Los Angeles food blogger Erika Kerekes launched NOT KETCHUP, an award-winning line of gourmet fruit "ketchup" sauces, in January 2014. This presentation offers a look at her path to market, including product conception, recipe development, branding, marketing and sales.

1. Not Ketchup
A Tasty Startup Story

2. Once upon a time...
...there was a girl who wrote a food blog.

3. She loved making stuff in jars.

4. And then...cherry overload

5. The light bulb moment
“I’m so sick of
jam. I wonder…
can you make
ketchup out of
cherries?”

6. The obvious question...
Why is it called NOT Ketchup?

7. A tasty product is just the beginning.
➔ What are the rules?
➔ How much will people pay for it?
➔ How much will it cost me to make it?
➔ How will I get it into stores?
➔ How will I convince people to try something
new?

8. The rules
First rule of
selling food: Don’
t kill anyone.
This is Barry, my
food scientist.

9. My startup to-do list (sort of in order)
1. Research competition
2. Finalize recipe
3. Make a business plan
4. Hire food scientist to develop manufacturer’s formula
5. Find a co-packer (contract manufacturer)
6. Source ingredients
7. Choose a brand name
8. Develop a logo
9. Register an international trademark
10. Design labels
11. Find a printer
12. Build a website
13. Test, test, test until perfect
14. Tell all your friends
15. Line up publicity
….and this is all before you have the very first bottle!

10. Finally, time for production

11. And then the real work started.

12. Creating recipes - that’s work, too.

13. I got a few very lucky breaks.

14. And those have led to...

15. But still...lots of challenges ahead
➔ MONEY
➔ More publicity
➔ Conquering people’s fear of the unknown
➔ MONEY
➔ MONEY
➔ MONEY

16. Let’s do some math
Shelf price: $8
Retail margin: 40% of shelf price
Distributor margin: 25% of wholesale price
Broker’s fee: 5% of wholesale price
And then there are other costs, like overhead, breakage,
shipping, marketing, promotions…
(It’s really hard to make money in the food business.)

17. So what have I learned?
➔ We find energy for projects we love.
➔ Don’t listen to Negative Nellies. If you have a
vision, stick with it.
➔ But DO listen to people with experience.
➔ Don’t be afraid to fail.
➔ Ask for help - you’ll get it.

18. My friends and family are behind me!

19. Where to find Not Ketchup online
Website: http://www.notketchup.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/notketchup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/notketchup
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/notketchup
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/notketchupsauce/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+NotketchupCA
#notketchup #dipdifferently #awesomesauce

20. QUESTIONS?
I’m all ears.