Food Foundry Sessions
The Sierra Commons Food Foundry Sessions is an exciting new program that connects food industry experts and business owners to our Food Entrepreneur Accelerator students and community. These interviews, hosted by Mani Niall, Sierra Commons Lead Food Instructor, will premiere on YouTube and include a live Q&A chat with the speakers as available. Join us on YouTube to get notified of new video premieres.
Past Presentations
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - 2:00 PM PST
Rachel Zemser - Ala Carte Connections
The Food Science R&D Process
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 - 2:00 PM PST
Miguel Barreras - SBDC Financial Advisor
Understanding Non-Traditional Lenders
How to navigate small business loans of $5K - $100K. Specializing in micro-loans for start-up and early stage entrepreneurs.
Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - 2:00 PM PST
Kara Nielsen - Trendologist & Sweets Professor
Food Trends 101 - How Food Trends Impact Product Innovation
Kara is an expert in food and beverage trends and the consumer values that drive trend growth and adoption. For nearly twenty years, she has translated trends for strategic brand growth and product development for food manufacturers, foodservice operators and other firms.
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 - 2 pm PST
Reem Hassani - CBO and Co-Founder of Numi Tea
Food Packaging that resonates. From nutrition to aesthetics, allergens and claims, UPC and design. The package is the path to your consumer's mind, heart, and taste buds. Reem will be joining us for Live Q&A during the interview premiere.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Tim Yamauchi - Business Development Expert
Creative Cost Controls- Bookkeeping for a small food business