Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Holly Aker, founder of Local Goods Gathered, located in Portland, Maine, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Local Goods Gathered (LGG) is a woman-owned business in Portland, Maine. Our mission is to support Maine cheesemakers. We believe that everyone should have access to the incredible, artisanal cheese and local goods available to us here in Maine. Our current business model has three branches: E-commerce boxes and 3, 6, or yearlong subscriptions of rotating, peak-fresh Maine cheeses and local goods, food broking for wholesale clients throughout New England, and industry support via technical assistance for Maine creameries who require food safety audit planning and assessment, grant writing support and branding consulting for retail/wholesale markets.
Tell us about yourself
Leah Rovner and I have over 20 years of combined experience in the food industry: sourcing, buying, making cheese, recipe development, retail & wholesale kitchen operations, restaurant ownership, event planning, and more. We share a passion for food, especially cheese, and find inspiration in our state's cheesemakers and local producers who have gone largely unrecognized by the national and global community for their incredible products. I am an ACS Certified Cheese Professional, Food Safety expert, and the President of the Maine Cheese Guild. With expertise in small business development, I founded LGG during the pandemic with the goal of helping Maine farmers reroute their products from restaurants to homes. Leah's time managing kitchen operations at America's Test Kitchen, sourcing and buying ingredients and equipment for their multimedia arms, allowed her to work alongside some of the nation's best food writers. She recently ran the specialty department at a major food retailer, honing category management, merchandising, and sales skills. Leah joined LGG in the fall of 2021 to help expand the company and reach new markets.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We are the proudest of our farm/creamery relationships. Without strong connections to our dairy community, running our business wouldn't be possible. We share a mutual respect for each other. We hope to offer a consistent business route for these small businesses to sustain for a long-time amidst inevitable challenges.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest piece about being a business owner is that any means of success starts and ends with you. You have to be willing to do every job, glamorous or unglamorous, at any time.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find a great partner. It's important to have someone in your corner who has a different set of skills than you. Sharing ideas and troubleshooting problems are just two of the ways a collaborative business partnership can help strengthen your business.
- Maintain your relationships. It's important to others as you wish to be treated. Mutual respect and transparency in your business transactions are critical to your success.
- Don't be afraid. Everyone makes mistakes, and running a small business will undoubtedly come with risks and losses at times. Have a backup plan, but don't be too hard on yourself if it requires adjusting or pivoting to get back on track.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.localgoodsgathered.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/localgoodsgathered
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/localgoodsgathered/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.