New product development and launch

project

Not so long ago...a brief history.

• November 2008 – the concept was created• Mill Pond Cannery and Preserves Company is a

new company with a strong ‘local food’ orientation and commitment

• business philosophy derives from the idea of using Ontario-grown ingredients to develop a unique and premium fruit butter

• Two ‘foodie entrepreneurs’ with a big idea – went looking for expertise

What we knew, and didn’t know...

• We know strategic planning, marketing, branding, finance, market research, sales and distribution...

• We don’t know food science, food standards, recipe development and scale-up, production processes, labelling requirements, shelf-life analysis...we needed help!

• Talked with several potential sources of assistance, then met Dawn...

A match made in food heaven...

• Initial meeting with Research & Innovation in December 2008• Strong culinary capabilities and expertise• Commitment to student learning through hands-on experience• Understanding of the emerging ‘local food’ movement• Strong project management focus and discipline• Cultural compatibility

• Met with Culinary folks, including Winnie, Moira and Ian, and Barb Shopland

• Next step...build project plan, with kick-off in February 2009

The process was smooth...

• GBC expertise was unbelievably valuable – complemented our own domain expertise

• A real ‘can-do’ and ‘hands-on’ attitude, that business people love

• Creative solutions to very real and practical problems

• Mutual learning...mutual success

Mutual benefits and success...

• Benefits for Mill Pond Cannery & Preserves are numerous...– Access to top-notch expertise, with deep industry experience– Credibility boost from working with a highly-respected culinary partner– Synergies to solve problems in a highly collaborative and creative manner– Huge learnings for Mill Pond Cannery as a result of GBC in-house knowledge

and willingness to share expertise– Adrenalin rush from making things happen, and ultimately getting to market

with an outstanding product line• Benefits for GBC are also numerous...

– Concept-to-store shelf experience for students, especially Irene• Right from the start, from product concept through to in-store sampling of the products

– Exposure to the ‘business’ realities of entrepreneurial endeavours– Market exposure through affiliation with Mill Pond Cannery – locally + globally– A critical partner in a Canadian success story – kudos galore!– A royalty agreement to share the financial gains

Leveraging other GBC expertise...

• Labels designed by Kimberley, who is a recent GBC graduate – and a amazingly talented Graphic Designer• visual brand is a critical element of the marketing strategy

• Market research to identify potential sources of ingredients in Eastern Ontario, and existing infrastructure components – performed by 2 GBC students (including Irene, and Alex from Business school)

More to come...

• GBC is our partner-of-choice for new product development going forward (3-5 new products per year are planned)

• Expansion of GBC relationship into food processing facility design and construction

• Joint planning sessions to continue to leverage synergies and collaborative process

Questions?