New orleans is synonymous with f & b, and boasts world-renowned brands like zatarains and tabasco

The Greater New Orleans Development Foundation (GNODF) was awarded $275,000 under the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) program of the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service to deliver technical assistance and business development services to food and beverage entrepreneurs and companies in Louisiana. Through this two-year project grant ending in October 2023, GNODF will collaborate with partners including a parish government, nonprofits, and an industry group to conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis of the regional food system ecosystem. GNODF will then formulate strategies to foster business growth, increase capital investment, and expand revenues. The partnership will provide technical assistance and support to both emerging and established food and beverage businesses, helping them launch, scale up, and remain in the regional market. Funding will support services delivered through food incubators, licensed commercial kitchens, and manufacturing facilities operated by partners.

Despite this reputation and success with regionally-known brands like blue runner, the GNO f & b entrepreneurial ecosystem is difficult to navigate. To successfully launch and scale an f & b business/product, an entrepreneur needs significant funding, access to resources, and deep industry connections. While GNO's f & b start-up ecosystem is fairly robust, many companies are forced to leave the market to scale because the region: 1) lacks the necessary value chain production capabilities and capacity (i.e. pasteurization, cold storage, FDA warehouses); and,2) lacks a critical mass of investors familiar with f & b. Gnofab seeks to build on GNO's f & b legacy and create a sustainable framework for entrepreneurial success by conducting a S.W.O.T. Analysis and solutions report of current f & b ecosystem; formulating business development, retention, and expansion strategies to foster growth, increase capital investment, and grow revenues of f & b businesses; providing technical assistance to both emerging f & b companies and to legacy f & b companies positioned for growth; and expand the new orleans food & beverage industry group. Gnofab is a public-private collaborative of:greater new orleans development foundation (gnodf),501(c)3 regional economic development nonprofit; ST. Charles parish government, local government operating food incubator and licensed commercial kitchen (edible enterprises); propeller,501(c)3 nonprofit supporting entrepreneurs with consumer packaged good brands (impact accelerator); volunteers of america southeast louisiana,501(c)3 nonprofit; operates manufacturing/CO- packing facility and licensed commercial kitchen (fresh food factor); andnew orleans food and beverage industry group, collective of emerging f & b companies coordinated by gnodf.