Production test runs successful!

As you know, for the past week I've been getting ready for the production outsourcing test runs at Farm To Table, the co-packing facility that may begin producing my gourmet products.

It was an exhausting and at times stressful experience and the hot, humid weather didn't make things easier. Long days were filled with either shopping for ingredients or ordering ingredients and 1 ingredient in particular, the hot peppers were impossible to find. One day I decided to drive to the Hunt's Point Produce Market in the Bronx (a 4 hour round trip) for the peppers because they were not available from sources here in West Hurley, NY but thankfully, Jim the Produce Manager at Hannaford on Rt. 9W in Kingston was able to get some. Whew! Glad you saved me the trip, Jim. I remember visiting the Hunt's Point Market as a child with my parents but I haven't been there in years. It's an amazing place. You can pretty much get any produce, meat or seafood there.

Another day I drove to Waterford, NY to pick up the jars and lids as there was a risk they might not arrive on time if they were shipped. I have to admit, I actually don't mind the drive to Waterford, NY. It's about an hour and a half away, further north, never any traffic and it's a nice ride. Here's a little factoid about Waterford, NY that you may not know- Waterford, NY is the oldest incorporated village in the US -- I didn't know that. Waterford, NY is on the Champlain Lock Canal but as my supplier, Burch Bottle & Packaging is not located directly on the canal, I have only caught fleeting glimpses here and there of it as I drive by. One of these days I'll hopefully get a good snapshot of it.

Well, anyway, all the time and energy paid off. The production test runs of all 4 products were scheduled over 2 days (yesterday and today). I was nervous that the pH of the gourmet products would be out of range which would mean it would all have to be thrown out but everything worked out fine. The pH was within range, the consistency looked good and the taste was on target--Yey!

A huge thanks to Jim at Hannaford for helping get the hot peppers, Jackie and Amy at Burch Bottle & Packaging for helping to get the jars and lids and of course Jes, Carlos and the rest of the team at Farm To Table for all their help and patience. I'm really looking forward to working with those guys.

In a few days, I expect to receive a price quote from Farm To Table for producing my gourmet products. I hope the quote will be within my budget making it possible to move forward with Farm To Table so I can maintain a focus on building relationships with partners and clients and growing Baron's International Kitchen.

Finally, I'm excited to introduce a new feature to my blog posts. Since Clayton at Dragon Search Marketing suggested the idea of adding pictures to my blog posts, I've been dying to give it a try so here are just a few pics from my travels to get the items needed for the test runs. Thanks, Clayton! Keep an eye out for more photos in the future.

Terry