findood is here

In an effort to have an intelligent, memorable brand we have changed the name of our website. Findood is the answer. So far the launch of this brand has been very successful. People have commented on the playfulness and intelligence of the logo and we hope it will be representative of what we think is the website that's going to change the way business is done.

More news to come as we develop this new site at a break neck pace. Some of our plans for the new site is a slick and innovative product catalog, company to company messaging, an industry news feed, and much more.

Be sure to check back regularly as we get closer to our private beta.

The guys at findood.

I will be headed out to Pike Place Brewing on Thursday for their Valentine’s Chocolate event. It sounds like turnout will be great. I am excited to meet the local chocolatiers who will have all of their romantic confections out on display.

While I was at the Fancy Food Show this year, there was a real emphasis on chocolate confections with chili peppers. This was a great product that I found. The owner has been a chef for over 20 years. I got an inside look at the most surprising product of the show…
Custom chocolates made specially for the Grateful Dead. Who would have thought? Fully decorated with skeletons, and absolutely delicious. Lillie Belle Farms has earned its reputation. If you have a chance, you definitely want to try this product.

Thanks to Beer Girl for the heads up on the Thursday Event. Here is the flyer as well as the list of companies who will be there. They will be on hand to sample their beers, wines, chocolates and mead.

Carter's Chocolates

The Chocolate Box

Gelatiamo

The Pike Brewing Company

Trevani Truffles

Frans Chocolates

Theo Chocolate

Ritrovo Imports

Click Distributing

Claudio Corallo Chocolate

Merchant du Vin Corporation

Bottleworks

Sky River Mead

Noble Wine Company

Badger Mountain Vineyards/Powers Winery Clear Creek Distillery

I’ll be back with pictures and news of the event.

The Importance of having the Entire Product Catalogue Visible To Buyers

I was able to meet for dinner with the head of sales at Real Foods Company on Friday night. We had a fascinating conversation discussing how important it is for manufacturers of food products to have their entire catalogue visible and available to buyers in 2009.

“You know Matt, I am always amazed at my meetings with buyers from different retail grocery chains. I work really hard to discover their needs and then put together sales presentations that speak to those needs. But regardless of how much preparation I do, there is always something that I have that they are looking for that gets missed.

I was reminded of it again this week, when I hosted a buyer at our manufacturing facility. We were producing another order while we did the walk through together, and they saw the product, and told me that they had been looking for a product just like that for months.
It just goes to show that you can never completely meet a buyers needs. This is encouraging. But at the same time, it is rare that a buyer ever has time to come to our facility and see our entire product line. This week I sold several extra products, simply because the buyer saw our entire catalogue.

I think in 2009, as everyone is really trying to pinpoint the needs of customers and find a place for their products, it is simply that much more important for manufacturers to have their entire catalogue available and to find new creative ways to intrigue buyers enough to look through them.”

Looks like it is going to be an interesting year. It seems that there is still plenty of room for so many of the great products out there, and many people willing to buy them. But it will be up to the industry to innovate how its products grab both consumers and retail buyers attention.

The long tail of niche products will be more relevant than ever, as long as each niche serves a real need for consumers. This year it won't cut it to dive in make a sale, and then call back a few months later to resell the same product. Visibility through relationship will be essential.

Introduction: Jarod Reyes

Hello Pyreusians!

I am Jarod Reyes and I am the Creative Director for Pyreus. This first blog post will serve as an introduction of where I am coming from as well as a little about who I am. If you already met me than you already know I am hilarious and humble to boot!

So who am I? Well I am originally from Southern California. That ever-so-sunny region of the world where everyone is happy and nothing could possibly go wrong; home to the fish taco, the valley girl and of course rampant optimism in general. I could only handle the sun for so long and so shortly after High School I moved to Seattle to marry my long-time sweetheart and attend Graphic Design School. Seattle is my home now, through and through. Often family members in the crumbling housing market know as San Diego ask us when we are coming home…and I remind them I have found home. It is the crunchy, backpacking, indie-rocking, French-pressing, city-- home of the locavore, the Seahawks (w00h00!) and progressive realism-- the lovely Seattle.

So I am a happy camper right now. I have been married for two years in September ( I didn’t even need a calendar for that) live on top of capitol hill and look at the space needle every time I wake up and roll out of bed.

So I hope I get a chance to get a beer with all of you who are joining the Pyreus community that I have yet to meet. And if I have met you already than let’s get another round!

Cheers from the guy in the flip-flops.

Jarod

Introduction: James Shively

Hello everyone,

I am James Shively, co-founder of Pyreus, and creator of the Pyreus concept of “online trade shows” which we are in the process of implementing for the food industry.

What I love the most is working with companies to help them tell and broadcast the story of their company, their people, and their products and services. Having worked in sales & marketing and pre-sales consulting, I know how challenging it can be to get the word out and get the message across to the right people that they should give your product or service serious consideration. I believe that we at Pyreus have a solution which will make it very easy for any company (in the food industry, for starters) to market themselves and their offerings to an increasingly broad audience of buyers, in an increasingly effective way. It is my pleasure and my passion to help

A bit more background on me:
I came up with the idea of creating rich, community-oriented online trade shows several years ago, and I have been working it them ever since. During this time, I spent 5 years working at Microsoft, and there was a period of about a year and a half within those 5 years when I intensively and passionately evangelized the concept to Microsoft with the hope that the company would take it up as a new line of business for its online services division. But that was not to be, so I teamed up with some passionate friends and we created Pyreus to go after the opportunity.

Since then, the team has grown to 14 people in all, most part time and four full-time, and it is indescribably exciting for me to see my dream becoming a reality, with such a great team of equally passionate people making it happen.

Prior to coming up with the online trade show concept, I founded a different startup company back in 1999 to build and operate educational computer centers and cyber cafes in Mexico. Prior to that, I worked in software consulting, specializing in designing and building artificial intelligence-based solutions to very complex problems in the areas of manufacturing, logistics, and health care. I did my undergraduate studies at U.C. Berkeley, and graduate studies at M.I.T., Berkeley, and U.C. San Diego.

I am from the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area originally, and now live in Seattle. I am not married yet, though I hope to be one day, and I look forward to having children and lots of pets. Though I love Seattle, I would like to live on the San Juan Islands eventually.

Several years have passed since the January 2003 trade show “Expo Agro” in Culiacan, Mexico, during which I came up with the concept of the online trade show.

Introduction: Matt D. Wall

My name is Matthew D. Wall. I am the Director of Business Development a Start-Up out of Seattle called Pyreus.

A little about me:

I was born in Vancouver, BC and grew up in Richmond (known for a significant population of Chinese immigrants). This allowed me the experience of growing up a minority in my area. In my elementary school classes there were 20 Chinese students for every 5 Canadian/Caucasian students.

I also have a rich heritage as I have German and South American roots. I was the first in my family to be born in Canada as my grandparents on both sides of my family had immigrated to Canada when my parents were in their teens. In 1994, my family immigrated to the US, as my father had a job transfer. So my middle and high school years were in the Seattle area. Having finished my High School Degree, I went back up to Canada for my University. While earning my degree in Theology, I expanded my work experience in construction and then in Sales.

Having graduated, I moved back to Seattle and apprenticed in Fine Carpentry for a shop that specialized in custom wood stairwells. In November of 2006, I made the decision to move to China. A one-way ticket later, I had arrived in Shanghai, where, after a month of job searching, I was asked to start and direct a non-profit. We were the first youth organization on the Chinese mainland and it is an experience that I will always cherish. In our first year we had over 1000 students participate in our programs and fundraised over $60,000.

In March of 2008, I began to speak with James Schively and began to think about moving back to the US to take a position with his start-up, Pyreus. In June, I made the move and am currently the Director of Business Development.

This blog is intended to share the journey of my experiences in this position as well as highlight the stories behind the companies that we meet along the way.

Thanks for joining me in this. Please leave comments and thanks for sharing in the journey with me!

Welcome to Pyreus:blog

Hello friends and partners.

This is the home of Pyreus, the Northwest' premier web community for the food industry. Please take a minute to get to know the guys at Pyreus and feel free to leave your thoughts and comments. Any feedback we can get would be helpful and appreciated.

Thanks for checkin it out.

The guys at Pyreus