A Brandon entrepreneur is using a strong showing in the Great Manitoba Food Fight to further expand her products and production.

Ten competitors who have developed but not fully commercialized a new food product participated in the competition earlier this month in Winnipeg. Judges sampled their food creations, heard their business pitches and awarded three product development and service award packages to the following recipients.

Second place and the silver package with a value of $7,000 was awarded to Katy Unruh of Katy’s Kookies in Brandon for their Chocolate Cherries Jubilee Naturally Lean Bar.

“I was nervous with the whole process but I'm thrilled the judges like my bar and gave me second place” said owner Katy Unruh.
Each prize package will be used to build entrepreneurial capacity directly linked to commercializing the winning food product, such as recipe refinement, package design, marketing, workshops, trade shows, business management and food processing, safety and handling.

“All of the money will be highly absorbed into the business as far as growth and development. We are doing our first run with the product development centre in Portage La Prairie. That will be November 2 to do our first run with the chocolate min breeze.”

Unruh says the latest production run will bring their quota up to four times its present level.

Katy Unruh started producing the Naturally Lean Bars 12 years ago.