Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Business Plan

Locally Sourced Cal Poly Dining with Sustainability at Heart

RESEARCH AND COMPILATION CONDUCTED BY: AGUSTIN GARCIA AND ERIC HAYNES

ORGANIZATION: CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN LUIS OBISPO

FSN 426

1|Page
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Business Plan

Locally Sourced Cal Poly Dining with Sustainability at Heart

A. Executive Summary

Life is a process. Everything has its processes to function. We want to focus on the

processes on food production and distribution, specifically involving locally sourced food that are

grown sustainably that are grown on campus and neighboring San Luis Obispo (SLO) farms

which supply Cal Poly Campus Dining. Sustainability to us is a network that integrates several

components in order to enhance the communitys environment, economic and social well-being;

it is providing for today, without compromising tomorrow. We are attempting to implement a

system that will enhance collaboration of Cal Poly Dining with more locally based growers and

food providers in order to strengthen our community. Local to us is within a hundred-mile radius,

though others have other definitions. At this point in time, Cal Poly Dining is serving over 100

different local, organic, and sustainable products throughout campus, most of which are

packaged goods. However, there is still a large portion of Campus Dinings products that are

shipped in from across the nation. Our program will improve policies that reward local sourcing,

sustainable practices, and other environmentally protective actions in the community such as:

composting, recycling, companion planting, types of fertilizers and growing practices used.

This program is catered to fulfill Healthy People 2020 goals; Nutrition and Weight Status

(NWS) 14/15, and Environmental Health (EH) 11, which are: Increase the variety and

contribution of fruits/vegetables to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older; and

reduce the amount of toxic pollutants released into the environment, respectively.

In this age of green politics/eco-politics that we are living in (despite certain powerful

Administration that neglect it, we and others hold it to a high esteem and will continue to push

forward toward progress), more and more effort is being put into improving the current state of

our planet and leaving a brighter future for the following generations. Recycling and composting

2|Page
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

help to diminish carbon emission into our atmosphere as well as the ability to reuse the

materials and nutrients, instead of losing them in the landfill. Companion planting utilizes

different species of plants that complement each other when grown together; for instance, the

clearest and possibly the oldest example, is the Native American Three Sisters: corn, pea

(legume) and squash; the corn is the tallest and acts as a trellis for the pea to climb, the pea is a

nitrogen fixing plan so it gathers nitrogen from the air and puts it into the soil, which is perfect for

the corn because it requires a lot of nitrogen to grow, while the squash with its large leaves and

spinney nature cover the ground to improve moisture retention as well as deter pests, keeping

the three sisters moist and safe. With each plant helping the other plant, the system requires

less inputs (such as fertilizer and water) and grows more sustainably because of the co-

symbiotic relationships. The type of fertilizer and growing practices have tremendous impacts on

the environment, and practices with beneficial impacts ought to be rewarded.

Cal Poly compost deals mainly with manure. They did try to compost food but met an

end due to pest and rodent problems. The food that is composted from campus is gathered and

sent to Santa Maria (MarBorg Industries) to be processed. This process costs money and uses

many resources to get it there; estimated to be over $30,000 per year. If Cal Poly could correct

issues with composting on campus, that would greatly improve sustainability because this

compost can be used to fertilize the next generation of food as well as less resources wasted

with transportation of massive amounts of food (~600lbs./day).

Currently, other schools across California are doing more than us in terms of

composting. UCSB and Cal Poly Pomona are ahead in the game, but we hope to surpass them

by 2020. A detailed comparison is found below in community needs assessment (CNA). For

instance, according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher

Education (AASHE)s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) reports,

there are many schools that are performing more sustainably than Cal Poly; a list of schools

with links to reports are below in the appendices. Also, AASHEs Sustainable Campus Index

3|Page
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

2016, on pages 38-41, describes ideals and lists the top performers that we can learn from

example (https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/aashe-hub-production/uploads/SCI-2016-

final.pdf).

Our CNA focuses on nutrient composition of food and how increased transportation

time/distance affects nutriture, and how we can increase fruits and vegetables to the diets of the

population over the age of 2 years. We are also focusing on decreasing transportation from

distant processing factories in order to decrease the release of toxic pollutants into the

environment as well as excess use of fossil fuels due to that transportation.

Our main source of potential participants would include local farmers and providers in

the Central Coast area and beyond to other areas of California (including Cal Poly), and the

patrons of Campus Dining.

Organizational Objectives

We will be hiring 3 employees aside from our two program directors. There will be 2 level

1 employees (Campus Dining Correspondent and Food Provider Correspondent) who will be in

the field and working directly with campus dining and the outlying farms and food providers in

the SLO area. The level 2 employee (Correspondent Supervisor) will supervise both Campus

Dining Correspondent and Food Provider Correspondent employees, and will report directly to

the two program directors. The whole program will be under the umbrella of the Cal Poly SLO

Center for Sustainability and Cal Poly Energy, Utilities and Sustainability. Employees must be

able to shift between office setting and in-facility evaluations. They must be able to

communicate well with coworkers and clients and must be able to effectively relay information.

They must have an active interest in food service and management, as well as appreciation for

local and sustainable foods.

New employees will be given a map of campus dining and the surrounding farms, and

then be taken on tours of the facilities to familiarize them with each. Human Resources

4|Page
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

paperwork must be filled out to completion and safety precautions must be reviewed and tested

on prior to assigned tasks.

Our program is a non-profit program and will not be providing any kind of product;

merely creating connections. Costs that will need to be accounted for are employee wages and

salaries, costs for company car and gas, general office supplies, and tablet computers for each

employee for documentation of findings, which will be on a website that is visible to the public to

help with generating awareness of actions being taken and to keep everyone accountable.

The source of income for this program will be from the grant and cost sharing that is

100-50% matched by Cal Poly through Administrative-based fees (from percentage of salaries);

we dont want to incur more student fees and believe the top of the pyramid should contribute to

the betterment of current and future states/conditions. The grants and cost sharing will pay for

the entirety of the program.

The main quality management objective is to ensure proper recording and analysis of

sustainability within Cal Poly Dining and their local food providers.

Mission Statement

Cal Poly Dining is an impressive network of nineteen different locations across campus

that is dedicated to providing high-quality meal options for all members of the Cal Poly

community. We intend to improve upon the standards of sustainability, food locality, and

environmentally friendly procedures for a stronger, long lasting SLO community.

Objectives

Create an educational program that will help Cal Poly achieve a 50% increase in

sustainability by 2025

5|Page
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Create awareness about where the food is coming from and which foods are in season by

labeling logically sourced foods throughout campus dining

Decrease food waste in campus dining by encouraging students to only take as much food as

they will consume

Include educational components of the program dedicated to educating Cal Poly students on

the relationship between eating locally and nutritional quality

Include educational components of the program which inform students on the

environmental benefits of composting and how they can participate in composting on

campus

Increase the number of composting bins on Cal Poly campus by 70%

B. Company Summary

Company Ownership

Start-up Summary (Budget)

Budget-per year

A. Salaries and Wages

a. Senior Personnel

i. Program Directors(x2) $38,400

b. Other Personnel

i. Level 1 employees(x2) $20,000

ii. Level 2 employee(x1) $15,000

B. Fringe Benefits

6|Page
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

a. Health Insurance at 24% as per (Boyle, 2017) $17,616

C. Total Salaries and Wages and Fringe Benefits $91,016

D. Equipment

a. Tablet computers(x3) at base configuration $1,800

b. Company vehicle for off campus employee $20,000

E. Materials and Supplies

a. 100 compost bins $4,500

F. Travel

a. Gas to outlying farms $1,560

b. Vehicle maintenance $2,000

c. Vehicle insurance $1,500

G. All Other Direct Costs

a. Prints from Cal Poly Prints

i. Flyers/Handouts $100

ii. Posters $50

iii. Labels $50

b. Website based fees $100

c. MarBorg fees $33,600

(Company that transports food scraps to Santa Maria [3x/week], a cost that

should be incentive to work towards food composting on campus)

H. Total Direct Costs $154,776

I. Indirect Costs (23% of direct costs as per [Boyle, 2017]) $35,598.48

J. Total Direct Costs Plus Indirect Costs $191,874.48

7|Page
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Cost for Services

We are not charging anything for our services. It is an attempt to improve the

community around us and will be paid for by the grant and Cost Sharing with administration-

based fees. The idea is the investment in the program will strengthen both Cal Poly and SLO

communities with this co-symbiotic relationship.

Company Location and Facilities

The only facilities necessary for the employees would be a small conference room on

campus that they could rent out a few times a week to discuss progress and future endeavors;

possibly utilize conference and/or group rooms throughout the campus, such as within the

Kennedy Library. Space on Cal Poly campus is limited, so having a specific room designated to

our meeting room is not practical, especially since the room will rarely be in use, as the

employees will mostly be in the field and the room would only be used for weekly meetings.

Amenities can be kept to a minimum, and can include a single desktop with printer and basic

office supplies; which these amenities could be replaced if all printing is done with through Cal

Poly Print and Copy or through the Library. Employees will also be assigned a tablet computer

in which to input data while working in the field. Documentation will be kept online, visible to the

public to monitor occurrences with local farms and campus dining, so file cabinets or other

permanent belongings associated with this program are not necessary.

C. Services

Community Needs Assessment

Please see Appendices which has the full CNA from FSN 416, which was used as a

source.

8|Page
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

It concluded that Cal Poly has been actively pursuing sustainability, yet has fallen short

as compared to other schools, such as UCSB and Cal Poly Pomona; showing room for

improvement. Another section for improvement is made clear with our The Association for the

Advancement of Sustainability for Higher Educations (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking,

Assessment and Rating System (STARS) report OP-7 for Food and Beverage Purchasing

which we got a 0.09/6.00! (https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/california-polytechnic-state-

university-ca/report/2017-02-16/OP/food-dining/OP-7/). This is one aspect, but there is much

that Cal Poly can improve upon.

It looked at the overall job market of the U.S. and found that only 11% is related to

agriculture umbrella, mostly with agriculture jobs and food service, which we believe is relatively

low that only 1/10 of our jobs are working with nourishing and sustaining our population, as well

as the globe, being that we do export some food we produce here in the US. The CNA, Figure

1, show how the number of farms has been drastically decreasing since WWII, with a steady

increase in average farm size, which is indicative of larger farms that send food over greater

distances; which we would like to counteract, being we want to limit distances that food travels

from production to consumption. Also, we found that there is low diversity in the crops that are

produced; in 2000, only 19 crops produced more than 90% of global crop calories. We met with

key informants (Megan Coats, Kylee Singh and Hunter Francis) whom gave us guidance and

answers to questions. A survey was conducted and distributed to students to generate a

baseline of sustainable methods practiced, current knowledge of sustainability, and what food

choices are based on. The literature review found many findings though, unfortunately, is not an

exhaustive list. One was focused on the effect of community supported agriculture (CSA) and

the benefits it had with increased consumption of vegetables. Another study looked at post

harvesting processing to limit food spoilage, which are more likely to occur with greater

distances the food needs to travel. These post-harvest processes had deleterious effects on

environment, which our program will help prevent the excessive use of such

9|Page
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

chemicals. Another study looked at the effect of increasing distance from food produced to

where it is consumed, while assessing the effects. This study was assessing the global

population and analyzed which communities could potentially be food self-sufficiency. The

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics releases position and practice papers; we used one called

Promoting Ecological Sustainability within Food Systems which acts as a guide to

sustainability and waste management practices. Another article discussed the negative effects

our modern intensive agriculture has on the environment and they discussed beneficial

solutions such as agroecosystems. The last literature we had time to assess and input into CNA

was regarding local food environments and how to assess them; the appendices in the CNA has

a beautiful summary of each method of analysis with their strengths and weaknesses. For more

details on the CNA, please refer to the appendices at the end of the Business Plan.

Service Description

The program offers opportunities for local farmers to provide sustenance to Cal Poly Campus

Dining, and Cal Poly provides a steady and consistent business for the local farmers to thrive. It

provides fresh fruits and vegetables to Cal Poly to incorporate into their menus at the 19

different food locations across campus. At the same time also decreases the toxins emitted into

environment with decreased distance the food travels. It is looks to create a sustainable, co-

symbiotic relationship between Cal Poly and surrounding community that is beneficial to the

environment, the economy, and social well-being of this community.

Competitive Comparison

Currently at Cal Poly there are the Center for Sustainability and the Cal Poly Energy, Utilities

and Sustainability, which both are programs that help increase sustainability campus wide. Our

10 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

program is not looking to compete with them, rather corroborate to create a trifecta of programs

with a similar aim and purpose.

D. Market Analysis Summary

Our main source of potential customers would include farmers and local providers in and

around the San Luis area who will be growing and providing food for Campus Dining. Also, we

would include the patrons who utilize Cal Poly Dining, which covers a wide variety of people

from students to faculty and staff. There is no specific demographic for these patrons, as it

would include all students, faculty and staff who frequent Campus Dining. Campus Dining

decision-makers will be key to get on board; we need to find out who these players are, as well

as their view on sustainability and its importance. This will benefit the decision-makers because

not only will they limit the carbon-footprint that Cal Poly contributes (due to decreased

transportation distance and expended resources to get food to Cal Poly Dining patrons, as well

as with the transportation of food waste to Santa Maria), but it will also strengthen the local

economy by allowing the community to contribute to the food consumed on campus which

promotes more small farm businesses, thereby increasing the communitys autonomy over food

and decreasing its dependence on food being transported in from outside communities. The

Green Movement is huge, and sustainability is a buzz word that Cal Poly already tries to market

that they are pursuing through the Cal Poly Center for Sustainability and the Sustainability

Coordinator (through Cal Poly Energy, Utilities and Sustainability). The UC systems as well as

the CSU systems are pursuing increases sustainability within their schools; the current goal is to

hit 20% sustainable by 2020; this project follows these goals. With a more sustainable program

that is evident, it will draw more attention from parents and would probably entice them

purchase, and continue purchasing, meal plans for their children (i.e. increase total meal plans),

knowing that not only will their contribution will mean their children have healthful and nourishing

foods to choose from, but they will also be reducing the carbon-footprint and helping to boost

11 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

the local economy. With more people utilizing Campus Dining due to its increased utilization of

sustainable practices, thereby feeding today without compromising tomorrow. This is a

profitable program that is ethical throughout for all participating parties.

Market Segmentation

Students (largest consumer population)

Faculty

Staff

Our program will also consist of local farmers who produce the food for Cal Poly

E. Strategy and Implementation Summary

SWOT

Strengths

Increase quality of food

Increase business/revenue for local businesses and farmers

Decreases the potential for food spoilage due to decreased transportation distances

More fresh and healthy meals for customers to enjoy

Further strengthens Cal Poly and its image

Increases sustainability of Cal Poly and surrounding community

Decreases the amount of toxins spilled into the environment and decreases the amount

of fossil fuel usage by decreasing distance that food needs to be transported

Weaknesses

12 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Food shortages may occur if local farmers cant keep up with the demand, but can be

supplemented with foods transported in; the focus is to increase locally sourced foods,

with the ultimate goal of solely sourcing locally grown foods

Changes in climate may affect growth of food

Required resources may not be available in adequate amounts

Economics of scale and its impact on local providers

Dependent on soil; soil may be lacking in some trace minerals; soil analyses will need to

be done to assess potential nutrient deficiencies

Opportunities

Benefits local farmers and their products

Healthier and fresh meal options for customers

Helps to promote local businesses and their products

UC and CSU initiative to get to 20% sustainable by 2020

Threats

Sysco and similar large-scale food provider companies that capitalize on economies of

scale

Natural disasters or climate changes

Existing policies that infringe on purchasing food from local farmers due to lack of some

type of fabricated insurance

Status Quo. what is already being done and peoples resistance to change

4 Ps

Place

Cal Poly Campus Dining and the SLO community

Product

13 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Fresh, locally grown and raised animal products and produce

Price

Varies based on food products and the environmental conditions

Dependent on whether the product is in season

Will increase business of smaller farms locally, as Cal Poly will be purchasing more

produce from them

Promotion

Implement a system that co-symbiotically connects Cal Poly Dining with the SLO

community

Implement/create awareness via emails, posters and flyers throughout the community

and on campus

Connect with Mustang News/Cal Poly website to promote connections in various articles

or ads informing the public of benefits

A website will be made so that workers can document findings and actions taken on it to

be completely transparent to the public and keeping everyone accountable

Promotional material in Grant Proposal found in Appendices

The program can be implemented in many ways, we do not want to restrict the possibilities

for this idea/program to take place. One way we could implement this program would be to go

under the dual umbrella programs of Center for Sustainability and Energy, Utilities and

Sustainability, acting as a bridge between them to further focus the energy and actions towards

sustainability. For the CNA, Hunter Francis, Center for Sustainability Director, and Kylee Singh,

Sustainability Coordinator, were two key informants that represent each program, respectively.

Working under two existing programs will further strengthen the foundation to build toward a

larger effect on sustainability rather than starting this program on an island.

14 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

For the program to be successful, we need campus and community farms on board with our

ideals and practices. We would need both Cal Poly and community farms to be on the same

page regarding sustainability, food safety, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Good

Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Handling Practices (GHPs), et cetera. We need local

farmers to be up to code for them to be approved sources for Cal Poly. We need policies to be

amended to legitimize this relationship; it is sad that we have policies that inhibits the local

farmers to provide food to Cal Poly even if done meeting all GMP, GAP and GHP requirements

but rejected solely due to a lack of an exorbitantly expensive insurance, especially since local

schools, such as Laguna Middle School, encourage local food sourcing. We need to start small

and then steadily progress to the max; it can start with one item on the menu is locally sourced

and sustainable in one location, to having many, if not all, items on menu that are locally

sourced and sustainable.

We need funding for a successful program. The Program Directors will write grants to

obtain funding from various sources. Cost sharing will help to maximize the effect of the

program so that Program Directors are not putting all their energy into writing grants for funding;

this way they can also focus some energy towards planning and creating educational

components, analyzing data and programs impact, and evaluate efficacy of program and seek

ways to improve the program further. Cost sharing will be done at 100-50% by utilizing

Administrative-based fees. Too frequently, the burden of cost falls onto students; for instance,

just for Spring 2017 quarter alone, one of the authors were charged $1,203 in miscellaneous

fees, on top of tuition!!! We see the benefit that having 20,000 students pay $1,203 generates

over $24 million! However, we do not want our program to further burden the students and

believe there are other methods of generating revenue. Instead of further burdening students

financially, we propose charging people who make the most on this campus, instead of the ones

who already must pay to be here (i.e. students), by enacting Administrative-based fees which

15 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

will take a percentage of their salaries (at least one percent) in order to meet the programs

needs.

Marketing Strategy

We will use promotional flyers, handouts and posters around campus as well as a website

based advertisement, hopefully linked with PolyPortal, in order to inform the patrons of Cal Poly

Dining of the impending program we intend to implement; these will also be used to keep the

community informed of program activities. A website will be made that will serve as the

documentation of worker findings to be transparent to the public of occurrences such as: where

the food was grown, how, by whom, distance travelled, processing done (including washing),

how prepared and served, meeting GMP, GAP and GHP standards et cetera. There will be a

logo that patrons of Campus Dining can easily distinguish, such as the Vegetarian and Gluten-

Free logos, which is an example of one we could use is below.

This Local & Sustainable logo could be used on menus throughout Campus Dining to make it

readily visible for consumers to easily choose to purchase; we believe this will have similar

effects as the Gluten-Free and Vegetarian logos which streamline decisions on what to choose

to eat. Ideally, we were thinking of having green continents on the logo atop the blue ocean

16 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

background, to represent the earth and the marketed-heart shape represents that we are Local

and Sustainable at heart; though an anatomical-heart shape may be more practical and real.

F. Management Summary

Organization Chart-Job Description-Job Specification

Organization Chart

Campus Dining Correspondent and Food Provider Correspondent will both report

directly to the Correspondent Supervisor

Correspondent Supervisor will report directly to the Program Directors (x2)

17 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

The program will be under the umbrella of Cal Poly SLO Center for Sustainability and

Cal Poly Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability. The two Program Directors will answer to the two

existing programs.

Job Description

Job Titles- Program Director (x2); Campus Dining Correspondent; Food Provider

Correspondent; Correspondent Supervisor

Job Location-Cal Poly Campus (Dining facilities and Farms) and surrounding farms and

providers

General Description-

Program Directors (x2): Gather startup data (assess what components of menu options

that can be grown locally and sustainably at each Campus Dining location, as well as the

campus and local farms that can be providers). Plan educational components (including lesson

plans) to share with farms, dining facilities, and patrons of Campus Dining, regarding topics

such as: sustainable growing practices, importance of sustainability, ways to decrease food

waste, composting and recycling, et cetera. Monitor documentation on website; applying

corrective action when necessary (i.e. If documentation isnt occurring properly, intervention with

employee shall take place). Analyze data and assess impact of program. Evaluate program and

constantly look for ways to improve. Acts as the link with umbrella programs and this program

and workers under in the Organizational Chart. Write Grants and obtain funding; ensure

Administrative-based fees are being implemented.

18 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Correspondent Supervisor: will supervise and advise both correspondents, organize

meetings, and provide useful procedures to improve effectiveness of employees. Acts as the

link between Program Directors and the respective correspondent workers. Help

correspondents and directors as needed, et cetera.

Campus Dining Correspondent: will analyze and report back on the sustainability data

collected from facilities on campus. Analysis will include but not limited to: what proportion of

food is grown sustainably; confirming that foods with Local & Sustainable logo on menu have

sustainable food within it; calculating participation of Local & Sustainable product purchases by

assessing sales logs; assessing food safety practices, et cetera.

Food Provider Correspondent: will analyze and report back on the sustainability data

collected for production and efficiency in the outlying farms and local providers. Analysis will

include but not limited to: assessment of growing, processing and transportation practices;

distances from farms to campus; assessing food safety practices, assessing if meeting GMP,

GAP and GHP standards, et cetera.

Responsibilities

The Correspondent employees are responsible for overseeing their designated field,

whether it be campus dining or the surrounding farms in the SLO area

The Correspondent Supervisor will oversee both Correspondent employees and act as

their supervisor, who then reports to Program Directors

The Program Directors will report findings to umbrella programs

Other responsibilities are listed above in job descriptions

19 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Job enlargement is possible as well

Report to

Correspondent employees will report directly to the Correspondent Supervisor

Correspondent Supervisor will report directly to the Program Directors (us)

Program Directors will report to umbrella programs

Working Conditions

Be able to shift between office/paperwork and in-facility evaluations (farms or campus

dining)

Weekly meetings at reserved locations on campus, such as conference or group rooms

throughout campus like the Kennedy Library

Equipment in use

Employees mind

Spreadsheets and data analysis programs

The tablet that is assigned to each worker is used to input data at respective sites

Data is uploaded on website for transparency and accountability to public

Hazards

Foodborne illness

Weather

Time-temp regulations

Heavy machinery

20 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Job Specifications

Qualifications

Correspondent Employees: High school diploma, Bachelors preferred

Correspondent Supervisor: Degree in business/management or some related field

preferred

Experience

Correspondent Employees: Some experience in foodservice/management and/or

agriculture

Correspondent Supervisor: Two years management experience preferred, experience in

foodservice and/or agriculture

Skills

Proficiency in computers such as word, excel, internet browsers, et cetera

Able to communicate with coworkers and clients effectively, able to properly and

efficiently relay information

Attention to detail

Able to work independently as well as in a group

Emotional Characteristics

Must have an active interest in food service and management, as well as appreciation for local

and sustainable food

Prior to employment, be able to provide US citizenship, eligibility to work, SSN, background

check and drug test

21 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Orientation Plan - general for all employees / volunteers

Prior to start date:

The new employees are subject to background check and a drug test, as well as provide proof

of residency and eligibility to work. Maintain open communication for both the employer and the

employee. Probation requirements and expectations will be covered prior to first day.

First day:

The new employees will be given a map of Cal Poly campus and surrounding SLO

are, then be taken on tour of facilities

-On campus correspondent will tour campus dining

-Off campus correspondent will tour surrounding farms included in the program

-Supervisor will tour both

Employees will then fill out required paperwork for HR and review the employee

Handbook

Goals and job expectations will be reviewed

Safety precautions must be reviewed and tested on prior to assigned tasks

For farm based correspondent employee, demonstration of proper agricultural

techniques

Training Plan-

Correspondents will be taken to respective work sites and given a tour of the facilities.

They will then go through procedures with packaging, shipping and receiving, financial

information etc.

22 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Example lesson plan

Each of the employees will be exposed to the seasonality of food to better understand

what will be available during specific parts of the year. A figure and resources is provided below.

Figure. from http://eatseasonably.co.uk/what-to-eat-now/calendar/

Other potential lesson topics could include, but not limited to: composting, recycling,

sustainable agricultural practices, Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, GMPs, GAPs, GHPs, et cetera.

Financial Plan

Important Assumptions

23 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Our program is non-profit

For correspondent employees, part time wage will be $10-20/hour

For correspondent supervisor, part time wage will be $15-25/hour

Gas for vehicle based at $3/gallon, price varies

Insurance costs for program vehicle, price varies

Maintenance costs for program vehicle, price varies

Product/Service Costs and/or Prices

We are not providing any kind of product or service with this program. It is a non-profit

program seeking to increase sustainability for Cal Poly Dining and the surrounding farms and

providers included in the program. Costs that will need to be accounted for include employee

wages and salary, cost for company car as well as gas and insurance, general office supplies

like pens, paper, printer ink etc.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Major food suppliers, such as Sysco, receive all of the money that Cal Poly gives to

them for the food products; some of these food products can be produced locally, and instead of

giving Cal Polys money (i.e. generated from student fees and governmental grants) to outside

business, it will remain within the community, and those farmers will use that money to buy

other products or services within the community, thereby the velocity of money will, theoretically,

remain in SLO and will pass the dollar along many businesses within our community, instead of

a multinational Texas-based company, such as Sysco. So not only will the money stay within

the community, but we will also greatly reduce the amount of fuel used and greenhouse gases

emitted. Overall, more benefits to the Cal Poly community (such as: with increased food quality,

generation of food waste compost), SLO community (such as: with increased money put into

24 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

local and sustainable farms) and the globe/environment (such as: with decreased toxins put into

environment as well as reduction of fossil fuel usage).

Projected Cash Flow

The main source of income for this program would be from the grantees. This is a non-

profit

program and will only employ up to three employees, all of whom will be paid from the grant,

donations, and Cost Sharing with Administrative-based fees.

Projected Balance Sheet

The only costs are employee wages and maintenance costs of vehicle such as gas or

vehicle repairs, as well as vehicle insurance.

The only source of income for this program is from the grants and Administrative-based

fees directly.

One policy

Who: Correspondent Supervisor

What: lead a meeting for other two employees to share findings and experiences

to keep everyone up to date and on the same page of activities happening in

campus dining and local farms. They will need to document findings on website.

When: once a week or bimonthly, depending on need and availability

How: meet at time and place convenient for all employees

One procedure that aligns with the policy.

Communicate with team either in person, phone or email in order to plan a meeting

25 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Set consistent time and place, if applicable

At the meeting, the Supervisor will start with an overview of where we are, problems

and issues

Cover policies for campus dining, local farms, state and federal

Cover successes and defeats of program, generate ideas for solutions

Food Provider Correspondent will discuss findings. They will discuss practices on

farms and specific foods sold to campus dining

Campus Dining Correspondent will discuss findings. They will discuss sustainability in

facilities across campus

Directors will plan seminars and cover goals for the next meeting

Quality management approach / strategy.

The main quality management objective is to ensure proper recording (on website) and

analysis of sustainability within Cal Poly Dining and their local food providers.

Main quality standards to be used

Total Quality Management

Six Sigma Quality Framework

Suggestions for the Future

An issue that will need to be addressed is regarding the makeup of the soil in SLO

county; the soil profile throughout the county will need to be assessed since depletion of any

nutrients will mean a deficiency in the food produced. There are benefits to eating food grown

26 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

on different soils because it ensures a balance of nutriments; the soil status of the farms we are

sourcing will need to be known.

There are many next steps that can be taken, such as: policy change to allow local

farmers to sell food to Cal Poly; enactment of Administrative-based fees; getting a student run

restaurant that incorporates all locally grown foods that are in season-this models Cal Poly

Pomonas Kellogg Ranch, but we can improve upon it.

Lastly, we would like to see growing hemp on campus and in community for its seed and

fiber that have a plethora of uses and benefits, some of which is covered in the following paper:

Hemp: a composition review plus which can be found at

http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/fsnsp/10/

Closing Statement

Lets be a leader in California, the nation, and in the world. Lets be an example; the

epitome of sustainability. Lets lead in a direction towards being local and sustainable; for the

betterment of the university and the surrounding community. Look below in Appendices for list

of AASHE STAR reports; many schools in California are obtaining higher scores than Cal Poly.

We can change this. This Business Plan and accompanying CNA and Grant Proposal can be

used to help get us in this direction; serve as a base to move forward.

27 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Citations/References

Garcia, Agustin. 2017. Hemp: a composition review plus.

http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/fsnsp/10/

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability for Higher Education

(AASHE), Sustainable Campus Index 2016 https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/aashe-hub-

production/uploads/SCI-2016-final.pdf

https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-write-the-management-summary-2951561

https://pma.doit.wisc.edu/DoIT%20Templates_Examples/Stage%202%20-%20Initiate/Stage%2

02%20Intiate%20-%20Templates/2.6.2%20Template%20-%20Quality,%20v1.0.doc

https://advisera.com/9001academy/knowledgebase/list-of-quality-management-standards-and-fr

ameworks/

United States Department of Agriculture, Healthy Meals Resource System. Whats in Season?

https://healthymeals.fns.usda.gov/features-month/whats-season

Whats in Season? http://www.sustainabletable.org/seasonalfoodguide/

https://www.nrdc.org/issues/local-food-systems#priority-experts-resources

http://www.simplesteps.org/eat-local

28 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/auditing/gap-ghp

Good Manufacturing Practices https://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/cgmp/

Food Safety https://www.foodsafety.gov/

http://www.cafarmersmarkets.org/

http://www.simplesteps.org/eat-local/state/california

http://eatseasonably.co.uk/what-to-eat-now/calendar/

http://california-grown.com/PDFs/Whats-In-Season.pdf

https://afd.calpoly.edu/sustainability/docs/sustainability_reports/2016_sustainabilityreport.pdf

Boyle, M. 2017. Community Nutrition in Action: an entrepreneurial approach.

29 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Appendices

Eat Sustainably wheel

http://eatseasonably.co.uk/what-to-eat-now/calendar/

AASHE STARS reports (in School; Rating; Score; Link Format); Schools that are Bolded

have higher scores than Cal Poly)

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Silver; 62.57;

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/california-polytechnic-state-university-ca/report/2017-02-16/

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Expired; Expired;

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona-

ca/report/2011-05-04/ (included because they did get a Silver rating in 2011 but havent

renewed with AASHEs STARS but are successful with other organizations and they have

Kellogg Ranch which we believe to be an example that Cal Poly SLO should mimic and improve

upon)

California State University, Channel Islands; Gold; 66.26;

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/california-state-university-channel-islands-ca/report/2015-05-

01/

California State University, Chico; Expired; Expired;

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/california-state-university-chico-ca/report/2013-11-19/

(included because they did get a Gold rating in 2013 but havent renewed with AASHEs STARS

but are successful with other organizations)

30 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

California State University, Northridge; Gold; 69.28;

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/california-state-university-northridge-ca/report/2016-02-29/

California State University, Sacramento; Gold; 72.18;

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/california-state-university-sacramento-ca/report/2016-05-09/

*Colorado State University; Platinum; 85.56; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/colorado-

state-university-co/report/2017-02-07/

Humboldt State University; Gold;69.28; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/humboldt-state-

university-ca/report/2017-04-21/

Illinois State University; Silver; 48.92; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/illinois-state-university-

il/report/2016-02-29/

Iowa State University; Gold; 68.47; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/iowa-state-university-

ia/report/2016-09-01/

Loyola University Chicago; Gold; 70.14; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/loyola-university-

chicago-il/report/2017-02-27/

Oregon State University; Gold; 72.21; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/oregon-state-

university-or/report/2017-02-28/

31 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

Pomona College; Gold; 68.35; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/pomona-college-

ca/report/2015-10-29/

San Jose State University; Gold; 67.47; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/san-jose-state-

university-ca/report/2016-08-26/

South Dakota State University; Bronze; 27.64; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/south-dakota-

state-university-sd/report/2016-03-31/

Stanford University; Gold; 81.02; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/stanford-university-

ca/report/2016-06-29/

Western Michigan University; Gold; 65.57; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/western-

michigan-university-mi/report/2014-07-22/

University of California Davis; Expired; Expired; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-

of-california-davis-ca/report/2013-09-13/ (included because they did get a Gold rating in 2013

but havent renewed with AASHEs STARS but are successful with other organizations)

University of California, Riverside; Gold; 68.46; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-

of-california-riverside-ca/report/2016-04-21/

University of California, Santa Barbara; Gold; 73.40;

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-california-santa-barbara-ca/report/2016-11-08/

32 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Gold; 68.06;

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign-il/report/2015-03-17/

University of Maryland, College Park; Expired; Expired;

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-maryland-college-park-md/report/2014-02-12/

(included because they did get a Gold rating in 2014 but havent renewed with AASHEs STARS

but are successful with other organizations)

University of Michigan; Gold; 70.07; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-michigan-

mi/report/2015-06-30/

University of New Hampshire; Gold; 67.34; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-

new-hampshire-nh/report/2014-07-29/

University of Vermont; Gold; 70.87; https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-vermont-

vt/report/2017-03-01/

CNA and Grant Proposal from FSN 416 group below:

33 | P a g e
Business Plan Cal Poly Spring 2017 FSN 426 Garcia & Haynes

34 | P a g e