Current WGC Opportunities for Members

Ths is the page where we list current opportunities for WGC members to get involved in WGC activities. When our members help us, they help themselves – to greater visibility for their products and their companies.

Here are current opportunities as of September 2010:

1) Pledge Products as Prizes for the Whole Grains Challenge

The Whole Grains Challenge is our awards program for foodservice outlets that offer at least one whole grain option every day during October.  Foodservice operators compete in ten categories, from Fine Dining and Quick-serve to Schools, Workplace, and Healthcare.

For those of you targeting the foodservice market, the Whole Grains Challenge offers WGC members yet another opportunity for product visibility.  Pledging prizes to the Whole Grains Challenge program gets your products in front of the specific foodservice segments you're trying to reach - which could open up important new accounts to you. Donate to all ten categories, or just to the ones most important to you, such as Schools, or Healthcare.(Click here to see the 2009 prizes, for inspiration.) No charge; included with membership.

Deadline: September 15, 2010 – but the sooner you commit, the sooner your products are listed on the Whole Grains Challenge website. In early November, we'll tell you the winners' names and addresses and you will send products to them directly – to set your sales team up for future contacts with these potential accounts.

Contact: Kara (617-896-4880 or kberrini@oldwayspt.org) and tell her what you'd like to contribute and for which foodservice segments. It's okay to target different products to every segment that interests you!

2) Join our Foodservice committee

We think whole grains are still hugely under-represented in restaurants and cafeterias, and we want to change that fact. We've formed a WGC Foodservice Committee to learn more about the barriers to whole grains in foodservice, and to explore how the Whole Grains Council can help remove those barriers.

Mike Holleman of Indian Harvest Specialtifoods, Vice Chair of the WGC Board of Directors, is helping spearhead our Foodservice Committee. We are holding monthly conference calls, and we invite anyone who feels passionate about this topic to participate. Email Cynthia Harriman if you'd like to be part of the WGC Foodservice Committee - and we'll get back to you with the schedule for our next conference call. No charge; included with membership.

Click here to learn more and to see some of our ideas to date.

Deadline: ongoing – join anytime

Contact: Cynthia (603-436-1608 or cynthia@oldwayspt.org) and tell her you'd like to be part of the next Foodservice Committee conference call. We'll send you details on the date and call-in number.

3) Be a Sponsor for our January 2011 conference

Our next conference, Whole Grains: The New Norm, is scheduled for January 30-February 2, 2011 in Portland, OR. As usual, this conference will feature Oldways’ trademark mix of influential scientists, health professionals, chefs, and media, and will be a much-anticipated event. We urge you to contact us now, to get maximum visibility as a sponsor at this event.

There's something for every budget. Sponsorships range from $5,000 to $35,000; smaller companies can choose to be supporters for $500 to $1500. Information about the conference and about the benefits and costs of sponsorship are all detailed elsewhere on the WGC website, so we won't repeat all the specifics here. (Just click on the links in the previous sentence.)

Deadline: Absolute deadline December 15, but the sooner you commit, the more mileage you get out of your sponsorship.

Contact: Cynthia (603-436-1608 or cynthia@oldwayspt.org) or Kara (617-896-4880 or kberrini@oldwayspt.org) and tell us you'd like to be a conference sponsor or supporter.