From Kitchen to Commerce: Banking + Capital Basics with Queenette Martins
🌿 BONUS MASTERCLASSES
💰 SPECIAL BONUS – Thursday, June 19
Financing & Forecasting Foundations
🗓️ Thursday, June 19
🕰️ 12:30 PM EST
📍Google Meet (via Luma)
Overview:
Many early-stage founders miss out on financing options simply because they don’t know how to look bank-ready. This session demystifies startup banking, business credit, and preparing for funding conversations — even when you're early.
Speaker/Presenter:
Queenette Martins
Account Manager, FirstOntario Credit Union
💡 Financial Literacy Advocate | Small Business Mentor | Banking & Capital Access Expert
Queenette is dedicated to helping founders and entrepreneurs understand the essentials of financial literacy and capital access. Through speaking, she empowers small businesses to navigate funding with confidence.
📍 Hamilton, Ontario
💰 Guiding businesses toward financial clarity
🔗 Contact Queenette & learn more about FirstOntario
✨ Audience Fit
👩🍳 Who this is for:
Food & beverage entrepreneurs in years 1–5
Makers preparing to scale production, retail, or co-manufacturing
Founders who’ve bootstrapped until now and need clarity on money flow
🧠 Challenges they face:
Not sure how to structure product pricing for wholesale/retail
Never prepared financials for a loan, grant, or investor
Scared of spreadsheets or relying only on gut feelings
🌾 From Kitchen to Commerce
A Founder-Led Workshop Series for Food Makers
Scale with soul. Grow with guidance.
💡 Overview
From Kitchen to Commerce is a 7-part live workshop series designed for emerging food and beverage makers ready to go from zero to a million ARR from kitchen table to retail shelves — without compromising mission, health, or sanity.
Learn how to build a sustainable, values-driven food brand with practical tools, expert-led sessions, and a support network of fellow founders.
🗓️ Dates & Schedule
Start Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Format:
Core Workshops: Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 12:30 PM EST
Bonus Masterclasses: Select Tuesdays or Thursdays @ 12:30 PM EST
Platform: Google Meet (via Luma)
Structure:
🔹 4 Core Workshops
🔹 3 Bonus Masterclasses
🔹 1 Founder Roundtable
🎟️ Pricing Options
TierDetailsPriceGeneral Admission (Full Series)4 core workshops + all bonus masterclasses & roundtable$35 CAD/session or $140 totalPartner/Vendor RateSame full access: 4 core + all bonuses$25 CAD/session or $100 total
All Tickets Include:
✅ Live & recorded access
✅ Resource toolkit (valued $1,000+)
✅ Peer vendor spotlights
✅ Bonus sessions (3+)
✅ Community Q&A access
🤝 Sponsor / Mentor Invitation
Are you a:
• Established food founder with a mission-aligned brand?
• Expert in finance, wellness, or operations?
• Professional supporting the growth of early-stage food manufacturers?
We invite you to co-lead a workshop, mentor a cohort, or sponsor a session. This is your opportunity to give back and directly shape Canada’s next generation of purpose-led food makers.
🧱 CORE WORKSHOPS
📍 WEEK 1 – Tuesday, May 27
Vision Meets Velocity
How to scale without losing your values
Product clarity & brand positioning
Scaling signals
Founder mindset for growth
Preparing for grocery/channel talks
📍 WEEK 2 – Thursday, May 29
Operational Readiness
Building systems from kitchen to shelf
Co-manufacturing vs. in-house
Shelf life, batch planning, labeling
Production scaling tools & frameworks
📍 WEEK 3 – Tuesday, June 3
Selling with Soul
Pitching without losing your soul or margins
Sell sheets & pricing decks
Cold outreach & email templates
Building trust in the sales process
📍 WEEK 4 – Thursday, June 5
Start Small, Yet Scalable
Your first grocery account — done right
Buyer expectations
Terms, delivery, sell-through
Getting reorders & staying on shelf
🌿 BONUS MASTERCLASSES
🎧 WEEK 5 – Tuesday, June 24
The Nourished Founder (with Maya Eid)
Nutrition for energy
Founder-friendly eating habits
Wellness rituals for long-haul growth
💰 SPECIAL BONUS – Thursday, June 19
Financing & Forecasting Foundations
Banking basics for F&B startups
Preparing financials for funding
Practical pricing + margin modeling
Tools for operational forecasting
🔹 Includes live Q&A and resource templates.
🔁 WEEK 6 – Thursday, July 3
The Founder’s Playbook
Going from local sales to 200+ stores
Behind-the-scenes of scaling
Co-manufacturer negotiations
Avoiding burnout in the growth phase
🎤 WEEK 7 – Thursday, July 10
Founder Roundtable + Vendor Spotlights
Honest panel + live Q&A
“What I Wish I Knew” lightning talks
1-minute product spotlights by attendees