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Help is on the menu for food and drink entrepreneurs in Northumberland

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Cobourg entrepreneur Lucas Herron, whose company Arrowmatic Food produces small-batch artisan spice blends, made a valuable connection with another local business after joining the Business & Entrepreneur Center Northumberland's consumer packaged goods development group. (Photo: Arrowmatic Food)
Cobourg entrepreneur Lucas Herron, whose company Arrowmatic Food produces small-batch artisan spice blends, made a valuable connection with another local business after joining the Business & Entrepreneur Center Northumberland’s consumer packaged goods development group. (Photo: Arrowmatic Food)

Cobourg entrepreneur Lucas Herron has acknowledged a program from the Business & Entrepreneur Center Northumberland (BECN) for supporting him on his journey to market his unique range of spice blends in the counties of Northumberland and Peterborough.

Herron, owner of Arrowmatic Food, creates small-batch artisanal spice blends using Canadian salt, maple sugar and freshly ground Ontario-ground spices. Arrowmatic products are now available in area stores.

The foodie participated in BECN’s Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) development group. The group connects local entrepreneurs with entrepreneurs from the same industry to help them grow their businesses.

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As part of this group, business owners can share knowledge, learn from their peers, receive free business coaching and access micro-grants to scale their businesses, the BECN said in a press release.

The specialty group focuses on companies that sell food or beverage CPG for wholesale distribution and are looking to expand their operations regionally, provincially, nationally or globally.

“BECN’s CPG food and beverage development group has been a tremendous help in growing my business,” said Herron. “When I first joined the group, I was looking for a local factory to help manufacture my products. I was able to find this support through a partnership with another local business owner in the group.”

“Without this program, I would never have made this valuable connection and would have traveled more than an hour and a half every month to produce our blends. I have gotten a lot of value from this group and would definitely recommend it to local CPG companies in the food and beverage sector.”

After joining the Business & Entrepreneur Center Northumberland's consumer packaged goods development group, Lucas Herron, owner of Arrowmatic Food, was able to connect with another local business owner to provide a local facility to assist Herron with the production of its products. (kawarthaNOW collage of Arrowmatic Food photos)
After joining the Business & Entrepreneur Center Northumberland’s consumer packaged goods development group, Lucas Herron, owner of Arrowmatic Food, was able to connect with another local business owner to provide a local facility to assist Herron with the production of its products. (kawarthaNOW collage of Arrowmatic Food photos)

CPG companies include product-based outfits that sell ready-to-drink packaged foods and beverages, such as drinks, sauces, condiments, snacks and more.

The group has supported many local businesses in Northumberland County, including Saucy Dotty’s Gourmet Sauce in Brighton, The Lass & Ladle in Grafton, MillStone Bread in Cobourg, The Awesome Olive in Cobourg, Rice Lake Hard Cider in Baltimore, Mi Cocina of Cobourg, Lalies & Dutch in Cobourg, and Nutes Nutrition from Cobourg.

In this group, business owners have the opportunity to share ideas, best practices, strategies and knowledge through peer-to-peer sessions, virtual coaching sessions, workshops and business-to-business collaborations.

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Members can also access alerts on micro-grants and external financing, online education, digital assessments and development programs “to improve their business skills and help their businesses thrive,” according to BECN.

The CPG Food and Beverage Development Group is open to small businesses and clients of the Ontario Agri-Food Venture Center (OAFVC) in Northumberland.

The OAFVC is a unique food production facility designed, built and staffed to “serve as a launch pad” for food entrepreneurs entering the next phase of business growth. Based in Colborne, the OAFVC provides access to safe, clean food production areas and qualified production support staff.

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To participate in the Food and Beverage CPG Development Group, companies must be independent food and beverage CPG manufacturers or manufacturers that have been in business for at least one year.

The BECN also offers a number of other programs and services to support small businesses at different stages and sectors of the business community. For more information about the CPG Food and Beverage Development Group, or other programs and services available to small business owners through the BECN, visit becn.ca.

For more information about the OAFVC, visit oafvc.ca.

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