entrepreneurs, retailers, and local leaders.

This is an online, self-paced course. This course also includes 15 hours of MFIC kitchen facility time. Students should make every effort to be available, in-person, to present at the Student Showcase.

Learner Outcomes

SLO7: Analyze electronic commerce: the internet and online business;
SLO12: Examine customer-driven marketing;
SLO13: Appraise product and distribution strategies;
SLO14: Identify promotion and pricing strategies;
SLO15: Technologies to manage information to make AG/Food business decisions;
SLO18: Evaluate financial impact of co-packers and external manufacturing;
SLO25: Conduct a Live Tasting Event Receive and assess constructive feedback on their AG/Food product from industry leaders, business mentors and AG/Food manufacturing coaches

Recommendations

Students will be given the knowledge and support they will need to successfully Pitch their food business concepts to a panel of professional judges and industry experts as follows:

1. Utilize the 9 components of the Business Model Canvas: Value Proposition, Target Market, Customer Relationships, Channels, Key Activities, Key Resources, Key Partnerships, Costs, & Revenues to:

• Develop and present, a PowerPoint Slide Deck overview with a clear understanding of what is needed in their business to make it profitable and viable food to a panel of food industry experts for critique
• Showcase a viable value-added food product that is ready to launch or scale at the MFIX Pitch Event
• Explain a value proposition and how a food product is marketed to a target audience.

2. Receive constructive valuable feedback on their food business from industry leaders, business mentors and food manufacturing coaches & draft a response to critique that was offered