Building An Inclusive Food Business with Jessica Kwong
“Food is such a personal and beautiful thing. The easier you can make a choice, the better.”
- Jessica Kwong
Recognizing a gap in the market is one thing. Coming up with a solution is another. But taking your brilliant idea and moving it along the path from “idea” to “reality” is a step that few people actually take.
My guest Jessica Kwong not only took that journey, she is willing to draw a map!
Jessica is the founder and CEO of Jack & Friends, a company that sells plant-based jerky with an emphasis on quality and inclusivity. In this episode, I sit down with Jessica to talk about how she took her amazing idea from the test kitchen to the store shelf.
In this episode of the Road to Seven podcast, you’ll discover:
The biggest challenges that she faced while commercializing her prototype
Her incredible “all-inclusive” philosophy for her Jack & Friends products and what inspired it
How she found her first buyers — and how she is using analytics to shape her rebrand!
About Guest: Jessica Kwong is the founder and CEO of Jack & Friends, a company creating plant-based jerky from jackfruit and pea protein. Jack & Friends believes in inclusivity — especially when it comes to food. They are committed to crafting products you can feel good about eating, regardless of your lifestyle or diet, so you can enjoy food without compromising on quality. Jessica used her technical background, which includes a B.S. in Food Science from Cornell University, and corporate experience to launch and lead her successful startup.
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
02:41 Meet Jessica Kwong & jackfruit
06:34 Jessica’s background
07:57 “All-inclusive food”
09:25 Biggest advantages & challenges
11:51 Grit & focus
13:21 Hiring
14:13 Getting onto the shelf
16:44 Getting & applying feedback
19:20 Analytics & brand refresh
20:45 What she knows now
22:02 Raising capital
23:41 What’s next
Links:
Jessica Kwong
https://www.jackandfriendsjerky.com
https://www.facebook.com/jackandfriendsjerky
Instagram: @jackandfriendsjerky
TikTok: @jackandfriendsjerky
RevolutionHER Awards
https://revolutionher.com/awards
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Https//theroadtoseven.com
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