Imagine . . .
Both of our bikes are damaged and inoperable.
No phone reception nor help within walking distance.
Our only possession is our disheveled gear, maybe 2 days of food and what remains of our broken vehicles.
What should we do?
Survival mentality
Perhaps we attempt a repair by bootstrapping working parts from our rigs so that one of us can ride to get help. Or maybe we siphon some petrol out of the tank to create a smoke signal for help.
With survival on the line, one’s mental state is different as to what options are available and capable. It was easy to plan, ideate and prepare strategies in conference rooms for how to deal with hypothetical scenarios and simulations. But in the real world, where the unexpected is almost certain, the stakes can be high.
Alright, what the heck is Bootstrap Food Ventures and what do motorcycles and cross-continental tours have to do with anything?
In one word . . .
adventure
Relationships
With Food
There has never been a more adventurous time to be in the food industry! That is our “relationship with food”.
Our industry is one full of eccentric & spirited brands whose food earned their cult followings by taking crazy chances in appealing to a small burgeoning group of loyal fans who proudly proclaim to be the first to “discover” our food and share their secret among their friends.
At the core, “food is about relationships & experience”. Consider all the traditions, rituals, ceremonies around the world that at the pinnacle, are celebrated with food & drink.
However, as in life, there exists both positive and negative relationships. Many brands are already working towards changing these relationships for the better. BFV seeks celebrate these brands and rally more in the industry to participate by way of “food campaigns” designed around our eight food values.
the secret ingredient
“Incubators” and “Accelerators” are buzz words we hear on a daily basis. But these are not typical terms that food folk would naturally invent to describe our work in food.
Often these entities are also funded by bigger food companies (with good intentions) to show younger brands how (in their opinion) to get to the next level.
And yes, there is validity and appeal in being able to finance your way onto shelves and new menu offerings. But there’s also another hidden truth among the corporate advisors – they are also trying to learn ‘the secret ingredient’ that they believe emerging brands possess (or that they’ve lost) as the food industry evolved.
What we do
That’s where Bootstrap Food Ventures enters.
We are a collective of food adventurists setting to chart a less traveled route toward responsibly-conscious success in the food industry.
our manifesto
We believe there is an often overlooked & less charted path toward achieving sustainable success.
We believe delicious & innovative food starts in the kitchen learning from trial. Not a ‘lab’ or ‘focus group’ from statistics.
We embrace a philosophy where some of our tenets are seemingly contrary to ‘classical’ marketing and business notions.
We strive to be the “mechanics” and “fixers” for accelerators when engines overheat and incubators who find themselves stuck cloning a different version of the same food over and over again
our difference
We do not feature pictures of vegetables, spilled ingredients or photography of random models of models in toques & chef jackets. You already know what ‘food’ & ‘hard work’ look like.
our work
We aim to form adventurous collaborations with emerging brands to jumpstart our shared food values and raise awareness and innovation through a series of curated “food campaigns”.
Our belief is simple, “Together, We Can Do More”.
Each food campaign will aim to leverage our collective industry experience to address food topic relevant to our food values. Together, we’ll determine if the campaign makes sense for your unique brand and help you exercise your existing capabilities in building the confidence to work with what is available around you and realizing what you are already capable of.
If relevancy exists to the campaign, we’ll work with you intimately by understanding your business, your brand, your product, your packaging, your menu, your labor, your equipment, your customers, your concerns, your trusted suppliers, your profitability, your goals and aspirations to understand if & how we can help.
Our goal is to work with you & your team to be able to make more of an impact toward goals that align to the food values than you may have been able to do alone.
our future
In the end, what we hope to build is an collective (a co-op, if you will) of passionate individuals, small businesses, suppliers, operators, chefs, scientists, marketers, regional restaurants, buyers, technicians, distributors, retailers & brands, entrepreneurs, bootstrappers & adventurists with collective wealth of industry knowledge and two fists full of passion.
Like how many of you first started, we also like to take chances.
Adventure” It’s the true heart of innovation and the “bootstrap manifesto” in food.
Up for a ride?
Contact:
2020 Bootstrap Food Ventures LLC