Elevating great ideas
We’re on your Mission
301 INC is an energetic and enthusiastic team looking to collaborate with emerging food brands; to roll up our sleeves and work together to create breakthrough innovations and build successful businesses. If you have a product that has demonstrated success in the market, and you’re ready to take it to the next level, let’s elevate it.
Our Spirit
We aspire to be an indispensable partner integrating a direct equity investment with the skill and capabilities of General Mills.How We Practice
We are seeking emerging food brands with a compelling product, a strategic fit and fueled by founders that are driven, passionate and aren’t going to settle for anything less than success.Our Team
Experienced and enthusiastic team members
Years of combined industry experience
Years rooted in the food industry
Categories with marketplace representation
Team Leaders
John Haugen
Managing Director
John Haugen
John Haugen has a passion for endurance sports so it’s no surprise that he’s in it for the long haul working with budding businesses. John has an undergrad degree from St. Olaf College, his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and is a 25-year veteran at General Mills. He has held a variety of leadership positions, focusing on marketing, general management and health & wellness strategy. He was also instrumental in the creation of 301 INC in 2012.
As a leader of 301 INC, John is always interested in seeing the possibilities. He has built a team focused on looking for great, new business opportunities – ones that when the passion, skill and agility of the entrepreneur are combined with the capabilities of General Mills are sure to create breakthrough innovation and positive change.
Pete Speranza
Business Development
Pete Speranza
New Yorker and former professional ice hockey player, Pete Speranza received his MBA in International Business Strategy from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Business. He became part of the General Mills family in 1997 and has 18 years of supply chain leadership across all temp states and platforms with experience managing large capital installations.
As New Business Development leader for 301 INC Pete taps into his passions of creating a national scouting network and working closely with the entrepreneurs of the startup community. He is also a co-founder of the new food division for the MNcup – the largest state wide innovation competition in the country.
Ryan Newcom
Finance Manager
Ryan Newcom
With a B.S. in Business Administration from Bucknell University, Ryan Newcom is our Investment Fund Manager leading our direct investment mandate. His background at General Mills includes finance rotations in the supply chain function, the cereal operating unit, and the western sales region.
Prior to General Mills, he spent multiple years working with clients in the lower middle market to execute mergers and acquisitions, debt recapitalizations, and private capital fundraisings. Ryan has a passion for food and tremendous respect for entrepreneurs.
Melissa Gallant
Commercial Acceleration Director
Melissa Gallant
Melissa Gallant is a brand marketing leader who has worked in the CPG industry since 2005. She holds an MBA in Product and Brand Management from Boston College and since has worked on a wide variety of notable brands including Welch’s, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Nature Valley, Yoplait & Gushers. In addition to her large brand experience Melissa has been a small business owner and was a member of 301 Inc’s founding team. Melissa leads Commercialization resources for 301 Inc and her team provides marketing & sales support and expertise to all of our portfolio companies. She has a growth mindset and a passion for navigating challenges and uncovering opportunities for brands.
Kim Gessner
Tech Manager
Kim Gessner
Our Partners
Tool Box
Product Development
We have the tried and true technical tools of your dreams to help you take your ingredients, products and packaging to the next level.
Product Development
We are a tried and true R&D organization with a wide range of capabilities in ingredient, product and packaging development. We can help:
- Develop new, innovative products
- Take your brand to new occasions or platforms
- Provide technical support in the areas of:
- Recipe development
- Packaging design
- Commercialization
- Shelf-life, nutrition and labeling services
- Food safety and regulatory compliance
Supply Chain
Gain access to a world-class supply chain crew with a wealth of resources across all product categories and channels.
Supply Chain
Leverage a supply chain that comes with a breath of knowledge across all product categories and temp states.
- International sourcing team with expert buyers in many ingredient/packaging categories
- Operations team built to continually enhance margins, raise product quality, and provide excellent customer service on a national scale
- World-wide external manufacturing network with unlimited flexibility and capabilities
- Industry leading food quality and safety programs
Marketing
It doesn’t do much good to have a great product if no one knows about it. We can help you connect to your consumer lives.
Marketing
With the ability to connect to consumer’s lives we can help support your brand through:
- Brand development through equity building and positioning plus the creation of all aspects of brand support from packaging to advertising, point of sale to support collateral
- Ideas for innovative promotional activities, both in and out of store
- Expertise in empathy-building, trend-mining, marketplace analytics, insight generation and consumer testing
- Champions of the “consumer first design” approach to brand expansion and pipeline development
Channel Development
When it comes to sales, it’s all about relationships and we have built valuable ones across all channels worldwide.
Channel Development
As the #1 ranked sales force by Kantar, our sales division has built strong relationships across all channels.
- Sales team support for three core business segments: US Retail, International, and Convenience & Food Service
- National retail organization that makes store level calls to maintain distribution and displays
- Category management team that keeps an eye on trends in the marketplace so you can stay ahead of the competition
- Unlock growth through leading capabilities:
- Pricing and merchandising effectiveness
- Shelf and aisle management
- Shopper & consumer insights
- Shopper marketing
Here & There
Read about what’s been going on at 301 and beyond.
Fancy Food Winter ’20
The Minnesota winter weather will soon be in full swing and we’ll be taking a break to head to San Francisco for the Winter Fancy Food Show January 19-21
More
Fancy Food Summer ’19
The Summer Fancy Food Show is the largest specialty food industry event in North America and the premier showcase for industry innovation. Industry innovation? Well, then you knew we weren’t going to miss that!
More
It’s Expo West time again!
We’re heading back to sunny Anaheim again for Expo West March 5th – 9th.
More
Contact Us
If you’re interested in working with us or finding out more about what we do, please fill out the form below.
Note: We are currently not accepting samples until October 5, 2020.
Mail samples* and presentation packets to:
301 INC Samples
Attn: Elizabeth Schmit
1 General Mills Blvd
W1-B/W1-1469
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55426
*All products must be food safety compliant (packaged, labeled and kept within compliant temperature control). If perishable, products must be shipped in appropriate perishable/insulated packaging; please label as “PERISHABLE” or “FROZEN” and ship via Priority Overnight. Please be mindful of weekends, international transit and holidays. Tracking information must be sent via email to 301INCteam@genmills.com.
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