Ready, set, launch!!
March is upon us, and I can hardly believe we are about to formally launch this Udderly Ridiculous company. I am even more amazed at being able to do that at the One of a Kind Show in Toronto that gets almost 60,000 visitors – what an opportunity to showcase our Goat Milk Ice Cream!
Leading up to the show we have been busy organizing, and at times it feels like a long row of dominos – if just one falls the rest come tumbling down…. but again my faith is strengthened by partners coming together to make it all happen in the timelines required.
We have our team (including suppliers, staff, vendors, bankers, family and friends) all pulling together to ensure this huge production comes together.
Just a few things we’ve needed to do:
· Finalize the packaging with nutritional facts, ingredients and French and English to align with all regulations and get them into production…and meet the huge minimum order quantities – this required getting a full 40’ shipping container to store all of them!
· Build an entire booth for the upcoming show and find a builder (thanks Evan Euteneier!) who could bring the vision to life - sneak peek of it in the image shown here..
· Getting a trailer that can transport and store the booth and equipment needed for shows
· Finish the branding materials for the website, the booth and continuing to connect with our followers on social media (thanks Hobson Strategy Design and Momentum Marketing for their amazing support)
· Organize the production of the first “retail ready” batches of ice cream being made fresh for just before the show. This also included havig some of our local farm partners come out of their holidays to ensure I had what I needed (thanks to Clovermead Apiaries and Applehill Lavender Farm). It also included having a full batch made especially for us of Upper Thames Brewery Coffee Porter Beer and working with Legends Estate Winery to provide all the VQA merlot.
· Getting our Food Handler Certificates so we can serve samples
· Purchase a van and have it outfitted with ice cream freezer capabilities for delivery and having additional ice cream available onsite
· Figuring out some ways we can ensure customers can get the ice cream home without being a puddle if they are not from Toronto
· Meeting with retailers and distributors who will be working with us to bring our products into stores.
AND …. formally launching at Pusateri’s Fine Foods in Toronto - all 5 stores are carrying our product and March 21/22 we are sampling at the Eatons Centre location beside The Bay!
So many large and small details to cover off that it has been non-stop. In the midst of this I am still facilitating and designing engagement, innovation and leadership work 3 days per week and we are now into kidding season (imagine hundreds of baby goats all needing to be bottle fed and cared for) and planning for planting of crops to feed the goats, and bringing on new staff at the farm. Life is, well…. full to say the least - I know we are ridiculous…..
We do hope you will come and visit us at the One of a Kind, sample our ice cream and give us your feedback – you can find us in the flavours section booth B44! For those of you in the Kitchener/Waterloo region we will also be at the KW Wine & Food Show the following weekend April 5 & 6 and will have some announcements soon about retail partners in the region!