#88 If a major retailer called you today, would you confidently say yes — or would you hesitate and say "give me a few more months"? Jacinta unpacks why that hesitation is valid, and the one thing every emerging food brand should do to test drive their product before scaling into retail: schedule a plant trial.

Drawing from Chapter 2 of her upcoming book, Building Your Retail Ready Food Products ("The High Price of Hope"), Jacinta explains why a plant trial is the step that tells you whether your product can truly survive the move from small batches to large-scale production — and why skipping it to save money can end up costing you a whole production run.

In this episode, Jacinta covers:

• The question every founder should ask: if a major retailer called today, is your product structurally ready to say yes?
• Why hesitation about packaging, substantiated claims, shelf life, or true product costing is a valid signal, not a weakness
• What a plant trial is and why it applies whether you're working with a co-manufacturer or self-manufacturing with new equipment
• Why you still need your own plant trial even when your co-man says "we make products like yours all the time"
• How a plant trial gives you a clear picture of real product costs and the changes your product may go through at scale
• Using the trial to "show and tell" your co-man exactly how your product should look, feel, taste, and smell
• A real example: a cracker that lost its crunch at scale because a packaging bottleneck let it absorb moisture — caught and fixed during a plant trial
• What a plant trial typically costs (roughly $1,000 to $3,500 depending on the facility) and how to reduce it by piggybacking on a similar product's run

Key Takeaways

• Your hesitation about going into retail is valid — packaging, claims, shelf life, and costing gaps are real risks.
• A plant trial is your test drive for first production; skipping it puts an entire batch (and your product quality) at risk.
• Even an experienced co-man needs to see your specific product run through their line.
• The goal is for your product quality to stay the same whether you're making small batches or large ones.
• Ask your co-man about their minimum batch size or tagging onto the end of a similar product's run to lower the cost.

Links & Resources

• Read and review Chapter 1 of Jacinta's upcoming book, Building Your Retail Ready Food Products: [Read Chapter 1 here]
• Strategies to prepare for your plant trial day: [Link here]
• Get Your ETS Stage (Free Scale Up & Retail Ready Quiz): Take the Quiz here
• For Weekly Tips and Strategies while building: Subscribe to the Emerging Food Business Newsletter
• Questions about planning your plant trial? Email Jacinta: info@camaresearch.com

Next Steps If you're planning to scale into retail or move to a co-manufacturer, start here:

1. Ask yourself honestly: if a retailer called today, what would make you hesitate? Write it down.
2. Ask your co-man for their minimum batch size that still gives you a representative sample.
3. Schedule your plant trial before your first production run — not instead of it.
4. Show up to the trial ready to explain your product's target texture, taste, smell, and look, and observe every step from mixing to packaging (and even a trial shipment to your 3PL).
5. Ask whether you can piggyback on the end of a similar product's run to cut the cost.

About Your Host Jacinta is a food scientist and founder mentor, coaching better-for-you food founders toward one million healthier products in retail.

Connect With Me

• Instagram: @jacintakemboim
• Website: https://camaresearch.com
• Email: info@camaresearch.com

#planttrial #comanufacturer #copacker #retailreadiness #scalingfoodbusiness #foodmanufacturing #CPGfounder #foodentrepreneur #betterforyoubrand #foodcommercialization #shelflifetesting #foodfounderpodcast

#87 Fresh off the show floor, Jacinta shares three real takeaways from CHFA — not theory, but what actually worked (and what she watched other food founders do right) to turn trade show moments into real momentum.

This episode is a follow-up to last week's CHFA prep episode, covering what Jacinta noticed in practice: how competitions and awards create a "double whammy" of publicity, why the quiet in-between moments at a trade show are often the best time to talk to retailers, and why having fun — and not working the booth alone — can lead to the deals you didn't see coming.

In this episode, Jacinta covers:

• Why applying to pitch competitions or launch pad showcases at a trade show gets you a "double whammy" of publicity — both from the pitch itself and from attendees who recognize you afterward
• How to use conference days (before the trade show floor opens) to have unhurried, no-agenda conversations with retailers
• Why scheduling meetings ahead of time — even just a week out — makes your trade show conversations more precise and effective
• Why having fun at your booth isn't a distraction from business — it's often what makes people want to engage with you
• Why founders shouldn't work the booth alone, and how having a second person frees you up for deeper conversations
• A real example of how casual, social conversations with ingredient suppliers can lead to advance pricing and sourcing information you wouldn't get in a formal meeting

Key Takeaways

• Competitions and showcases at trade shows aren't just for the prize — they generate publicity before, during, and after the show.
• The best retailer conversations often happen in the in-between moments, not during the rush of the trade show floor.
• Plan ahead, but don't lose the ability to be relaxed and approachable — some of the best deals happen in casual, unstructured conversations.

Links & Resources

• Free Webinar — "Retail Readiness Roadmap: What Buyers Need to See Before They Say Yes" (Thursday, Oct 8, 12–1pm EST): [Register Here]
• Get Your ETS Stage (Free Scale Up & Retail Ready Quiz): Take the Quiz here
• Apply to the Retail Readiness Program: Apply Here
• Companion episode: CHFA Trade Show Strategy — the exact questions to ask retailers, suppliers, and co-manufacturers (Episode 86)
• Download the CHFA Retail Readiness Checklist (Pocket + Worksheet): Download Checklist & Worksheet here
• For Weekly Tips and Strategies while building: Subscribe to the Emerging Food Business Newsletter

Next Steps If you're heading to your next trade show, start here:

1. Apply to a pitch competition or showcase if one's available — the exposure compounds even if you don't win.
2. Use conference days (before the floor opens) to approach retailers casually, without an agenda.
3. Schedule your must-have meetings ahead of time, even if it's just a week out.
4. Bring someone to the booth with you so you're free to have real conversations, not just manage traffic.

About Your Host Jacinta is a food scientist and founder mentor, coaching better-for-you food founders toward one million healthier products in retail.

Connect With Me

• Instagram: @jacintakemboim
• Website: https://camaresearch.com
• Email: info@camaresearch.com

#CHFA #tradeshow #retailreadiness #specialtyretail #groceryretail #retailbuyers #CPGfounder #foodentrepreneur #betterforyoubrand #foodcommercialization #tradeshowstrategy #foodfounderpodcast