ALFA Selection Criteria & Expectations

ALFA is looking for food businesses seeking to make sizable change in the scale of their operations. By investing time and resources transitioning businesses to the At Last Gourmet Foods production facility, ALFA expects cohort businesses to grow within its production facilities with committed and driven company leadership. If accepted into the program, cash flow projections, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, investor terms sheets, partnership agreements, and other information will be requested as needed to identify and allocate the best resources and advisement to the participant businesses, and to establish baseline metrics. It is also possible that some of this data would be requested to support the application process.

Applications will be reviewed and measured against the following criteria:

Category - flowable, liquid, and semi-firm fresh, and frozen products will be considered for cohort 1 (May 2020 start)

Differentiation - products are striving to be top of class/category locally and regionally with unique attributes or a commitment to sustainability, taste, texture, and story

Ingredients - preference toward local, non-GMO, organic, and kosher ingredients, and GAP-certified suppliers, we are capable of processing and handling all major allergens but all protein ingredients must be USDA approved 

Sourcing - strive to support small and mid-sized sustainable and regenerative agricultural and food processing operations within your local area or region when seasonably available

Growth - commit to redirecting energy and resources to substantial company growth and demand generation through quarterly KPIs

Compliance - licensing and regulatory compliance should be commensurate with local and state guidelines

Values - brand attributes and assets are reflective of a values-driven business and benchmarked to other emerging CPG companies

Commitment - companies must commit to 24 months of production with At Last Gourmet Foods following the 12-month acceleration programming, and show eagerness and enthusiasm to grow their company, brand, and sales to a new level (note: each business accepted into the accelerator cohort will be required to sign a memorandum of understanding noting program acceptance date as well as confirm production start)