BOISE, Idaho — Salsa, popcorn, kombucha and even dog treats were on the menu Wednesday in downtown Boise as seven Idaho entrepreneurs competed to put their products on supermarket shelves.
The competition, called Trailmix, is part of Boise Entrepreneur Week and has happened yearly since 2018.
The stakes of Trailmix go beyond bragging rights. Winners get a big cash prize, as well as dedicated shelf space at Albertsons’two flagship stores in Idaho, where new products get tested.
From there, customer response decides if products stick around and get distributed more widely, said Heather Halpape, a spokesperson for the company.
“We look at how shoppers engage with the product,” she said, “whether they come back to purchase it again and whether sales demonstrate ongoing demand.”
This year’s seven finalists brought an eclectic mix of products. Karla Arias of Ay Que Pica pitched fresh salsa. Angellica Bunce of DeLo Pop brought organic popcorn, and Katherine Powell of Boise Booch competed with hard kombucha.
Alisha Coy of 2 Pawz Up Barkery pitched Salmon Bursts, a treat and meal topper for dogs and cats. Faith Bauman of Be Spooned brought organic powdered food for babies and toddlers. Sarah Howard of Krossfade Enterprises competed with kombucha-based cocktails and matching nonalcoholic versions, while Steven Ferguson of Honorguard Coffee rounded out the field with his line of coffees and teas.
As the Trailmix Food Expo kicked off Wednesday at Jack’s Urban Meeting Place or JUMP, a nonprofit community center in downtown Boise, attendees moved between booths, chatting with finalists and sampling products.
Katie Wegley picked up treats for her three dogs and two cats. She stopped for a taste of Boise Booch kombucha.
“It was really good,” she said. “We’re going to check out the taproom.” Then she headed off to try some popcorn.
Boise Entrepreneur Week attendees mingle during the closing block party at JUMP on Thursday, ahead of the week’s final awards ceremony. (Chloe Baul/Courthouse News)
In the weeks leading up to Trailmix this year, organizers added workshops for the finalists. They got to work with local food and beverage executives, studying how to pitch to buyers and figure out pricing and costs.
“It is a really hard time to start a business,” said Jacob Grinwis, executive director of Trailhead and chair of Boise Entrepreneur Week. Then again, “there’s never really a perfect time.” Instead, entrepreneurs “just kind of have to jump into the market and deal with the cards that are dealt.”
Some Trailmix winners have succeeded, not just triumphing at the competition but winning the approval of consumers and seeing wider distribution with Albertsons. Among them are Idaho Barkery (the 2024 winner), Nosh Foods (2023) and ERTH Beverage Company (2021).
Since winning two years ago, Idaho Barkery has expanded well beyond Albertsons. The dog-treat company grew from five wholesale buyers to more than 100 retail partners today, said founder Sabrina Garcia.
“I think our opportunities really expanded,” Garcia told Courthouse News at the expo Wednesday. “More than just getting our product into Albertsons, we were able to make new connections with other wholesale buyers that also believe in us now.”
As the expo wrapped up on Wednesday, the seven finalists took the stage to pitch their products.
A row of judges listened, scoring each presentation and questioning the entrepreneurs afterward.
“I’m nervous, as you can tell,” Arias told the crowd as she began her pitch.
Founder of Ay Que Pica salsa, Arias said her company was inspired by her mother-in-law’s Mexican cooking.
“The flavors and care she put into her food made me want to create something I could share with other families,” Arias said. “I started making salsa, brought it to farmers markets and saw people come back for more.”
Faith Bauman of Be Spooned pitches her organic powdered baby and toddler food during the Trailmix competition Wednesday at JUMP in Boise. (Chloe Baul/Courthouse News)
Although entrepreneurs compete against each other at Trailmix, the atmosphere is still supportive and friendly.
“I love the networking and the camaraderie of it,” said Howard, owner of kombucha company Krossfade. “We’re all just trying to do something different and make better products and provide something new to the community.”
Just this month, Krossfade opened a taproom in nearby Garden City. Fellow finalist Angellica Bunce was thrilled when Howard asked if she would stock her DeLo Pop popcorn there and feature it at the grand opening.
“She was like, ‘Can you give me some snack bags?’” Bunce said. “I’m like, ‘Heck yes.’”
Krossfade is back at Trailmix this year for the second year in a row. Customers can also try their products at the new taproom, which isn’t too hard to find.
“You know it’s us,” Howard said, “because you’ll see a big orange rocking chair on the top of our building.”
The finalist’s stories are as varied as the products themselves.
Coy, a longtime former teacher, spent years making food and treats for her own pets before launching 2 Pawz Up Barkery in 2019. She still makes all her products at home, where she runs multiple freeze dryers, dehydrators, ovens and refrigeration systems.
“We know the demand is there for our products,” Coy told Courthouse News. “Our only bottleneck is we’re kind of taxed out on space.”
Powell — one of the two kombucha-focused contestants this year — likewise said she was reaching the limits of what she could produce with her current set-up. With a background in chemistry and winemaking, she spent a decade making kombucha at home before turning it into a business. She opened a taproom in 2024 and said her wholesale business had tripled over the past year.
Attendees gather on the deck at JUMP during the Boise Entrepreneur Week closing block party Thursday in downtown Boise. (Chloe Baul/Courthouse News)
Bauman is still in the early stages of Be Spooned, her organic baby-food brand. She says the idea came from watching friends and family deal with the hassle of preparing first foods — not to mention the cleanup.
She’s tested the product with nearly 40 families and is currently taking preorders. Winning Trailmix “would truly be the launch pad,” she said in an interview. “We’ve poured so much into building from the ground up and getting it into parents’ hands.”
As for Ferguson, he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving the Marines.
He said his experiences — including training his service dog, Dina — made him want to help other veterans facing similar struggles. He came up with the idea of Honorguard Coffee after learning how much small, veteran-run nonprofits can struggle with resources. Through coffee sales, he said, “I decided to tackle that funding challenge head-on.”
Boise Entrepreneur Week ended Thursday with a block party at JUMP. Attendees ate, drank and mingled before moving indoors for the closing ceremony.
The crowd gathered around the stage as winners of the week’s competitions were announced. And the Trailmix announcement brought extra excitement: Initially, judges were unable to declare a winner, with a dead tie between two finalists for first place.
To break it, each of the eight judges cast a vote for one of the two initial winners. Angellica Bunce of Delo Pop won with five votes. Faith Bauman of Be Spooned took second place with three.
Albertsons declared it would offer shelves to both top finishers. Bunce took this year’s top prize of $20,000, while Bauman received $5,000 and will also get space at Albertson’s Broadway and Market Street flagship stores.
Angellica Bunce of Delo Pop poses with her $20,000 first-place check alongside Trailhead and Albertsons representatives Thursday at JUMP in Boise. (Chloe Baul/Courthouse News)
The crowd applauded as Bunce took the stage. She appeared to tear up as she accepted her oversized check.
Based in Boise, Bunce’s Delo Pop popcorn is already sold at several stores. The business was inspired by her family’s tradition of making stovepop popcorn for Friday movie nights.
“Being raised in a big family of seven meant chaos was our constant companion,” Bunce explains on the company’s website. “But on Fridays, chaos seemed to take a break.”
“Popcorn had this special ability to bring us together, yet keep us quiet,” she continues. “You know it’s good when nobody is talking!”
“I am just so excited — I can’t even,” Bunce said on stage on Thursday night. She turned to an Albertsons representative. “I met you a little while ago,” she added, “and I said, ‘You know what? My eyes are on the prize.’”
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