Building a specialty food brand requires an understanding of the “why” that will drive the brand’s ongoing success, according to Jomaree Pinkard, co-founder and chief executive officer, Hella Cocktail Co.
“I think a lot of entrepreneurs love their product and love their service, but they don't necessarily understand the value chain,” he said.
Pinkard is scheduled to discuss branding during a session called Building a Brand at the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas beginning at 8:15 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 5. The session will be the first of an all-day series called “The Basics: The Business of Specialty Food.” More information about The Basics can be found here.
By detailing his own company’s journey to becoming a minority-owned, multi-million-dollar craft beverage maker, as well as some case studies from other companies, Pinkard will discuss how understanding the full range of activities needed to create a product can help specialty food makers grow their own brands.
“I think it is really about how to connect the dots between what you're making, the community that it services and the context that surrounds it,” said Pinkard.
Building a brand requires entrepreneurs to first understand the philosophy of the brand and its target market, and then to develop communication strategies that convey the appropriate content and messaging, with the right tone, he said.
Pinkard, who helped develop and implement The Salvation Army’s September 11 World Trade Center Recovery Program and has been a consultant for the National Football League, built the Hella Cocktail brand from a leisure pastime he shared with some friends into its current status, with distribution in 2,000 retail locations and 10,000 bars and restaurants. He is marking this year as the brand’s 10th anniversary, beginning from when he and his friends began giving each other cocktail bitters and tinctures as gifts.
“It was a hobby that turned into a lot more,” said Pinkard.
One of the lessons he has learned is that building and maintaining a brand “is an ongoing journey,” he said.
“There will always be obstacles to overcome. There will always be a new challenge, and the answers will continue to shift and change,” Pinkard said.
That is why, he said, that makers need to think not only about the economics of operating as a small startup, but also how the economics will evolve as they scale their brand, and what that might mean in terms of pricing and other variables.
In addition, brands need to keep a finger on the pulse of their customer community, to ensure that the brand is evolving as consumers change and as trends shift over time. That could involve changes to the product itself, as well as the packaging, for example.
“You need to be very, very mindful of the consumer journey, because that's really what you're solving for at the end of the day,” said Pinkard.
Related: Hella Cocktail, Co-Founder, CEO Elected to SFA Board; 5 Tips for Building a Brand Expression.