The Prospector

Gary White Photo By Gary A. White (gary@pchelle.com)
President, P’Chelle International

He walks until his feet ache, his legs wobble like rubber bands and his back grows tighter as the day gets shorter. He learns from his journey. He is persistent and continues while others grow weary and fail. His vision becomes crystal clear and his path forever straight. Finally, his shovel strikes receptive soil and he meets the object of his quest. -Anonymous

Okay, walking a trade show floor for two days straight, talking with hundreds of food processors, some friendly, some not so much, may not exactly be like prospecting, but there are similarities. Believe me, by the end of the day my feet ache, my legs wobble and my back starts to tighten up. I have definitely learned from my journey. Good teachers were the Winter Fancy Food Show (January) and Natural Products Expo West (March).

It was confirmed, again, that Blue Mountain Station is a ground breaking model for the specialty food industry. There is nothing else like it and it makes perfect sense. Not bad in an un-perfect world where little seems to make sense. I learned that our market is East Coast and Mid-West food companies looking for West Coast co-packers to tap into an existing or expanding West Coast and Asian market. So, being persistent and continuing when others grow weary and fail (or some might say get smart and move on to other things) off I went to Washington D.C. and the Summer Fancy Food Show in July, looking for co-packers. It was very successful with a handful of companies saying, “let’s talk” or “keep in touch”.

The trade show season concluded in November with PLMA’s 2011 Private Label Trade Show in Chicago. Talk about focus. This is a show of co-packers with the natural and organic guys prominently identified. PLMA stands for the Private Label Manufacturers Association. It boasts of 3,200 members worldwide. Its U.S. show (it also has a European and Asian show) featured more than 2,000 exhibitors promoting food, snacks and beverages, kitchen and household products, health and beauty and general merchandise. Fortunately for me, the vast majority of companies exhibiting were food and beverage manufacturers.

The PLMA Show was a great way to end the year. Actually it was a great way to begin 2012. Like the Prospector, my vision has become clear and my path forever straight. We have the right concept. The market is receptive. We will meet the object of our quest…..food processing tenants in Blue Mountain Station.