Tenants in the LSU AgCenter Food Incubator have been ramping up production of their products since the fall to meet holiday demand, and the LSU AgCenter says some of the entrepreneurs at the incubator are reaping the benefits of a trend toward giving locally made food items as gifts.
November and December mark the busiest time of year in the food business, and it takes months of preparation to make the holiday shopping season a profitable one. Sales this time of year are critical to overall business success, says Trey Bacon, who makes Baconation Foods barbecue sauce at the Food Incubator.
“We sold more in the first six weeks of this quarter than we did in all of 2014,” he says.
Bacon, who started planning for holiday production back in August, is selling gift baskets with seasonally wrapped jars of barbecue sauce, Louisiana-shaped cutting boards and other items. The cutting boards are a limited-time offer.
“Everyone that’s bought one has bought it as a Christmas gift,” he says, adding that many have been shipped to Louisiana natives now living out of state and seeking to “feel their roots.”
Food incubator products are attractive gift options because they’re made by small local businesses, says Lili Courtney, who makes her Delightful Palate salad dressing at the Food Incubator.
“People love that story, that they’re locally made,” she said.
Many incubator tenants decided to sell gift boxes this year, and they’ve proven popular. Charlie D’Agostino, of the D’Agostino Pasta Company, has sold more than 900 gift boxes to customers in Louisiana and Texas. Some companies have ordered 50 to 100 gift boxes at a time for clients and colleagues.
Linda McAdams, who makes Truly Southern Pretzel Crunch at the incubator with her family, says the Christmas rush of orders started as soon as Halloween was over. Lately, the family has been in the incubator’s kitchen twice a week to make the pretzel crunch, including a holiday edition peppermint flavor.
The LSU AgCenter has the full story.
