Hudson Kitchen

0:00Djenaba Johnson-Jones:Welcome to the Emerging Brands podcast. Sharing the stories behind brands you'll want to shop next. I'm your host, Kelly Bennett. I am a New York City-based brand strategist for CPG Food and Beverage Brands. In each episode, I'll take you behind the scenes of founders that are building better-for-you products and bringing them to market. it. Also, I talk to brand builders, retailers, industry experts, and tastemakers who help bring those cool products to your shopping cart. You will hear stories of real-life founders, their launch strategies, and practical advice you could use to grow your own brand or simply discover what's next on shelf.

0:42Djenaba Johnson-Jones:And the best part is you could shop all the brands featured on the show. This podcast is brought to you by Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds is the go-to platform built for creator-powered retail activations. They're connecting everyday creators with CPG brands to generate shelf-level awareness, drive in-store momentum, and generate authentic content in markets that matter the most. Go to hummingbirds.com for all the details and let them know I sent you. This podcast is brought to you by Glimpse. Glimpse is an AI-powered deduction management tool that disputes and recovers invalid deductions. Winning brands thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours back to founders so that they can focus on what really matters most.

1:35Djenaba Johnson-Jones:If you're a brand selling in retail, go to tryglimpse.com backslash trial for 30 days free and let them know I sent you. Now let's dive into the new episode. Hi everyone. Welcome back to a new episode of Emerging Brands Podcast with Kelly Bennett. If you are an emerging food founder, I want you to really take a pause, get out a pen and paper because today is a special episode. This is going to be a very cool opportunity. I want to make sure is on your radar and we squeeze this episode in to make sure that you knew about it before the deadline. So without any further ado, Janaba Johnson-Jones, she is the founder and CEO of Hudson Kitchen and I'm so happy to have you on the podcast today.

2:29Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

2:31Djenaba Johnson-Jones:You are so welcome. Hudson Kitchen has been on my radar. I've heard such wonderful things about it. For someone who's just starting out as an emerging food founder and is doing those preliminary Google searches and seeing, okay, how do I actually get started? Could you explain exactly what is Hudson Kitchen and what stage of growth and development food founders come to you with? Sure. So Hudson Kitchen is a shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator, and we're based in Northern New Jersey. So we work with a startup and founders that are doing up to a million dollars a year in business out of our facility.

3:16I started Hudson Kitchen because I couldn't find a kitchen to make my food product. And I wanted to be able to you know, to be able to live, be close to home and be able to go and make this product and couldn't find anything. And so we just built our own kitchen.

3:31Djenaba Johnson-Jones:Okay. I love a good entrepreneurial story with, I had this issue. So then I went ahead and started a whole business around it, right? Like that is such an entrepreneurial spirit. So just to break that down a little bit more for someone who, again, is super new to this industry. A commissary kitchen essentially is where they could rent space to create their own product themselves. And you said that people use this commissary kitchen up to a million in revenue. Absolutely. Thank you. Yeah. So I ended up, I thought I was going to build this small space and I ended up building an 8 ,000 square foot facility.

4:10So we converted a warehouse and customized it to.

4:14Djenaba Johnson-Jones:Wait, I did not realize it was that big. It's huge. Wow. That's incredible. Yeah. So we can get you like, I look at, I look at us as a place to start with room to grow. So we have had people making, you know, a couple, you know, small batches. And by the time they left us, they're delivering out palettes of product. That is really cool. And also very unique. That's a really unique proposition. Thank you. And other thing that's very unique about us is that we are a collaborative kitchen. So you're working in the kitchen with others. And in addition to that, you can also bring your own equipment.

4:53So we have people that have brought in dehydrators, commercial pasta machines, ovens, like whatever they need to make their product, just got to hook it up to the electrical. We're good.

5:03Djenaba Johnson-Jones:Very cool. So what was your background prior to starting Hutt to Kitchen? I know that this was a pain point for yourself. So you went ahead and got a warehouse and converted. But what were you producing before this? So I worked corporate for 15 years. I did digital marketing for a luxury fashion magazine and was laid off and decided that I wanted to do my own things. Thought I would be a fitness person. So I got a personal trainer certification. And one day my friend was like, what do we eat? And I was like, oh, what do we eat? So I found a chef and we started making recipes that launch a meal prep business to go along with the fitness business.

5:44And then I couldn't find a space. So that's kind of how this all came to be. So I never launched my meal prep business. Now we just help other people launch businesses.

5:56Djenaba Johnson-Jones:So that's so because you couldn't find my commercial or a commissary kitchen, you built one. But then you ended up not going forward with that food business, but really supporting now a tremendous amount of food businesses and stuff. Absolutely. Yeah. So we've worked with hundreds of food businesses over the past 10 years. I launched the business in 2015. While I was looking for space, I started doing events. So I was like, I think in my corporate background, we did events all the time. So we started having networking events. The first one was crazy. It was a March day. It happened to be like 70 degrees.

6:33We had 75 people attend this event, 15 food businesses sampling. I did a panel discussion for the first time. Like it was crazy. And I was like, we have something here. And we were able to build, you know, that we were able to build upon. So community was really like at the center of what we were doing. And the community helped us start the kitchen.

6:51Djenaba Johnson-Jones:I was going to say, how are people starting to find you back then? So I'm saying, so I did the thing you weren't supposed to do. So I went to all the farmer's market websites. I literally spent a couple of days doing this, found the vendors that were there, got their email addresses off the web, and then emailed them all and created my own email list. And it worked. And it worked. You know what? That's okay. It worked. And I'm sure they were very happy to hear from you because that's such a pain point. I actually have a client who's working at a commissary kitchen right now as she gets ready for manufacturing.

7:26Djenaba Johnson-Jones:And it's a hustle. If you don't have that right partner, it really could be something that could put you, unfortunately, out of business if you don't have a good partner in this. Right, right, right, right. And so we, you know, we really – it's so interesting. Like I started out wanting to build this kitchen but ended up really feeling like we are partners with the businesses that we work with. But also they needed just not just infrastructure but they needed the community and they also needed education to go along with it. So we are, you know, we kind of strive to do that. That's a part of our mission.

8:01Djenaba Johnson-Jones:And speaking of which, I know you have a food business boot camp, which totally piqued my interest. And when I saw it, I was like, oh my gosh, this is, can you record on Monday? We'll get it out before the deadline because I love sharing opportunities like this with emerging food founders and letting people know what is available and what they could possibly have access to. So could you walk us through just the food business bootcamp in general, and then we could dive into what's happening coming up in the new year? Not a problem. So the bootcamp is a course that I created, I husband, eight years ago, using the information that I found when I was researching my own food business.

8:47So I created this course and then, you know, I didn't, as I mentioned, did not come from food. So I found experts to teach the course and we still do that to this day. So it's really this, um, we were, you know, it's really this, I think, I mean, I can say it's amazing. It's my amazing course. 300 people have taken the course. I can tell you that, you know, we've had people graduate from the program and, you know, go on to do really good things. Um, but the, the, the, so that's kind of it in a nutshell. It is, it is, let me figure, let me give you the information that you need to get yourself started.

9:18So whether it be, how do I research my business? How do I price my product? Looking towards operations and getting people kind of on the way. I found it was so frustrating when I was trying to start that I couldn't find the information, Google this, call this person, do this thing. And I'm like, done with the Googling. Let me put all this together for somebody in one place. So that's what we do. Yeah.

9:42Djenaba Johnson-Jones:I love a bootcamp and I love a business bootcamp in particular for food businesses in these really early stages and ones that are before manufacturing, right? That's essentially who you are working with. What were some of the biggest things you were noticing of gaps of education, things that maybe people weren't thinking of, but were super critical of what brands were being successful and were able to scale? for the the biggest aha moment in the course is when people take the pricing module we call that pricing for profitability and they would they said oh i thought i could just sell this for five dollars because i asked my neighbor and i could sell for five dollars and we're like well how much did it cost you to make the product oh and we figure out it cost them eight dollars to make the product well now we have a problem right right this is still an issue i mean it really genuinely is.

10:43Djenaba Johnson-Jones:So what did you see as that biggest gap? People just not realizing or? They just didn't realize. I think it was just, oh, I'm here. I'm making this thing and it's so, it's great and people love it. And I've sold it to the neighbors and my friends and family and they just didn't realize, oh, this is not a business. It's a, it's a really nice hobby that I have. And so like that's an expensive hobby, an expensive hobby. That's right. Because you keep putting money in it. You're not getting anything out, right? Yeah. So what were some of the things that you noticed really helped founders, food founders in particular, click in of like, okay, I have to take a pause.

11:24Djenaba Johnson-Jones:I need to make sure this is profitable. I need to be thinking of X, Y, Z. Like as people go through the bootcamp, you're saying like cost of goods sold is a big one, profit margins. Anything that you're seeing of what happens once people start connecting the dots more efficiently early on? So I think, you know, for me, like the bootcamp is really just foundational. It's like kind of giving you that good start from the beginning. So you're not making some of the mistakes that you're going to make mistakes, obviously, in the business, but you're not making some of the mistakes that others are making.

11:57That's the biggest thing. So I can take you through what the bootcamp does.

12:02Djenaba Johnson-Jones:Yeah, let's go through it. Yep, great. So it's an eight-week program. And the idea is that you're taking a recipe. I call it, it's a program for people with a recipe and a dream. So you have a recipe that you're making. And then you want to commercialize that product when we do it in eight weeks. So the idea is there's four two-week modules. So we start out with market research and brand development. and then we go into recipe refinement and development. And we're doing that this time in the kitchen with Drexel Food Lab. So they are bringing their food scientists into the kitchen and they're working directly with each of the founders that participate in the program.

12:40Djenaba Johnson-Jones:That's major. Yeah. Yeah. And I should mention for the marketing section, we have a marketing research and insight strategist and as well as a brand development strategist. So it's like they're really kind of working there. And then we go into pricing, like cost of goods sold and like financial models. We spend two weeks doing that. And then we also spend two weeks on operations and getting people, cause you know, we were a commercial kitchen. The goal was for them to be able to self-manufacture. How can you do that efficiently by, you know, and like writing out all of your processes and creating those SOPs.

13:12So you can easily hand that off to someone else. Most of our clients in the kitchen, I don't see them. They've hired people to come and make the product for them on their behalf. So I think that that's something that is open to people. Like people talk about going to a co-packer and like, this is the step before the co-packer for some folks. It just works. Yeah.

13:29Djenaba Johnson-Jones:Right. And I think that's a really great point where I hear a lot of founders getting stuck in self-producing their products. Maybe they're doing the farmer's market circuit and they get stuck in that loop because they haven't done the foundational work to make it profitable so that they can hire someone to actually make the product so that they're able to say, okay, do we really want to take this to a co-packer? What would that look like? What do I need to save up for or possibly fundraise with a friends and family round? Like taking themselves out of the day-to-day to look at the big picture.

14:09Djenaba Johnson-Jones:So many get caught in the hustle of it. So I love that you're pointing out and calling out that many of the food founders that you work with now have hired people to actually create the products in the kitchen, which is a huge step. It's a really big step. Yeah. And it takes time too. So I have a couple of clients that I worked with over a year. So one of my clients, the longest one has been with us for six years. He started with a team of three. He has 20 people in the kitchen on a weekly basis. Yeah. So they're able to, you know, kind of grow there with us, but also he was deliberate about taking his time and making sure he was doing things the right way so that he could be profitable and take care of his family.

14:54Like it, it works. Yeah. It's just like, I'm like always like slow down, just slow down. You're okay.

14:59Djenaba Johnson-Jones:Well, that's a good piece of advice too. Cause we don't normally hear that in business, CPG food in particular. It's how do we grow? How do we scale? How do we put the foot on the gas as quickly as possible? So you're seeing more of that before or even not everyone needs to work with a co-man, but you're seeing of like, how do you create this foundation? How do you really dial in what you're already are doing to see what that next stage of growth looks like for you and your business? Right, right. Exactly. Because it's very personal. It's very, very personal. Right. Not everyone needs to have the same circuit if that doesn't work for them and their family, et cetera.

15:43Djenaba Johnson-Jones:So what is that next step then when someone does, and I know that you have applications open now for the winter 26 food business bootcamp. What does that look like once they complete the eight weeks? So we culminate the eight weeks with a demo day. So we are inviting in our community, buyers, investors, industry partners to hear from taste the product and hear from all of these brands. But I really, as I mentioned, like I think the trajectory is personal. So it's like, what are they what they plan to do next? Most of them are planning to manufacture their product and sell it in some way direct to consumer or attempt to get into some independent grocers to start.

16:24So that's kind of where we're leaving them. So with that, we are as a part of the program, we are offering a couple of things. So they'll get food photography. So we'll have a food photographer come in and take a picture of their product and style the product for them. That's major. They'll get photos for that. We are also included in the program is a logo and a mini brand toolkit. So you get the logo plus your color palette, and you also get initial packaging. So you have something that you can – yes, you get something that you can take to the printer if that's what you so choose to do.

16:56Djenaba Johnson-Jones:That is really cool. So it's really getting them that very early start of cleaning up the edges, making sure that they have something that they feel good getting started with, getting it started and putting it in front of people and then growing and seeing what lane works best for them. Exactly. Exactly. So cool. Thank you. Yeah, it really is. And definitely let me know when that event is after the eight weeks. I would love to come. You will be there. Yes. Okay. Amazing. As far as advice that you have for food founders, again, in these really early stages, what are some other things that you would love for them to maybe be more aware of or to start thinking about when taking that next step of going to a commissary kitchen and really doubling down of like, okay, this isn't a hobby.

17:54Djenaba Johnson-Jones:This is a business. and I really want to take it seriously. What advice would you want to make sure is on their radar? So a couple of things. One of them, and I kind of touched on it earlier, is to kind of slow down and figure out what do you need for your business. I think the other is, hmm, the slowdown was a big thing for me. Let me see. Other pieces of advice are just to kind of put your blinders on. Like I understand you have to understand who your competitors are and you want to see what's going on out there. But people are making choices for themselves. They're posting all the wins on social media or whatever.

18:30But you really need to put your blinders on and put your head down and do the work to grow your own product. It's great that we can celebrate others' wins and all this type of thing. But sometimes it gets a little bit like you think you're behind because you haven't done the thing that everybody else is doing. And yeah.

18:46Djenaba Johnson-Jones:I hear that all the time from clients who are – because I work with pre-launch CPG food and beverage clients. and so many, even in the really early days, are like, oh my gosh, I feel so behind. You just came up with this concept. You have a brand strategy. You're talking to manufacturers. You got your branding, cooking. You're fine. You are taking all the steps, but I feel like just being on social and being online so much, it always feels like you're behind. But that is an exhausting way to get into any business. It is. It is. It is. Yeah. That's why I really kind of like preach that. And I, the clients that we have, we work with so far, they're like being really deliberate about like being slow with the growth.

19:31Also, you don't waste money when you're like rushing around trying to do all the things that people or everybody else is doing.

19:36Djenaba Johnson-Jones:Right. Especially now. Yes, exactly. Exactly. More strategic with your time, your money, your resources. And also a through line that I keep hearing from you is what do you actually want to build? Right. That reminds me of Sarah Delavan of the Good Food CFO. She's all about that. And so I love, because her episode will be a week earlier to yours coming out. So I feel like this is good reminder of food founders, like slow down, take a beat, really think about what you want to build and then getting the right people around you to help you fulfill that vision. Exactly. So cool. So how do people take advantage of applying for the Winter 26 Food Business Bootcamp?

20:25So they can go to our website, thehudsonkitchen.com and learn more about the program and apply. We have an extensive application because we really want to get to know the person that is applying and the business they want to create. Oh, one thing I didn't mention, the application, the participation fee is for three people. So if you have a co-founder, You can bring them with you or two co-founders. You can bring them with you throughout the entire program. So it's not just for one person.

20:55Djenaba Johnson-Jones:That's super cool. And also, it's just great education too. Really fabulous. So they go to the website. They apply there. Exactly. And then there's an interview. So we do a one-on-one interview, kind of walk through the program, have a conversation about the application. and then we will invite folks to participate in the program. Incredible. And when does the program officially start? It starts on February 4th. That's right. Cool. So get it done, everyone. The application closes January 9th, so that's why I pushed up this episode. I wanted to make sure it was on your radar. Definitely get your applications in if this sounds like a good fit.