Morning Mingle: Ins & Outs of Co-Packing

Wednesday, Nov 28, 2018 7:45 AM - 8:45 AM

From the center of the natural products industry comes Naturally Colorado’s Morning Mingle!

When:

November 28, 7:45-8:45 AM

Where:

What:

On the last Wednesday of every month, Naturally Colorado’s Morning Mingles are THE place to learn with 80-90 natural products professionals and network around a timely, hot topic.

November’s Theme:

In’s & Outs of Co-Packing

Whether you are just starting your business or looking to expand your product offering, it is critical that you have a strong understanding of co-packing and co-manufacturing relationships. In this session, you will learn from a wide range of companies – from full service production, to shared kitchens, to canning. Join us to hear from experts on their insights and best practices on how to partner with co-packers – the right questions to ask and things you should look for before choosing your path.

Learn from the Experts:

Jarrett Eggers – Skyway Foods
Ashley Colpaart – The Food Corridor
Jason Walsh – Full Metal Canning
Brandon Viar – Fresca Foods

Cost:

Members: FREE
Non-members: $10

Panelist Bio’s

Jarrett Eggers
Jarrett is an entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience in the food and hospitality industry. Jarrett and his cousin, Ross Eggers, are the owners of Skyway Foods. They provide companies with modern, safe, secure & clean facilities to produce their own products. Skyway’s focus is on building a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and facilitating an environment where companies can interact and grow. Skyway currently operates two facilities that are home to 17 companies. They have plans to construct a third building in 2019. Jarrett is also the general manager of their family owned gluten free baking company, BellaVia. They currently produce GF pizza crusts, fresh GF pasta and GF flour tortillas. Their products are available in many restaurants around the country.

Ashley Colpaart
Ashley is the co-founder and CEO of The Food Corridor, a virtual food hub that connects food entrepreneurs to commercial kitchen space. Their mission is to enable efficiency, growth and innovation in local food. The Food Corridor is the first fully integrated software platform, handling scheduling and booking, compliance management, invoicing, billing, and community development. She is also the founder of the Network for Incubator and Commissary Kitchens, a community of practice that supports the food industry through sharing data, best practices, and technical assistance to build and grow successful shared-use kitchens businesses.

Ashley has a PhD in in Interdisciplinary Studies in Food Science and Food Safety from Colorado State University and is a Registered Dietitian. She earned a Master of Science in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and was previously the Northern Colorado Food Cluster coordinator in her home of Fort Collins, Colorado. She has a unique system understanding of food and human health in social, economic, and environmental spheres.

Jason Walsh
Jason is the Founder and CEO of Full Metal Canning as well as Nytro Jack – the Coffee with Benefits. He previously founded Yummari, a gluten-free energy snack company. He sold the company to 1908 Brands in 2016.

Brandon Viar
Brandon is a skilled leader and teammate with broad career experience in process improvement and management for large and small businesses in the food manufacturing, service, and retail industries. Brandon’s experience spans process analysis and improvement in a large food manufacturing plant to complete financial control and responsibility of medium sized business ventures. Today Brandon leads Commercialization, Account Management, Business Operations, and Product Development functions within Fresca. Brandon has his MBA from Colorado State University and Bachelor of Science from University of Delaware.