The Specialty Food Association has debuted three new education tracks to help better serve its members and the specialty food industry.
The three tracks—In The Know, Maker Prep, and Regulatory Update—are designed to help companies at any stage of their business.
“At SFA, we are committed to providing our members with the knowledge that they need to succeed,” said Gretchen VanEsselstyn, director of education at SFA. “With that in mind, we’ve launched three distinct webinar series to ensure that we serve our newest members as well as more mature member companies with the highest quality information delivered in a just-in-time format.”
In the Know
The “In the Know” series is designed to educate and inform established and mature companies in the specialty food community. Topics include logistics and sourcing, export opportunities, and succession planning, and each webinar will have a Q&A portion to help attendees address any concerns or challenges they’re facing.
Upcoming In the Know webinars include:
• Legal and Practical Considerations for Making Your Website Accessible, taking place July 22
• Place Your Products in Film and TV, August 5
• Scaling Your Innovative Food Products, September 8
Maker Prep
The “Maker Prep” webinar series is an educational program that will provide the most important building blocks for new makers. Each topical package includes two or more webinars with Q&A sessions, plus extra resources.
“It’s tough out there for new specialty food businesses,” said VanEsselstyn. “We started the Maker Prep series to ensure that startup companies have access to industry veterans and experts who might otherwise be out of reach. Each session takes on a fundamental piece of the puzzle and there’s always an opportunity to ask questions live and follow up in the Community Hub.”
The first package, Funding Your Business, debuted on July 8 with a session on the First Key Steps. The remaining webinars in the series will be:
• Working with Investors, August 12
• Working with Lenders, September 9
The second package of the series, Working With Distributors, kicks off next week:
• The First Key Steps, July 29
• Building the Relationship, August 19
• Strategies for Success, September 16
Regulatory Update
SFA’s “Regulatory Update” webinar series is designed to educate and inform companies about the latest legal and regulatory news around food production and distribution. Attendees will hear from legal experts like Jeni Lamb Rogers, attorney, PSL Law Group, LLC and Sophia Castillo, attorney, Downey Brand, LLP. Each session will include an easy-to-digest presentation and Q&A session, along with access to slides and recordings.
Regulatory update webinars include:
• Not So Vanilla – Ways to Protect Your Brand Against the Vanilla Flavor Litigation Trend
• Compliant Consumer and Expert Marketing on your Website and Social Media
• Proposition 65 Risk and Liability
Webinars are free to SFA members and $19 for non-members who can purchase them a la carte or the 3-webinar Maker Prep series for $50. Webinars can be viewed live on the day they happen and recordings can be watched any time.
Related: Industry Voices: The Supply Chain Weighs in on the State of the Industry; Join SFA’s New Online Community Hub.