Mark Pawliw lived the food and restaurant lifestyle through his 25 plus years of experience in the industry, but he realized that something was missing - a connection to the producers, growers and chefs that brought the food to your plates, the drink to your glasses, and the art of cooking that ties it all together.
Having to take some action to remedy this, Mark formed Farm to Fork 101 in 2015. It would become a tool, a resource, and an entrepreneurial adventure! Through his business he would explore bridging the gap through “a sustainable experience that reconnects the farmer with the consumer in a delicious way”.
Mark started meeting with Onondaga SBDC Business Advisor Frank Cetera in October of 2017. He was looking for a path forward in growing the scale, diversity, and recognition of Farm to Fork 101. Together, client and advisor held many strategic planning discussions to create an overall vision and action options. Some of these were postponed or altered due to some sizeable opportunities that came to Mark that helped grow the awareness of the local sustainable food system as well as his business. These opportunities included being hired to manage the Wegman’s Experience stage during the Great New York State Fair in 2018 and 2019.
Throughout their time working together, Business Advisor Frank Cetera continued strategic coaching with Mark. They worked on expanding into operational analysis regarding cash flow and profit margins, differentiation marketing strategies, ideas for informational subscription services to extend product offerings, and other general problem solving. Mark says, "Frank has helped me articulate my vision, weed out the bad or underdeveloped ideas and understand the importance of being proactive with my financials. All in all, he has been a great coach and look forward to continuing with his advice as my business expands and grows."
And, with continued coaching and planning with his Advisor, Mark plans to take Farm to Fork 101 even further in the new decade. He plans on providing increased access to information about farmers and their produce to consumers, while continuing the educational dinners and cooking classes that have been such a hit!
Mark states, "Farm to Fork 101 has always been about building and maintaining relationships within the community. In the future, we plan on continuing those connections through hands on education and helping with other organizations who share the same values. In the end, we would like to see a strong, well connected food community here in Syracuse."
You can run into Mark Pawliw out and about at the Regional Market where he can be invariably found sourcing produce for a dinner event, building the relationships that are the foundation of his business.
The question became how to keep the business running in the face of the impact of the pandemic. Again, they turned to the SBDC for assistance with loans and grants that were available for pandemic financial relief. Paul Brooks, senior business advisor, assisted the pair in navigating the initial complexities of the SBA Economic Injury loan process and the local grant opportunities, especially the Syracuse Economic Development Corporation loan fund. Brooks said, “working with David and Libby is a distinct honor since these two dedicated entrepreneurs are determined to restore glory to the notion of the “Salt City.”
Now that business is beginning to somewhat return to normal, David and Libby predict they will produce over 2,000 pounds of flake salt this year. And that is just the beginning. With an emphasis on social media marketing and a retail partner network consistently growing, the future looks “salty.”
In a recent discussion the entrepreneurs agreed on their principal business objective: “To produce a product that we are happy with, is sustainable, and that we are proud to put our name on.”
Syracuse Salt Co. products can be found at many local specialty retailers and on the web at: syracusesaltco.com
All businesses benefit from an understanding of their cash flow. A study by Geneva Business Bank indicates "cash flow bottlenecks account for 7 out of the top 10 reasons businesses fail.” Let a SBDC Advisor provide you a no-cost confidential cash flow analysis using software tools that they are trained to use.
