The Freeze Dried Business

I just dropped a new video where I chat with Aayushi from DryM Foods in India about their freeze drying journey, the challenges they faced, and future trends in the industry. They’ve created over 80 freeze-dried products, from lentils and rice to fruits and toddler foods, and share great advice for anyone interested in freeze-drying.

If you want to learn more about their story and the growing freeze-drying market, check out the video on my channel now!

Also, quick heads up! Tickets for the Freeze Dried Summit 2026 in Boise are on sale with $100 off! It’s happening Sept 20-23. Don’t miss out! freezedriedsummit.com/

Thanks for the support! Link to the main video is in my channel’s videos tab or click the thumbnail below.

- David

6 days ago | [YT] | 4

The Freeze Dried Business

🔥 It’s official! The 2026 Freeze Dried Summit tickets are available now! freezedriedsummit.com/register-2026

Mark your calendars for September 20–23, 2026, in Boise, Idaho, because this is the event for anyone serious about exploring, growing, and leading in the freeze-drying industry.

After an incredible first Summit, we’re turning up the energy. More networking, new speakers, more innovation, and even more opportunities to connect with your peers and leaders in the business. If you’re ready to take your freeze-drying journey to the next level, this is where it happens.

This is the most anticipated event in the freeze-drying world — and tickets are live now! Let’s get this party started.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 5

The Freeze Dried Business

Big News! The 2026 Freeze Dried Summit is September 21–23 in Boise, Idaho!

Pre-sale tickets will go live this Thursday, November 20th, but only premium members of the Freeze Dried Network get early access to purchase and special pricing. www.skool.com/freeze-dried-network/plans

If you want to be first in line (and save on your ticket), upgrade to Premium Membership today. You’ll get exclusive event access, extra community perks, and more ways to grow your freeze-drying business.

Link to the community is here: www.skool.com/freeze-dried-network/plans

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 6

The Freeze Dried Business

I’ve been working on trying to get up to Lethbridge, Alberta since early summer to visit with the folks at D-Freeze and the scheduling finally worked out. Today is all video production work. Excited to get this profile shot and published for all of you to see in the months ahead.

1 month ago | [YT] | 15

The Freeze Dried Business

“Everyone’s freeze-drying now, you can’t make any money anymore.”

It’s a popular opinion to throw into comment threads these days.

Keep in mind that the people making these statements are the same people who enjoyed low competition and a luxury “newness” factor to their products.

But the industry is growing, it’s no longer a small niche business that nobody’s heard of…THIS is a good thing.

Consider Netflix, which was the first to offer streaming services and contracted with all the major movie studios to get their libraries on its platform… years later, those same studios took their rights back and started their own streaming platforms.

Did Netflix close up because its “first to market” growth years were ending?

Nope!

They changed course and became their own movie studio, which continues to produce some of the best shows in the market (Ozark being one of my all-time favorites🔥)

Netflix is making more money today with more competition than when they didn’t have competition at all!

So if I were inundated by social media algorithms that keep showing me more and more freeze-dried companies, I would do these three things…

1. STOP paying attention to the noisemakers.

2. GET connected with people who are positive change makers in the freeze-drying industry and will be encouraging you throughout your journey: www.skool.com/freeze-dried-network

3. PLAN out your business strategy for what you want to accomplish in the first year, third year, and fifth year.

Who can you serve as a customer, and what can you make that either solves a problem or makes them happier with your product? Answering either of these questions will put you on the path to becoming a more successful entrepreneur.

1 month ago | [YT] | 5

The Freeze Dried Business

Back in March 2020, I was delivering pizzas in a Papa John’s polo while my wife was three months pregnant and had just lost her job.

It was one of those moments where you realize, you have to find another way to make side income.

A friend mentioned freeze drying, and after a few late-night searches, I saw people selling freeze-dried snacks for 3x-4x the cost of store-bought. That was my lightbulb moment.

We scraped together $7,000, split a Harvest Right freeze dryer, and started what would become Freeze Dried Depot.

Today freeze-drying has become a global movement from small home producers to large-scale food preservation innovators in the U.S., Canada,n Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and South America. The creativity is incredible.

Back then, there was no roadmap. Now, there’s a worldwide community shaping the future of how we preserve food. It's been a fun industry to grow into.

👉 Join this worldwide community via my email list. Link in bio.

1 month ago | [YT] | 16

The Freeze Dried Business

One of the most common objections today is that the freeze-drying market is "already saturated."

And I get it. You see a lot of people doing freeze drying especially in the candy side of things and it looks like you’re too late to the party.

However, "saturated" and "competitive" are not the same. Saturated means there's no more room for you or anyone else. Competitive, on the other hand, means there's proven demand, but you'll need to work hard to succeed.

The ideal scenario that everyone would love is to be first in a market with high demand (commonly called "first-mover effect"). Yet, if there's no competition, it's often because there's no demand.

Here's my real-life example...

When I started my freeze-drying business in 2020, it felt like I was in that "first-mover" position because everyone reacted to my social media posts and products as if this was the best thing since Post-Its. I made a lot of money fast BUT I didn't let that get to my head, I knew this was temporary.

I kept producing a quality product and focusing on customer service.

Now let's talk about competition. While competition is tough, it indicates that there's something people want. Standing out in a competitive market is challenging, but it's a worthwhile problem to solve. I cover more on this on my YouTube channel.

Another real-life example...

As of this year there are over a dozen freeze-dried businesses in my local market alone which means I no longer have the "new" factor label to my business. I now need to put more effort into maintaining quality relationships with my wholesale clients and in-person show coordinators so that I'm at the top of their mind for freeze-dried products. I now need to be quicker about planning for show applications. I now have to advertise and spend money to get my brand in front of new customers.

Does it take more effort to maintain and grow my business today than in 2020? YES!!

But it's helped me become smarter, more resilient, and a healthier business. Adversity through more competition exposes our weaknesses we didn't see before but if you pay attention it can help you see where you can be better.

Here's the takeaway.

Don’t mistake competition as a sign that the market is saturated. You’re probably just telling yourself a comforting story to let yourself off the hook for doing the hard work to make something that stands out.

If you're lucky enough to be the "first-mover" in your town or with a new product, congratulations! Enjoy it and maximize the opportunity.

If you're not, then strategize how you can position your business differently than those who are already in the game.

Join a strong community of people doing this type of business throughout the world at the Freeze Dried Network: www.skool.com/freeze-dried-network. And to help put you in the best position before you start.

- David

1 month ago | [YT] | 18

The Freeze Dried Business

When I first got into freeze-drying, it wasn’t part of some long-term business plan. It started in 2020, right as the world was shifting during the early months of the pandemic. Like many people, I was thinking about job security and looking for ways to create a little extra income for my family.

What began as a side hustle quickly turned into something much more meaningful. Within six months, I found myself fascinated by the process, experimenting with different foods, learning how to create products that not only tasted great but looked and felt right too. It was a mix of science, creativity, and business that I hadn’t experienced before.

Fast forward five years, and I’ve learned a lot about the companies that make freeze dryers, how successful operators build their businesses, and just how much opportunity exists in this growing industry. The freeze-drying space has evolved dramatically, and it’s still only scratching the surface of its potential.

If you’ve ever been curious about getting started or want to connect with others who are already doing it, I’d love for you to join the conversation on the Freeze Dried Network: www.skool.com/freeze-dried-network

1 month ago | [YT] | 3

The Freeze Dried Business

Many of you have probably seen the news about Typhoon Halong and the devastating floods impacting rural Alaska. Entire communities are underwater, and access to food and clean water has been completely cut off.

A few months ago, I visited Alaska Food Co., a business doing incredible work to fight food insecurity through freeze-drying. They’ve built their entire operation around supporting rural communities that can’t be reached by road, and now those same communities are the ones hit hardest by this disaster.

Right now, Alaska Food Co. is donating freeze-dried food like mashed potatoes to families in need, and they’re doing everything they can to get food to the people who need it most. But they need help, not just from their local neighbors, but from us, the broader freeze-drying community.

This is one of those moments where our shared passion for freeze drying can have an immediate, tangible impact.

I’ve launched a GoFundMe to raise $5,000 to help Alaska Food Co. purchase Jet Boil kits and cover the cost of getting freeze-dried food out to flood victims.

If you’ve ever believed in what this community stands for: innovation, sustainability, and helping others, this is our chance to put that into action.

If you'd like to support, here's the link to donate: gofund.me/060db4877

Thank you!

- David Leaman

1 month ago | [YT] | 4

The Freeze Dried Business

I'm going LIVE to recap the Freeze Dried Summit and give you an idea of what happened and what you can look forward to in 2026! Click the video link below to join.

2 months ago | [YT] | 2