Unicoi: Specialty Foods Workshop

Call All Food Entrepreneurs: Mountain Harvest Kitchen hosts a Specialty Foods Workshop

This Specialty Foods Workshop is for food entrepreneurs to get insider tips from leading industry professionals.
Ron Tanner of the Specialty Food Association and Maren Trocki, buyer for The Fresh Market, will discuss navigating the
specialty food landscape and offer advice on selling to managing brokers, distributors, supermarkets, and building a
foodservice business. Come learn about the trends that are driving the food and beverage markets and get tips on
getting your products to the marketplace on Thursday, January 24th 10 am to 2 pm at the Mountain Harvest Kitchen.

Early bird registration is $15. Registration includes instruction materials and lunch will be provided on site and is non-
refundable.

What is a specialty food? Think specialty flavored bbq sauces, nut oils, bean-to-bar chocolate, etc. If your
products are made in small batches- they fall into this category.

Your instructors are first, MAREN TROCKI is the Director of Dairy & Frozen at The Fresh Market, based in
Greensboro, NC, overseeing the strategic plan for a wide variety of categories – everything from frozen pizza to yogurt.
As Director, Maren has committed to sourcing traditional, hard to find foods from around the world, as well as the latest
in product innovation. Second, RON TANNER is Vice President, Philanthropy, Government & Industry Relations for the
Specialty Food Association, owner of the Fancy Food Shows®, and the publisher of Specialty Food Magazine. Ron has
worked for the Specialty Food Association, and its 3,800+ members, since 1987. Ron has appeared on The Today Show,
CNN and Food Network, and has been quoted in Newsweek, The New York Times, and Parade Magazine.

Questions? Contact us mountainharvestkitchen@unicoitn.net or (423) 330-9650.
Find the event at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/mountain-harvest-kitchen-17993213959
This workshop is funded, in part, through USDA Rural Development.