AboutJim Gawley Expertise Economic and statistical questions about all aspects of the U.S. Food industry and the food processors that supply them. Please, no questions about "How do I start a business that...?"
Question I am a college student working on a marketing project. The mock product I am marketing is a fruit smoothie drink, similar to Naked or Odwalla. How do I find out how much it costs to produce such a product, and then to distribute it to the market (grocery stores, etc)? I cannot find any information on this, and the above companies will not divulge it to me.
Answer Mary,
You may want to try contacting someone at USDA's Economic Research service http://www.ers.usda.gov/
They at least can give you the difference in the cost for raw materials vs. the cost of the finished goods as an industry. You could use that as your margin.
Associations like GMA http://www.gmabrands.com/ and The Food Institute www.foodinstitute.com may also be able to help.
