Peoples Pierogi Collective, Detroit Michigan

Entrepreneurs tapping farm mystique, food with ‘a story’ and more

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:41:42 +0000

By Jane Fyksen, Crops Editor
Wednesday, July 27, 2011 12:33 PM CDT

Deciding to add value to farm production or diversifying by launching some unrelated enterprise requires more than a creative idea.

It takes work targeted at marketing and a financial plan. However, having a passion for what you’ll be doing will turn most of that hard work into enjoyment, and hopefully, generous profits.

The first step is to think creatively about new product development. Brenda Reau harkens to the old Beach Boys’ hit with the probably familiar refrain, “Wouldn’t it be nice if…” Reau says finishing that phrase can be a powerful tool for would-be entrepreneurs. “Don’t get stuck worrying about the feasibility or how to implement the idea. The goal is to get you thinking about desirable products or services that would be ‘nice,’” she says of this easy brainstorming technique.

Reau, a long-time Extension educator for Michigan State University, was recently named assistant director of MSU’s Product Center. Working out of Monroe, Mich., she’ll provide leadership for the Innovation Counselor Network of Extension educators across her state, facilitating business development and value-added enterprises in the area of food, agriculture, natural resources and the bioeconomy. She and her family live on her home farm, raising Suffolk sheep. They direct market and sell breeding and show stock. Reau’s 15-year-old daughter has a large rabbitry and a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) produce business.

Reau provides a few real-life endings to “wouldn’t it be nice if” Moms didn’t have to wash, core and slice apples for their youngsters. She says Peterson Farms in Shelby, Mich., has it covered. They sell fresh-cut apple slices to consumers and restaurants.

Say you like hard-boiled eggs, but don’t like cooking and peeling them. “Wouldn’t it be nice if” you could buy hard-boiled and peeled eggs at the grocery store? This product is now available in the dairy section of many grocery stores, brought to fruition by someone’s creativity.

“This simple method for generating great ideas for new products works!” Reau stresses. “A new product that serves an unmet consumer need and solves their problem will be poised for success.”

She says local foods “with a story” are very appealing to consumers. Many families have favorite recipes passed down for generations. There’s opportunity to commercialize these family favorites and market them to consumers looking for homemade taste and who “love a food product with a story behind it.”

Kim Stricker grew up making Pierogi with her Polish grandmother. This stuffed type of dumpling is traditionally filled with a potato, cheese or sauerkraut filling. Stricker recognized the appeal of this simple home-style food and launched People’s Pierogi Collective in Detroit.

Reau cites John Spillson, the third generation in his family to make Greek rice pudding here in the U.S. When his grandfather came to this country from Greece in 1918 he’d brought with him the treasured family recipe for rice pudding. Spillson is still making the same recipe for Spillson’s Rice Pudding, now in the dairy case of southeastern Michigan grocery stores and expanding across the Midwest.

As long as we’re talking Greece, Reau says Greek-style yogurt is gaining favor among consumers, resulting in dramatic sales increases. Consumers are attracted to Greek yogurt for its rich, thick texture and extra protein it provides. (It has twice as much protein as regular yogurt due to the process used to make it, she notes.)

“All yogurts are made by heating milk and cooling slightly and then adding active cultures and allowing the mixture to ferment until set. With Greek-style yogurt, the mixture is strained to remove the whey which results in a concentrated, thick and creamy mixture that will stand up on a spoon. Whey is the liquid portion remaining after milk is cultured; it contains several nutrients including whey protein. Most Greek-style yogurt processing separates and removes only the liquid portion of the whey, leaving the whey protein intact in the yogurt,” she explains.

“It requires more milk to make Greek yogurt which is a plus for dairy farmers. Most Greek yogurt is made from non-fat milk, so there is no fat in the product despite its lush texture,” she adds of what might be a product for a farmstead dairy processing start-up.

Even though the average price of Greek yogurt is considerably higher than regular yogurt, it’s attracted the attention of many consumers, looking for “more natural and authentic food products”; Greek-style yogurt fits that image, according to Reau.

Reau says consumers are also seeking out “heritage breeds” of livestock, and meat products from those breeds.

“What’s old is new again, at least when it comes to breeds of livestock. Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in heritage breeds in their quest for food with a story. They not only want to know where their food comes from but want to know the history behind it,” she emphasizes.

Generally, notes Reau, a breed is referred to as “heritage” if it’s existed for more than 100 years. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (http://www.albc-usa.org) is the national organization that working to preserve and promote heritage breeds and educating the public about their attributes. “ALBC feels preserving this population of animals is a significant facet of preserving the agricultural roots and tradition of farming and maintaining genetic diversity,” she remarks.

Both chefs and consumers are increasingly willing to search outside of traditional market channels to seek out producers of these breeds, which they feel offer special attributes. Take the heritage turkey market for instance. Heritage breeds like Bourbon Red and Standard Bronze are making a comeback—at premium prices. These turkeys grow slower than the usual Broad Breasted White, have darker meat and a different flavor.

There has also been growing interest in heritage breeds of hogs such as Tamworth and Berkshire, and heritage breeds of cattle like Dexter, Devon, Belted Galloway and Highland. These cattle breeds are well-suited to pasture-based production. (Grass-fed beef is also sought after by a growing number of consumers these days.)

“As with any niche market, producers need to create value in their products and relay that value to the consumer. Heritage meats and poultry are most often direct marketed to consumers, which requires an additional time commitment and the willingness of farmers to interact with consumers,” she notes.

Another idea for livestock producers is meat snacks, like jerky, snack sticks and pork rinds. Reau says they’ve seen a 20 percent increase in sales over the last five years. While the average jerky customer is male, between 35 and 54 years of age and has a household income of $50,000 to $70,000, women are also now discovering meat snacks. A recent Penn State University, says Reau, assessed the snacking interests of active women between ages 18 and 45. Evaluating the hunger-satisfying properties of 100-calorie samples of beef jerky versus 100-calorie portions of other snacks, the study found that women reported beef jerky to be far more satisfying and effective at controlling their appetites. Sixty-five percent reported they’d select beef jerky as a snack.

“Opportunities may exist to further develop niche markets within the meat snacks industry. Natural snacks that rely on salt rather than sodium nitrate may have appeal to some consumers as well as snacks made from organic or no added hormone meats. New label designs on existing products may also increase the appeal to female consumers,” says Reau.

Utilizing coupons for your value-added products can increase sales by tapping into the growing trend of coupon use among consumers. Placing coupons in local food guides is a way to maximize attracting customers who want locally made products and are looking for savings. Business owners may also print their own coupons and distribute them throughout the community target specific locations or groups of consumers.

A relatively new trend is consumers printing their own coupons off of the Internet. Farm businesses that have their own website may want to consider placing a coupon on their site for potential customers to print. This can be a great method for attracting business without additional cost.

Reau says a business plan is especially critical for entrepreneurs starting new businesses. It’s the roadmap for the business and helps to explain your business in common language. It can also be used as a measuring stick for performance of the business. A business plan forces you to take a good look at all aspects of the business, and can be used as part of a financing proposal.

“The business plan should be written before anyone is hired or the first product is made or service rendered. If you think you are too busy trying to launch your business and don’t have time to do the plan the time crunch will only get worse once you launch your business,” she states. “It sounds like it is a big job and it is! Creating a business plan may take a significant amount of your time but it is well worth it. A well written plan will be a useful tool in creating a roadmap for your business and help you go from a bright idea to a successful enterprise.”

It’s a way to “make sure you’re grounded before you make a major investment,” she adds.

Besides local foods, today’s consumers are also very enthusiastic about what might be called the “farm mystique.” “There’s a segment that “absolutely craves knowing where their food comes from” and is thrilled for the opportunity to meet a farmer, Reau concludes, noting this is, in large part, the driving force behind the “explosion in farmers markets.” Tap into people’s desire to meet a real farmer and get back to basics by buying food directly from the producer—even better if that food has a “story” behind it.

Every Bride Expects a Lovely Food Truck

admin — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:55:26 +0000

Article Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, June 14 2001

By SUMATHI REDDY

Amy Maureen Yee had all the trappings of a Brooklyn wedding. An off-white lace dress that was a remake of a vintage gown. Bundles of tulips grown by her and the groom.

And food trucks serving huaraches, schnitzel and dumplings on paper plates.

“We started to look at traditional caterers and the costs were just crazy,” said Ms. Yee, who got married last month in the Green Building in Carroll Gardens. For a third of the price she hired three food trucks instead.

Street sales aren’t the only source of revenue for the gourmet food trucks that have taken the city by storm in a few years. Some are deriving as much as half of their income from catering and rentals.

They cater everything from weddings to bar mitzvahs to movie and television crews filming on the street. Food trucks also are being hired by businesses to woo corporate clients.

Mustafah Abdulaziz for The Wall Street Journal. The bride and groom, Amy Maureen Yee and Michael Treff, in front of one of the food trucks they hired for their wedding party.

Some are even papered over with ads to promote products ranging from Coach bags to airlines to corporate food chains.

“We have a major company that is looking to us to promote their brand,” said Grant Di Mille, president and co-founder of Sweetery, which has three trucks. “How interesting is that? That a company with 250-plus retail locations, a multimillion-dollar company, is coming to us to promote their brand.”

The expansion of food trucks underscores how quickly this independent band of meals-on-wheels has evolved into recognizable brands. Some of the most successful trucks, such as Schnitzel & Things, have opted to open brick-and-mortar restaurants. Because catering and corporate events often involve a service charge or slightly higher prices, they are more profitable than street sales.

There is no official count for the number of food trucks in the city but David Weber, co-owner of the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck and president of a newly formed trade group representing them, estimates there are 40 to 50 gourmet-food trucks. Rickshaw, which began as a restaurant, now has four trucks and just opened a second restaurant.

“Weddings have been really good for us,” said Mr. Weber, whose truck was at Ms. Yee’s wedding. “Bat mitzvahs are also really popular.”

Some in the industry say the interest in rentals and catering was a surprise. David Belanich, an owner of the Joyride truck, which sells coffee and frozen yogurt, said that once the weather got warm the calls started streaming in.

“At first it was the films, we worked on ‘Arbitrage,’” he said, referring to the Richard Gere movie. “We got a call at 4:30 p.m. and they wanted us in the Bronx at 2:30 a.m. We did a couple of pilots. It’s been crazy recently.”

He estimates that about 20% of his revenue is from catering and corporate events. The truck has a corporate client it delivers coffee to every week for a half an hour.

While Rickshaw and Joyride focus on catering, others like Sweetery do a lot of corporate promotions.

Mr. Di Mille and his wife, Samira Mahbourbian—who have marketing and advertising backgrounds—rent their trucks for promotions, wrapping part or all of the truck with the brand of the company they are working with, while almost always co-branding so their logo is also visible.

“What I can make one day in our promotional truck could take me two-plus weeks in our regular truck,” said Mr. Di Mille.

Sweetery has worked with the Food Network, Hewlett-Packard, Lacoste and Capital One, among others, in promotions that almost always involve dispensing food from the truck. At a Yahoo promotion last week, the truck was giving out free whoopie pies. The promotions can net the business tens of thousands of dollars.

Not all truck owners are fans of the corporate advertising model.

Thomas DeGeest, owner of the Wafels & Dinges truck, said that even though he’s worked with HSBC and the New Yorker on events, he doesn’t want to become an advertising billboard: “I feel like it’s prostituting my identity. I work hard to get my identity established. I don’t want to confuse my customers.”

Mr. DeGeest, whose enterprise has expanded to include four carts, said his company focuses on catering.

Yassir Raouli, owner of the Bistro Truck, which dishes out Moroccan food, estimates he makes as much as half of his revenue from catering and special events. He has wrapped his truck for Rocco DiSpirito’s book launch and for the Ace Hotel’s opening. “It doesn’t matter to us as long as we get paid,” he said.

Corporations aren’t the only ones using trucks. One New Jersey man rented the CupcakeStop truck to propose to his wife last year, said Richard Kallman, owner of the business, which has two trucks and a retail location in Montclair, N.J.

And recently he had the truck wrapped with the picture of a young woman for her bat mitzvah at Espace.

For Ms. Yee, the food trucks were the hit of the wedding. In addition to Rickshaw, the couple hired Schnitzel & Things and Country Boys, a Mexican food truck that is part of the Red Hook Vendors group that are stationed at the ball fields on summer weekends.

Ms. Yee said she ended up spending about $3,580 for the three food trucks at her 110-person wedding. She used separate vendors for appetizers, coffee and dessert, and also had to pay for general food staffing and chair and table rentals. But the total cost was still significantly less than the approximately $20,000 quotes she was receiving from traditional catering companies, which included all food-related costs, equipment and staff.

“We love food trucks. When it’s summertime we go to the Red Hook Ball Fields almost every weekend,” she said. “So this is sort of a big part of our relationship together.”

Pierogi – The Pride of Poland

admin — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:37:13 +0000

Check out the write up below about “Pierogi, The Pride of Poland” Featuring: The People’s Pierogi Collective. Compliments of Edible Wow Magazine. Spring 2011

A New Location – Mark’s Carts in Ann Arbor

admin — Wed, 04 May 2011 17:54:43 +0000

Mark’s Carts set to open Monday!

The highly anticipated opening of the downtown outdoor food cart courtyard is here.

Seven concessionaires will offer ethnic street food ranging from pulled-pork sandwiches to paella at the W. Washington St. location.
Construction is in its final stages at Mark’s Carts – the last concrete pour is happening this afternoon. Food carts will be open for business starting Monday, May 9. The beautiful outdoor courtyard — located at 211 W. Washington Street, between Ashley Street and S. First Street — is poised to become Ann Arbor’s premier street food scene. Details about a grand opening celebration will be distributed in the coming two weeks.

“The opening of the food cart courtyard is a dream achieved,” stated Mark Hodesh, owner of Downtown Home and Garden and originator of Mark’s Carts. “I am thrilled to offer this charming outdoor urban pocket of activity to the community.”

Seven food carts will be open for business in the courtyard. Vendors include: San Street (Asian street food); Debajo del Sol (Spanish paella and tapas); The Lunch Room (vegan entrees, sides and baked goods); eat (locally sourced hearty sandwiches); Darcy’s Cart (breakfast burritos and more); Humble Hogs (hoagies, braise-in-a bun, and other savory and sweet offerings), and People’s Pierogi Collective (a variety of homemade pierogi). Hodesh is still accepting applications to fill several additional spots.

The food cart courtyard will operate seven days a week from 8 am to 10 pm, and each cart will set its own hours. There is parking on the street and in a large surface lot just across the street, with entrances on Ashley St. and First St.

The idea for Mark’s Carts originated when Hodesh visited his daughter Jeanne in New York City last year. Impressed with the breadth of street food available there and the joyful, entrepreneurial spirit of the people running the carts, Hodesh decided to bring the concept home.

Food carts, food trucks, and other mobile food establishments have seen a sharp rise in popularity worldwide in recent years. Food carts allow for start-up entrepreneurs, without the capital required for a brick-and-mortar restaurant, to try their food ideas – typically using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. With the opening of Mark’s Carts, Ann Arbor takes its place on the map of street food hot-spots, alongside other U.S. cities like New York, Austin, Portland, San Diego, and Seattle.

People’s Pierogi Collective travels to the Thumb

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:45:42 +0000

On Friday January 21^st the Peoples Pierogi Collective was invited to speak at the Women in Agri-Business III conference by ThumbWorks, a Michigan Works! Agency. The event featured four presenters on different areas of how to get started and to transition to the Agri-Business industry and was attended by about 100 women that were in related fields, farmers, new entrepreneurs, or people in the agriculture business.

This is my second time working with ThumbWorks and I again enjoyed the experience. ThumbWorks is a Michigan Works agency that directly services the people in the Thumb region of Michigan, including Bad Axe in Huron County, Lapeer in Lapeer County, Sandusky in Sanilac County, and Caro in Tuscola County, though their services are extended to people that don’t just live in those areas. They offer education programs, seminars and services geared towards helping entrepreneurs, and other useful services. You can find the full list of programs and services offered on their website at http://www.thumbworks.org/web/.

The crux of what I talked about was how to get started as an Agri-Preneur. I talked about how trying and difficult it can be but also about how rewarding it can be. If you just stuck in there then the reward can be great. I mentioned licensing classes and information on how to get financing for your business. It doesn’t take that much to get your business off of the ground, but you have to take that first step otherwise it’ll never get off of the ground.

I would say that overall the tone of the event was extremely positive, uplifting, and inspirational. It was letting women know that if they have a business idea that they want to try and start there’s tons of resources out there to give them help and for those that have already started their own business there’s lots of support out there for them too.

The Peoples Peirogi Collective was also invited to another event in March of this year by the good people at the ThumbWorks where we’ll be speaking to about 400 high school students from the thumb area of Michigan about entrepreneurship. Look for more information on that in the coming weeks!

MSU School of Packaging – Designs Delivered!

admin — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:49:17 +0000

After many weeks of conceptualizing and experimentation, students from the Michigan State University’s School of Packaging revealed their design proto-types to the People’s Pierogi Collective. Anticipation was high as each of the 5 groups presented and explained why their concept fit all of our needs in distribution.

Concepts ranged from Frozen, Refrigerated and Microwavable. As well, each differed in materials: plastics, cardboard, etc. They listened to the needs of PPC and delivered. Their challenge in the beginning was to:

“Create a unique, cost-effective package that provides a long shelf-life, differentiates from the competition, considers the “homemade” aspect of the product, highlights the fun/witty brand and can be slightly modified to carry over to each new filling….. Is that all?”

Overall, it was a great experience working with students again. Their openness to new concepts and eagerness to step outside the “safe” norm – proved to be just what we were looking for! We will be moving forward with one of their designs. Right now I’m torn between two of the proposals. The winning design will be unveiled in early 2011. Stay tuned on where you’ll see it!

For many of the students, this was their final hour of class at MSU before graduation (and celebration at the local pub). I was honored to be part of such a pivotal point in the beginnings of their career. I wish them all the best and see great potential in what they will achieve in the business world. I only hope we’ll be able to circle around for the next product launching!

Good luck MSU Class of 2010 & 2011!

Thank you Eastern Market, Detroit Shoppers!

admin — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 02:14:04 +0000

Last week marked the end of a great farmer’s market season and first year of business. The People’s Pierogi Collective would like to thank everyone for their support and for following their pierogi cravings. The latest filling, Sweet Potato – was a hit and sold out the two weeks available!

Although, we will not be at the market during the winter months, we’re not idle.

Based on many requests to take home pierogies, we are working with MSU students in further developing packaging. By spring 2011 (perhaps earlier), we will be launching our frozen/refrigerated products in local grocers and farmers market-goers. We’ve been utilizing the technologies of Skype and Vuroom to chat in groups virtually, discussing product and customer needs. Feel free to give us your input, as we are always open to suggestions.

In addition to packaging concepts, based on your votes, we are developing our merchandising line. Check out our two finalists for t-shirt concepts. Elvis Presley and Albert Einstein with pierogies – what’s not to love?

We want YOUR input! So, even though we won’t be at the market as the snow falls, please check back for further details on our grocery distribution, upcoming fillings, cart locations and online competitions.

The People We Meet Along the Way…

admin — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 02:12:05 +0000

Patti Leja, PPC's newest Associate

Yes, the people we meet along the way…..

As we’ve grown the last few months, the outpouring of help, advice, guidance and well wishes has been immense. Friends old and new have opened doors to new opportunities abound.

The PPC has grown in Pierogi Associates – You’ll see new faces down at Eastern Market behind the grill and helping customers decide on fillings they fancy. Based on conversations and experiences the associates had on Saturday mornings, PPC rolled out VEGAN last weekend! And, we’ve been researching and experimenting with Gluten-Free options.

The Palmer Family - Tyler, Michaela, Kris

Our youngest Pierogi Associate, Tyler Palmer believed in the power of sampling. He thought if market goers who were unfamiliar with pierogies had an opportunity to try them, we’d win them over. He was right! We are now incorporating sampling into a daily habit.

We’ve also had the joys of experiencing music and culture at the market. A violinist, flute, bass and banjo player entertained us over the last few weekends. It’s amazing what the power of music and a pierogi can do! Will you play for pierogies? Seriously….. we want to know.

Local Eastern Market Musicians

In addition, we’ve begun working with the MSU Product Development Center on expanding the business into packaged goods for sale at local grocers. We presented the challenges and opportunities of PPC to the Fall Packaging Class. The demands of the product are great, but I’m sure their research and ingenuity will exceed expectations. It’s exciting to be back in school again! I’ll keep everyone posted during the on-going process.

Pierogies & Politics – It’s not just for breakfast anymore!

admin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:24:18 +0000

Rick Snyder, Michigan GOP Governor hopeful

Today was quite an eventful day of pierogies and politics down at Detroit’s Eastern Market. The Peoples Pierogi Collective was visited and sampled by Rick Snyder (aka “One Tough Nerd”), Ann Arbor’s businessman running for the GOP nomination for governor and Virg Bernero, Lansing’s mayor running for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Virg Bernero, Michigan Democat Governor hopeful

We won’t say who we’re partial to….. but, I will say I’m happy to hear both are in support of new entrepreneurs building business and jobs in the State of Michigan.

Don’t forget to get out and vote August 3rd!

We’re growing – Product Devlopment & Packaging

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:56:00 +0000

After great demand from customers and a couple local grocers, the People’s Pierogi Collective is in the process of expanding into packaging for at home consumption (aka – distribution). I’ve been working with the MSU Product Center in the details of this uncharted territory for PPC. The Center’s Innovation Counselors offered invaluable advice and suggested bringing the People’s Pierogi Collective product development and packaging challenges to the incoming MSU Packaging Seniors for their Fall Course Study. What a great idea! PPC was built on the premise of expanding education in new marketing concepts…. it only seems logical to expand the concept into packaging.

For those interested in learning more abot the MSU Product Center please see the recap below or visit them at http://www.productcenter.msu.edu/index.htm

The MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) can help you develop and commercialize high value, consumer-responsive products and businesses in the agriculture and natural food sectors. Whether you are a budding entrepreneur or an established company, the Center is your key to the front door of MSU’s vast and varied technical expertise, research, outreach, and educational services.

Making it in Michigan - Michigan's Premiere Specialty Food Show

The Center connects you to university resources through the ANR Innovation Counselor’s Network. ANR Counselors are professionals from MSU and partnering organizations who are positioned around Michigan as your initial Center contact. They are educated to assess the developmental phase of your business/product, identify markets, innovate new products, help you make critical go, no-go decisions, and guide you from start-up to market.

When businesses, products or ideas are ready to move forward, an ANR Innovation Counselor connects clients to Client Services. Client Services is the MSU Product Center’s coordinating unit. It’s their job to pinpoint the necessary resources at MSU as well as the resources of state and federal agencies, and private companies, to move projects forward. Client Services works in conjunction with the Center’s Strategic Marketing Institute. The Marketing institute develops the information base needed to support the inital screening and evaluation of concepts, products and businesses.

To read more about the Center’s services, download a brochure.

Contact the MSU Product Center for ANR to discuss your product or business idea.