Introducing the New Maker Prep Course
Calling all early-stage food entrepreneurs! Your ideas and passion are key to the specialty food industry’s continued growth, and we want to help you turn your product and your story into a successful business.
Maker Prep Course is a new SFA program that provides foundational knowledge and guidance to a diverse Class of up and coming food manufacturers. Kicking off at the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show and culminating in a Class graduation at the 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show, Maker Prep Course is a six-month crash course in doing business in the food industry. Each participant will, by graduation, have a comprehensive understanding of how to launch, market, and distribute their products.
Together, we shape the future of food.
What’s Included
One-year Tier 1 membership for nonmembers
Badges for the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show and 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show
Dedicated educational sessions at the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show
Course touchpoints:
Knowledge building – access to online educational materials for duration of course
Class discussion – a dedicated closed group chat for brainstorming, questions, and ideas
Personal exploration – strategic prompts to apply concepts to participants’ businesses
Coaching sessions – monthly gatherings to talk with industry experts
The Class of Winter 2025 Is Now Open!
The Class of Winter 2025 will be capped at 100 participants. Claim your spot today and save $100, only through May 1, 2024.
Early Bird Pricing: $99 for SFA members, $399 for non-members
How the Course Works
Kickoff celebration at the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show
SFA will gather the Class of Winter 2025 in person at the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show for a kickoff meet & greet event, where participants can get to know one another.
Throughout the Summer Show, SFA will host immersive workshops that will introduce participants to forthcoming course topics and other foundational knowledge they’ll need as food entrepreneurs. There will also be an SFA Passport activity, where participants will tour Fancy Food Show hotspots and get an idea of what to expect when it’s their turn to exhibit in a Fancy Food Show booth.
Following the Summer Fancy Food Show, all Course topics will be available online
Participants may work at their own pace. SFA will provide class discussion and personal exploration prompts for each topic every two weeks, as well as monthly coaching sessions. The schedule of class discussions, personal explorations, and coaching sessions can be viewed below.
Throughout the Course, participants can connect with one another during and outside of class discussions through the dedicated group chat channel.
Class graduation at the 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show
Upon completion of the program, graduates will be celebrated in a ceremony at the 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show, along with a special display opportunity for their products.
Participants qualify for graduation by completing 75% of the Course. Additional perks for graduates will include priority access for SFA’s mentorship program and pitch competitions.
Online Course Touchpoints
Knowledge Building via Content in Maker Prep
Participants will access all educational course materials online through the SFA Learning Center. A link to log in and set up an account will be provided, after which participants will have unlimited access to the web-based online learning platform.
Course materials will include text, videos, and graphics to help explain foundational concepts when around developing a successful specialty food business.
Class Discussions via Closed Group Chat
For each Course topic, SFA will provide participants with a prompt to consider and discuss as a group. These discussions will take place in a closed group messaging channel on Slack or a similar platform, where the Class can suggest ideas, ask questions, and get helpful feedback from one another.
Personal Exploration Exercises
Participants will get the chance to apply the ideas, insights, and guidance provided around each Maker Prep topic to their own businesses.
From choosing strategic flavor combinations based on consumer trends to considering emerging e-commerce platforms and all the topics in between, these personal exploration exercises will allow participants to put their ideas on paper, reflect on the knowledge they’ve gained, and pressure-test their assumptions and plans in new ways.
Coaching Sessions with Industry Experts
Each month, a food-industry veteran will join the Maker Prep Course Class for a coaching session via Zoom. These sessions will be loosely focused on the two most-recent Course topics, with many of the speakers who created the educational content serving as coaches.
Participants are welcome to bring up topics from class discussions, seek feedback on their personal explorations work, or ask other questions of industry experts who know what it’s like to start, grow, and expand a food business.
The Class of Winter 2025 will be capped at 100 participants. Claim your spot today and save $100 during the Early Bird period.
Course Schedule
| June 23 – 25 | Immersive Sessions at the Summer Fancy Food Show |
| July 1 – August 9 | Product Development Food Safety Co-Packing |
| August 12 – 23 | Break / Catch-Up |
| August 26 – September 27 | Branding Funding Your Business Pricing & Trade Spending |
| September 30 – October 11 | Break / Catch-Up |
| October 14 – November 15 | Supply Chain & Logistics Trade Channels E-Commerce |
| November 18 – 29 | Break / Catch-Up |
| December 9 – 13 | Selling |
| December 16 – 27 | Break / Catch-Up |
| December 30 – January 10 | Working with Distributors Marketing |
| January 13 – 17 | Prep for the Winter Fancy Food Show |
| January 19 | Graduation at the Winter Fancy Food Show! |