Planning A Fermentation

Workshop
Hosting A Workshop
This can be a lot of fun but it requires strategic planning
It is important to be comfortable with what you are doing so do not put
pressure on yourself to do more than you can handle
Workshops come in all shapes and sizes so it is easy to craft one that
fits what you can do
Location
• This is the first element you need to figure out
• If you are teaching a client one-on-one, then it is happening in your
home or theirs?
• In your home is easier as a lot of what you may need is there
• In their home, then you need to follow the same steps as any
workshop in terms of compiling equipment and ingredients
• Should you ask them to get the material – it depends – are they
willing to pay for you time to get them? – it is more efficient if you do
it?
Hosting In Your Home
• Decide how many you can comfortably host in your kitchen
• Is this a hands-on workshop?
• If yes, where are they going to do the preparations – how much
counter space do you have? Can you use a eating area just off the
kitchen (open concept or galley kitchen with a nook)
• Do you have enough equipment – knives,
cutting boards, measuring cups – you can
ask people to bring a cutting board
and knife (and their own aprons)
• Do you need chairs?
Hosting In Your Home
• If you are doing demo-style – do you have a comfortable seating
arrangement for everyone and a place to for them to write
• If they are not going to be preparing anything – then what will they
be doing - seeing a presentation, observing you making the ferment
foods
• Are you serving food? If so, is it prepared
ahead of time or are you doing it during
the class
Renting A Facility?
• This is an added cost so it must be
factored into your selling price
• Average it over the total number people attending
• ie: rental cost: $400 for four hours
- 10 people = $40 per person must be added to selling price
- 20 people = $20 per person must be added to selling price
- Do they require you carry liability insurance – some will accept a “day of”
insurance – others will want more comprehensive insurance
- Food and Healthy Safety certificate may be required and is a good idea under any
circumstances
• Make sure the kitchen has proper surfaces for food prep (stainless steel)
Hand-On Vs Demo Style
• Hands On:
- You are actually teaching and getting them
to do it – may mean less prep time for you
- Also, means you do not have to talk as much
- Most people would not sign up for a demo style to learn to ferment
foods
- It requires more co-ordination, purchasing of ingredients and
materials than a demo style
- You can charge more and they take product home to ferment there
Hand-On Vs Demo Style
• Demo-Style
- Best suited for short workshops or a speaking event with this as a
bonus add-on
- Requires more co-ordination if doing elsewhere and not in your home
- Samples of the item must be provided –
so extra is needed to be made ahead
of time
- It is not as effective for learning
Types of Programs
• Speaking events with demo of a fermented food
• Demo at a community centre – 1 hour
• 3-4 Hours workshop
• 4-Week program
• One-On-One
Speaking Event
• Could be a lunch n learn in a corporation,
mother’s group etc.
• Purpose is the talk, not the demo
• Topic could be gut health and the demo is an extra
• Be sure to have enough already made to sample
• If doing on behalf of a corporation – materials should be paid for by
the company and not be part of your fee
• In a mothers group scenario – charge per person
• Always consider prep time for your fee
Demo At Community Centre
• This could also be at a church or senior centre
• Low fee – they seldom pay well
• Sometimes they will have a budget to pay you a flat fee plus materials
• Plan a talk that may support your overall business goal (pick a topic) –
do the demo and provide samples
• Do not do demos for free unless it is on TV
• May be able charge a small fee per person
3-4 Hour Workshops
• Unless there is another reason for this workshop
– demo style would not be good
• Best for hands-on
• Pick several types to make – sauerkraut, beet kvass, kimchi, cultured
vegetables
• Serve some dishes with the foods used (can be made ahead or be part of
the workshop to have them make as well)
• Provide materials, ingredients and do a handout – such mason jars,
cabbage, recipes, instructions
• Be sure to calculate costs and add on
• Ask them to bring cutting boards, knife and their own apron
4-6 Week Program
• Attendees come once a week and learn to ferment one type per week
• Also have some made ahead and show or let them prepare a recipe
or two using the food to show how to use it in the diet
• Each week do a different fermented food
• Provide materials, ingredients and do a handout – such mason jars,
cabbage, recipes, instructions
• Be sure to calculate costs and add on
• Ask them to bring cutting board, knife
and apron
Pricing
• Demo style:
• Corporation - Flat fee - $200-300 plus material costs – 1 hour
• Mother Group - $25 -50 (depends on how long) per person
• Community centres - $20-25 per person – keep it to 1 hour
• 3-4 Hour Workshop - $ 67- 97 (end in “7”) depends where you live
plus cost of materials
• 4-6 Week Program $ 177 – $297 for the whole program depends
where you live and how many people, the costs of your materials
How To Assess Your Time Costs
• Shopping 1-2 hours
• Prep time – depends what you are doing 2-4 hours
• Travel time, if not doing in your home
• Time for the event
Example
Shopping : 1 hour
Preparation:4 hours
Travel Time: 1 hour
Event: 2 hours
8 hours x 50.00 per hour = $400.00
10 attendees / 400.00 = $40 per person
Cost of materials per person: $ 10.50
Total Cost: $50.50 plus add fudge factor $15 – 25 per person = $67-77 a
person
When Paying For A Location
• Divide the cost against the number of attendees
$200/10 attendees = $20 per person
Added to previous example $50.50 plus $20 = 70.50
Price: $87- 97
• Make sure location only charges a deposit up front 10-20% maximum
Also
• Set a drop dead date and minimum attendees level
• Always set an early bird
Planning Materials
• Create a document with basic tips and recipes – make a nice cover
and print in black and white – can provide an e-version in colour
• Create this first – makes it easier to calculate ingredients you need
• Always think of things you can give them that does not cost you time
or money (existing materials) that you can use as bonus
• Calculate ingredient amount for any recipes you are planning to serve
or are making
• Buy the mason jars - see chart
• Buy spring water
• Buy the vegetables for fermenting - see chart
Should You Ever Teach Sourdough?
• Very difficult because of the timing
• Best suited for demo style – have each stage ready for viewing as you
will not have proofing time
• Be sure to give them sourdough starter when they leave – I would
given them their starter and let them do the first stage to take home
• Then show them the other stages.
• Be sure to show them completed bread
and give samples to try.
What About SCOBY- Based Ferments
• For Milk Kefir, Water Kefir and Kombucha – the issues is the scoby
• Make arrangements to get the scoby for each of them – add it to the
cost
• They get their scoby plus the materials and make the fermented food
ready to ferment to take home
• Cultures For Health will give you a wholesale
account but must meet the minimum of $200
and buy at least 6 of a single product
• Kombucha Kamp sell retail – may give a bulk
discount - ask
Promotion
• Have a flyer with a registration form that you can
print in black and white
• A colour poster that can be posted is also helpful - 8 1/2 x 11 - can just be
the front page of your flyer
• A website page for the program or workshop with the key info and benefits
with an online pay link
• If you do not have an e-store – you can just use Paypal - usually your estore
is linked to your paypal account anyway
• Webpage link should be printed on print flyer
• You can get a virtual terminal to take credit cards manually if you have a
PayPal business account and business number (HST/GST number)
Where to promote?
• Local clinics, community centres, libraries
• Many towns and cities have online promotional sites for events
• Local newspapers or magazines may have a free event section – look at the
health magazines that are free
• Practitioners you know – may let you leave the flyers - make your flyer adaptable
to customize it to the location
• Neighbours and friends
• Clients and past clients
• Your email list
• Specialty groups that would be interested.
Promotional Materials
• You do not have to be fancy – again do not spend a lot of money at
the beginning -
• However, if you want a more sophisticated look, then you can get a
graphic designer inexpensively from Upwork
• If you get a flyer done by a designer – make sure they put it in a form
you can edit so you can adapt it as you see fit
like Publisher or Word
• Nice photos can be purchased from
Dreamtime and Shutterstock
Planning A Workshop
• Be careful not to try too much too soon
• If you do not have experience with running food-based workshops
you may not understand how the timing goes so start with a small
task and group
• Think about the bigger picture of your overall business and what you
want to accomplish
• The key is to create an enjoyable experience
for attendees and not make it so much work
for you that you do not enjoy yourself.
• Have fun