Editor's note: This story is part of a cover package on how New Seasons Market and Market of Choice have helped elevate hundreds of local food and beverage startups.
Michael Pan’s business Pan’s Mushroom Jerky hit the big time in 2020 when he appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank and received investment from Mark Cuban, one of the titular sharks.
In the four days after the show aired the company had $1 million in online sales.
“We were caught off guard quite a bit. But we had a really good experience as well. And it gave us a lot of credibility and validation,” said Pan. “I did not plan on crying like that on air but those are real because I’ve been doing this for awhile. My journey is not overnight.”
Pan conceived of the idea of the business back in 2006 after he was introduced to mushroom jerky by his family in Malaysia. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that the idea became more of a reality and he started dialing in the recipe. He spent two years getting it right before launching manufacturing in Portland. Pan’s is made with shiitake mushrooms and comes in several flavors.
Pan leaned on the local food ecosystem tapping into resources at the Food Innovation Center and taking his product to test with consumers at the Portland Night Markets. It is there he got valuable customer feedback. He recalls starting out when the idea of plant-based foods were still niche and for people who ate exclusively plant-based.
He got into co-ops like Food Fight, People’s Co-op and Alberta Food Co-op. He started networking at places like Oregon Entrepreneurs Network and their food events. All the knowledge he gained he took to local retailers like New Seasons and Market of Choice and applied for their programs.
“Market of Choice prepared us. It showed how important it is to speak with buyers and teams and recognizing it as a partnership to learn what we can do for them and communicate what we need as well,” said Pan.
Through the Market of Choice MOJO program he learned logistics and packaging and has run with it.
“Learning all that can be very intimidating, right? Especially when you are working with someone like a Kroger. (Local retailers) do are really great job of hand-holding. It sounds dramatic but (they) really guide you and want to support you because you are a local brand,” he said.
Pan’s products are now in 3,500 stores and last year launched in Kroger. The company has 34 employees and recently moved into a new 8,000 square foot manufacturing facility.
