Spotlight on SCORE Clients

October 2006

In 1994, Robin Hoder made 80 cases of mustard to begin her journey to the successful specialty food business she now runs – Naples Valley Brand Products.  She had no experience in the business and she realized she needed good advice.  She asked a number of people many questions.  She drove up to Rochester to talk to a SCORE counselor and eventually took a seminar on marketing offered by SCORE in Penn Yan.

Robin’s initial sales took place at art shows and local festivals relying on her mustards – mild and hot.  In 1997, she added a red pepper jazzy jam, slowly adding products to arrive at the present product line pictured above.

 

Robin soon started adding farm markets and through brochures took mail orders.  Presently her products can be obtained at many shows – Spring through Fall – wineries, farm markets, small delis, and specialty stores in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region plus mail.  In 2000, she began selling her products through her very attractive web site www.naplesvalley.com.  Part of Robin’s success is her passion for excellence and the freshness of her offerings, making most of the products herself.

Robin will tell you that the specialty food business is a tough business to break into and stay successful.  It requires a lot of very hard work and attention to detail, plus some trial and error.  It has taken twelve years for Naples Valley Brand Products to be a minor portion of the large specialty food market – twelve years of hard work, but years filled with accomplishment.

If you have an existing business or are starting a new one, consider how your company may benefit from SCORE’s counseling. Call for a free counseling appointment at one of our many locations. While you are there, ask your SCORE counselor how you might tap into our 60-plus membership knowledge bank to further address your particular business and industry concerns.