Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

The NJFPA Stradley Ronon Food Forum


This series will focus on stories about the people changing the face of the food processing in the Garden State through innovation, hard work and lending a caring hand. The NJFPA will endeavor to tell the stories that might now get attention in other mainstream channels.

If this series inspires and provides actionable ideas, it will achieve its aims.

Sponsored by

Jun 15, 2021

Welcome to the seventh episode of the NJFPA Stradley Ronon Food Forum. In this episode, Todd Von Deak, Assistant Executive Director of NJFPA, speaks with Jon Cofsky, co-founder and creative director at Whitepenny. Todd and Jon talk about how your brand is more than your logo and the importance of personalization and storytelling for your business.

Guest Bio:

Jon Cofsky

Whitepenny is a full-service brand and web development firm. With a focus on helping their clients gain competitive advantage and generate long-term value, Whitepenny presents a seamlessness in both message and brand, in turn building a stronger and more unified voice for each of our clients. Their expertise in identifying a company's core message and delivering that message through a consistent aesthetic language has produced results for clients ranging from non-profits to food processing companies.

Jon is the co-founder and Creative Director of Whitepenny. Jon sets the strategic direction of Whitepenny and aids companies all over the world in strategy and design. Additionally, Jon leads the project management team. Jon’s firm has a strong presence in the food processing industry, working with a client roster that includes Severino Pasta Company, Steve’s PaleoGoods, and J&J Snack Foods.

Listeners will hear: 

  • How the pandemic has accelerated trends and development.
  • The importance of personalization and storytelling for your business.
  • How food processors who hadn’t had a digital presence before can bring the things that made them stand out in person to a larger digital audience.
  • Branding is much more than just your logo.
  • How branding in the food industry is different from other spaces.
  • How a brand can evolve with the environment.
  • How getting your ideas, your story out into the digital world can help make smaller businesses competitive with larger brands.
  • How to position yourself at every stage - startup, early stage, mid stage, mature.
  • Why networking is the number one piece of advice Jon would give his younger self.

Download the Edited Interview Transcript