Packaged food incubator program
CFC Launchpad
From your kitchen to the Midwest's shelves.
CFC Launchpad helps emerging Asian and Asian-inspired food brands go from small batch to store-ready. Selected founders get mentorship from our purchasing, sales, and operations teams, and a real review for CFC distribution.
A good product often starts as a family recipe. Getting it onto a store shelf also takes packaging, labeling, food safety, pricing, and a buyer. Chicago Food Corp has done that work since 1987. Launchpad opens that experience to the next group of founders.
What you get
Support from people who buy and sell food every day.
Mentorship
Work with CFC purchasing, sales, and operations, and with specialists in food safety, packaging, and branding.
A path to distribution
Graduates who meet quality, compliance, and pricing standards are eligible for a trial listing in the CFC catalog. Every graduate is reviewed. A listing is not guaranteed.
Buyer access
Pitch grocery and retail buyers from CFC's network at Demo Day.
Product readiness
Guidance on packaging, labels, nutrition facts, shelf life, food-safety certifications, UPC codes, and FDA requirements.
Pricing
How distributor and retail pricing works, and how to build a cost structure that can hold a margin.
Sourcing
Introductions through CFC's vendor relationships, including the Seoul and Shanghai offices, for ingredients, packaging, and co-packers.
A small cohort
Workshops with other founders, then an alumni network after the program.
Who should apply
Founders with a packaged food or beverage, a working recipe, and some sales already.
- A packaged food or beverage: sauces, kimchi and ferments, snacks, noodles, frozen foods, dumplings, spice blends, teas, drinks, desserts, and more.
- Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Southeast Asian, South Asian, or Asian-inspired flavors.
- Sales already, even if small: farmers markets, online, pop-ups, or a local store.
- Based in the Midwest, or able to deliver to our Niles, Illinois warehouse.
- Ready to produce in a licensed kitchen or with a co-packer before any distribution.
- Open to feedback and ready to grow.
Not a fit right now
Concepts without a finished recipe, restaurant-only dishes, fresh produce, or alcohol.
How the program works
Each cohort moves through four phases. Workshop dates and program length will be set when the first cohort is announced.
01
Foundation
Brand and product review, food safety and labeling, and a cost and pricing model.
02
Product readiness
Packaging and label refinement, shelf-life testing, UPC and certifications, and co-packer introductions.
03
Go to market
Sales strategy, buyer pitch coaching, and trial sampling with select CFC customers.
04
Demo Day
A pitch to CFC purchasing and retail buyers. Qualifying products are offered a trial listing in the CFC catalog.
After the program, alumni can stay in touch with a CFC account manager and are invited to CFC trade events.
Applications
Applications for the first cohort are not open yet. When dates are set, founders will apply online, send samples, and meet the selection team.