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Getting Your Product In Front of People
We can't stress enough the importance of getting people to try your product as quickly as possible. Once you've
refined the recipe to the point where it just can't get any better, give it to your friends and ask them to try it.
Be sure you get their honest feedback though... Take their opinions and modify the recipe until it satisfies most
of your friends. The goal is to get a recipe that will work across a wide range of tastes. Also, make sure that
you understand who you are marketing your product to. For example, double-income couples between the ages of 30 and 45.
This will help you to understand what flavors they like and dislike when developing your recipe.
To get your product in front of people:
- Check out the local farmers market and see if they have
space available for you to rent a booth. You'll have to buy a tent and some tables, but it will definitely pay for itself
once you start getting feedback on your product.
- Look for festivals that are coming to your area. We live in a place where there happens to be a lot of locally
produced food and wine, so there are hot sauce festivals and food/wine festivals all over the place. We try to
attend 3-4 festivals every year just to stay visible. Not only are festivals a good way to get exposure for your
product, but they are also a great way to generate income to keep your business afloat. Some great local events
include, The Austin Hot Sauce Festival, the Texas Food and Wine Festival, the Austin Jr. League Christmas Affair,
the Fredericksburg Food and Wine Festival, Zest Fest, and the Houston Hot Sauce Festival.
- If you make your products in Texas, sign up with the Go
Texan program. It only costs $25/year and they provide invaluable information on upcoming festivals all around
the state, discounts to booth space at particular food shows, and they also have a great loan program. Also, a lot of
customers look for products with the Go Texan logo and many grocery stores have special Texas product promotions
throughout the year.
- Take samples to your favorite locally owned retail shops and let them take it home to try it. If they like to use it
at home, chances are they will want to sell it to their customers.
- Contact the big name grocery store in your area and see if they have a local product program. A lot of grocery stores
like to bring in small local products occasionally to bring something different to their customers.
Once you start selling a few products to people, its time to Create Press About Your Product.
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