Food Business Blueprint Course – Scale to $1M in Sales

Eric Glandian’s Food Business Blueprint Course teaches food entrepreneurs how to grow a consumer packaged goods brand from an established startup toward $1 million in annual sales within 12 months.

The course draws on Glandian’s experience building Zen Monkey Overnight Oats from a kitchen concept into a brand with $2.5 million in annual sales and distribution in 3,000 stores nationwide.

Food brand growth skills

• Master retail distribution strategies to secure major shelf space.
• Implement production systems for efficient scaling and quality control.
• Design packaging that captivates consumers and complies with regulations.
• Manage financials effectively to ensure profitability during growth.
• Build sales channels that drive revenue and market validation.
• Develop operational systems for sustainable team and process management.

A working playbook for food businesses

The training combines strategic lessons with screenshare demonstrations and business materials used in the operation of Zen Monkey Overnight Oats. These include Excel spreadsheets, email templates, PowerPoint presentations, financial models and operational documents.

Rather than starting with basic product development, the course addresses growth decisions for a product already on the market. It examines the practical challenges of working with brokers and copackers, winning retail shelf space and managing profitability as distribution expands.

Retail, production and sales training

The curriculum follows the path from local selling to wider retail distribution. Lessons address buyer requirements and negotiation, broker and distributor relationships, and the transition from farmers markets and small accounts to regional and national networks.

For production, Glandian discusses the choice between copackers and in-house manufacturing, along with machinery sourcing and shelf-life requirements. Packaging lessons consider shelf appeal, regulatory requirements and the way a brand communicates with both consumers and retail buyers.

The financial material covers costs from production through distribution, retail pricing, margins and cash flow during growth. Sales-channel lessons include farmers markets for market validation, online sales and advertising campaigns, while operational topics include hiring, investors and managing processes as the business grows.

Who the course is designed for

Food Business Blueprint is designed for founders with an MVP, consumer-ready packaging, nutrition facts and active sales. It is aimed at entrepreneurs looking beyond farmers markets or small retail accounts toward a larger CPG operation.

The material is also relevant to owners weighing copacker and self-manufacturing decisions. Its retail examples focus primarily on the United States, while production and packaging principles may be useful in other markets.

About Eric Glandian

Eric Glandian founded Zen Monkey Overnight Oats and grew it from a kitchen concept to national distribution. His teaching draws on experience with product development, retail accounts and production at scale, using company documents and systems to illustrate the decisions involved.

Course materials

The downloadable course materials include videos, PDFs and spreadsheets. The training also features screenshare lessons and examples of the documents and templates used in Glandian’s food business.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Food Business Blueprint Course cover?

It covers retail distribution, production, packaging, financial management, sales channels and operations. The training also addresses brokers, investors, advertising, shelf life and machinery selection.

Do I need an existing food product before taking the course?

Yes. The course is intended for entrepreneurs with a minimum viable product that is already selling and has consumer-ready packaging and nutrition facts.

Does the course cover both copackers and self-manufacturing?

Yes. It discusses working with copackers as well as decisions involved in producing food in-house, including machinery and shelf-life considerations.

What downloadable materials are included?

The materials include videos, PDFs and spreadsheets, with examples of business documents, financial models, email templates and PowerPoint presentations used by Glandian’s company.

Is the course relevant outside the United States?

Its retail distribution strategies focus primarily on the U.S. Production and packaging principles may also apply elsewhere, although broker practices and retail-chain tactics can differ.