Ayeshah Abuelhiga is the Founder and CEO of the Mason Dixie Biscuit Company, a frozen biscuit brand committed to producing food made with fresh, clean, and natural ingredients. To fulfill her goal of transforming comfort food for the better, she left her corporate job to open a small restaurant. As an emerging food brand owner, Ayeshah has been named the Washington Business Journal's Top 10 Innovator in 2017, voted a Top Millennial to Watch in 2014, and the Number 1 Food & Beverage Stunner by Industree DC.

Prior to founding Mason Dixie, Ayeshah worked for major fine-dining restaurants and hotels, including Passion Food Hospitality and Fairmont Hotels. She also consulted and managed marketing and product development projects for Fortune 500 companies, such as Audi, Microsoft, and Toshiba.

In this episode…

The consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is highly competitive and requires specialized knowledge. However, it's constantly seeking new and innovative products to bring to the market. So, how can emerging food brands get the attention of retail buyers?

Ayeshah Abuelhiga, founding partner of a frozen breakfast brand, recommends thinking about these four principles when developing a new food product: Is the food edible? Would you eat it? Would you feed it to your children? And do you think consumers would be excited to try it? The CPG industry is ever-evolving, and new brand owners shouldn't be intimidated by established brands. In fact, it can be beneficial to create relationships with well-established labels and have prepared questions. Attending CPG conferences such as Natural Products East and Natural Products West is also a strategy to consider for marketing products and networking.

In this episode of the CPG Troublemakers, Aalap Shah welcomes Ayeshah Abuelhiga, Founder and CEO of Mason Dixie Foods, to the podcast to discuss breaking into the CPG space and paving the way for first-generation entrepreneurs. Ayeshah shares how to pitch products to retail buyers, the evolution of DTC and how it complements CPG, and building a positive company culture.