I中心帮助创业食品包装企业启动

Business is Humming at Zacca Hummus Thanks to Support from U of I Facility

Janine Zacca Zenner created a steady market for most of her father-in-law’s garbanzo bean crop while simultaneously bringing her mother’s family hummus recipe national fame thanks to a day-long University of Idaho class.

Her Zacca Hummus is now stocked nationwide in hundreds of stores and is the brand of choice for the Greek and Mediterranean restaurant chain Gyro Shack. 受欢迎的鹰嘴豆泥品牌, which exclusively sources garbanzo beans raised on the Palouse at Zenner Family Farms, 是365滚球官网考德威尔分校的成功案例吗 食品科技中心 (FTC).

该中心提供培训, 商用厨房, equipment and continued support to aspiring entrepreneurs who make, 营销和销售包装食品. Its goal is for clients to eventually outgrow the university facility and expand production elsewhere, 就像Zacca Hummus做的那样.

“The 食品科技中心 was instrumental in our success because of their knowledge and expertise in food production,Zenner说。, 博伊西的. “We would not have had the opportunity to start a business like we have without access to that facility.”

该中心的商用厨房约占7楼的三分之一,000平方英尺的工厂, 在2000年被大学收购后就close了吗. 除了联邦贸易委员会的设施, the U of I Caldwell 研究 and 扩展 Center also includes office and warehouse spaces for center clients, 还有其他行业, 租赁.

Supervisor Cini Baumhoff and Director Josh Bevan comprise a two-person staff running the financially self-supporting center. It’s one of the few labs in the country certified to perform processing on behalf of agricultural chemical manufacturers needing pesticide residue studies to submit to the U.S. 环境保护署. Food manufacturers also contract the center to test equipment and production methods.

目前，该中心为20多家客户提供服务. 新客户需要一整天的时间, 149元的食物安全基础课程, 商业化规模的生产和包装. They also learn how to use equipment in the commercial kitchen and are granted access to produce their products in the facility at a subsidized rate of $30 per hour. Baumhoff offers guidance and helps clients effectively scale up recipes.

“我们希望他们制造出一种可以销售的产品, 并证明他们能卖出去, 在一个价格点上，他们可以赚钱，而不是赔钱,鲍姆霍夫说. “食品行业没有太多的利润空间.”

Some notable brands being produced at the center include Wagner Mustard, 奥玛和波皮的调味酱和香料混合物, 自制鸡尾酒糖浆和鹰嘴豆泥. In 2018, Bevan calculated clients using the kitchen had a $1 million economic impact.

“人们喜欢看到来自他们所在地区的产品, and this facility allows people to manufacture products safely and efficiently with expertise and support,贝文说.

The Zacca Hummus story began when Zenner’s in-laws mailed boxes of their farm-raised garbanzo beans to her mother, 米姆, who used them to make hummus and was amazed by the creamy texture and nutty flavor. Zenner was inspired to start making her own hummus with her mother’s recipe. It was a hit, and Zenner soon had visions of commercial production.

虽然她刚开始是食品制造的新手, Zenner带来了相关的商业经验. She holds bachelor’s degrees in finance and international marketing from Florida International University and she’s a certified professional accountant.

Zenner和她的丈夫Chris, 爱达荷农场男孩, met in Florida while working for Miami’s Arena Football League team. She was an accountant for the management company that owned the team while Chris was an intern in sports administration. They eventually moved to Idaho’s Treasure Valley so Chris could take a job with the Boise Hawks minor league baseball team.

In 2011, 在她嫂子的催促下, 钱德拉·泽纳·福特, 谁是博伊西大学的首席执行官, Zenner参加了食品技术中心的课程. Her initial batches were a rough experience, leaving her covered from head to toe in hummus. 没过多久, 然而, Zacca Hummus was a staple at the Boise Farmers Market and soon found its way onto shelves at nine local Albertson’s stores.

Zenner于2017年开始为Gyro Shack生产鹰嘴豆泥. 第二年, 她和陀螺小屋的供应商达成了协议, Devanco食物, 位于卡罗尔溪, 伊利诺斯州, 制作和销售她的产品. Through the partnership with Devanco, Zacca Hummus increased production to 6,000 pounds per week.

2022年，克罗格公司. solicited applicants for a competition where food entrepreneurs were invited to pitch their business ideas. 从一个以上的领域,600名申请者, Zacca Hummus placed first in the Pacific Northwest and was among 15 products invited to Cincinnati for in-person presentations. 在她丈夫介绍了Zenner家庭农场的简史之后, Zenner told the judges how the farm’s dried garbanzo beans became the secret ingredient to improve upon an old family recipe.

Zacca鹰嘴豆泥在比赛中名列前五, earning placement in an additional 400 Pacific Northwest Kroger stores. 这个品牌还在不断壮大.

“We started at the Boise Farmers Market with the help of Cini Baumhoff and the U of I 食品科技中心,Zenner说. “Cini was very knowledgeable on labeling and what it took to get a packaged product out to the stores. Had she not been there to train me and lead me in the right direction, 我一个人是做不到的.”