Monthly Coffee Chats

Celebrating meal delivery operators with free coffee and expert conversations.

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Prep to Profit Podcast: Building a Bread Preorder Powerhouse with Zach Martinucci

In this episode of the Bottle podcast, Zach Martinucci, the owner of Rebel Bread, shares his journey from studying culinary anthropology at UCLA to founding a successful bakery in Denver. The discussion covers Zach's early days of pop-up events, the pivot during the pandemic to home-delivery and subscriptions, and the expansion of Rebel Bread's wholesale operations. He emphasizes the importance of high-quality ingredients, consistent communication, and logistical planning. The conversation also touches on his new venture, Gino Panino, and offers insights into running holiday pre-orders.

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Prep to Profit Podcast: Mastering Food Photography with Heidi Harris

In this comprehensive podcast, industry professionals share their expertise on food photography, emphasizing its vital role in business success. Featuring insights from renowned photographer Heidi Harris, the video explores her creative journey, diverse ventures, and collaborations with PR agencies and chefs. The practical aspects of food photography are covered extensively, including best practices for meal kit photography, essential tips for capturing appetizing images, and the importance of professional photography in branding. Tools like Photoshop and Canva are recommended, and the evolving trends in food photography are discussed. Emphasizing the investment value of quality photography, the video concludes with tips on choosing photographers and maintaining a brand's visual identity.

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Prep to Profit Podcast - Grow your Meal Prep Business - Building Golden Roots with Melanie Geist

In this detailed conversation, Andy interviews Melanie, the founder and owner of Golden Roots, a meal prep business based in Santa Cruz, California. Melanie shares her journey from starting with just a few clients to having a more substantial customer base, while maintaining the integrity of her sourcing and the quality of her meals. They discuss the evolution of her business model, which includes transitioning to a subscription-based service and the importance of community connections and sustainability. Melanie also explains the logistical aspects of her operation, including sourcing, menu planning, production, and delivery, highlighting her use of technology platforms like Bottle and Parsley to streamline processes. The conversation provides valuable insights into growing a small business while staying true to a mission of offering high-quality, healthy meals.

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Building PDC Meal Prep with Brad Miller

Join Brad from Punch Drunk Chef as he takes you through his journey of building a thriving meal prep business in Dallas-Fort Worth. With a culinary arts and combat sports background, Brad shares how his experience managing others' businesses and a pivotal trip to New York City helped shape his vision. He underscores the importance of strong community ties and personal mission statements in guiding his efforts. Brad also reveals practical strategies for managing a meal prep business, from sourcing quality ingredients and maintaining a creative, cost-effective menu to ensuring food safety and scaling delivery operations. The conversation further explores staff culture, branding, and Brad’s innovative 'guerrilla marketing' techniques, including using an eye-catching mail truck and establishing drop-off points in local gyms. Brad’s passion and purpose shine through as he seeks to enrich and uplift his community through nutritious, delicious meals.

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Becoming a Shared Kitchen Expert With The Kitchen Door

Join Andy Blechman and Ashley Colpaart as they delve into the world of shared kitchens for food entrepreneurs. Ashley, the founder of The Food Corridor and a leading expert in the field, shares her wealth of knowledge on the evolution of shared kitchens, licensing and compliance, cost structures, and the advantages of incubator kitchens. Discover when to transition from a shared kitchen to your own space and learn about the community-building opportunities these kitchens offer. This episode is packed with practical insights and resources to help food entrepreneurs navigate shared kitchen spaces effectively.

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How the Doughnut Project Shop Built One of the Most Popular Donuts in NYC

We chat with Leslie Polizzotto, founder of The Donut Project, about her journey from practicing law to running a successful doughnut shop in New York City. They explore Leslie's innovative marketing strategies, the challenges of operating a small business, and her decision to close the shop and transition to new projects post-pandemic. The discussion highlights the importance of creativity, collaboration, and adaptability in entrepreneurship.

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How Dirty Cookie was born from Manifesting Dreams

Join us for a compelling look at Shahira Marei's entrepreneurial journey as the founder of the Dirty Cookie. Discover how she overcame significant challenges, harnessed the power of manifestation, and built a thriving global brand. Learn about her strategic decisions during crises and her effective use of networking. Shahira's story of resilience, strategic pivots, and securing key investments offers a wealth of insights into the entrepreneurial mindset. This session is designed to inspire and guide you in navigating business complexities and realizing your dreams, just like Shahira did. Tune in to unlock your potential and propel your entrepreneurial ambitions.

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How Planted Table Found Meal Delivery Success with Megan Scott

Megan Scott is the co-founder of Planted Table, one of the Bay Area’s most successful and innovative meal delivery businesses. We’ll talk about how she built Planted Table, building an environmentally sustainable business and how to use Yelp reviews to grow your business. This is sure to be an awesome chat with an incredible business owner.

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Become a PR Power House with Laura Fryer

Laura Fryer, the owner of Blue Hominy Public Relations, will be joining us on 4/11 to discuss all things PR. Laura is a PR expert who has worked with incredible food brands to boost their public profile. We’ll be discussing how to grow your brand by getting more press. This should be a fantastic talk for anyone interested in boosting their business's brand and visibility.

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Build an Effective Shipping Business with Eric Stein

Eric Stein, co-founder of Mama Meals, will be joining us on March 19th to discuss all things shipping. Founded in 2020, Mama Meals has become a powerhouse in the postpartum meal space. Eric will share lessons learned and best practices for shipping — topics will range from how to start shipping to scaling to nationwide delivery.

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