For Zane Dunham, Entrepreneurship Comes Naturally

Zane Dunham (BA 2022, MS 2023) promoted himself from chef to CEO with a UW Foster School of Business Master of Science in Entrepreneurship degree.

Today Dunham is the founder and CEO of NoWhere Foods, a sustainable beverage brand that has successfully launched a sustainable food brand that has successfully launched a line of non-alcoholic craft beverages available in close to 200 locations nationwide.

From kitchen to learning entrepreneurship

Prior to founding NoWhere, Zane Dunham worked as a chef in restaurants in his home state of Utah and earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from the Foster School of Business.

For many graduates, the next step would be to take an entry-level position and begin climbing the corporate ladder, perhaps at a large food and beverage brand. Dunham wanted to take a different route and start his own company. That meant learning entrepreneurship.

“I was questioning a lot of different things,” Dunham says of this time. “I’d always thought that entrepreneurship is for later in life when I have the resources. Having my own business was already a goal of mine, and I wasn’t finding many job opportunities that spoke to me.  I told myself I would give this a shot.”

Master of Science in Entrepreneurship honed his skills

But while Dunham had the ambition and drive, he knew he needed to hone his business skills. He continued his education at Foster’s Entrepreneurial master’s program, which was a perfect fit for his goals—the program is designed to serve as “year zero of your start-up.” It provides students with the training and practice to launch a business, teaching everything from negotiation tactics to entrepreneurial finance.

Masters of Entrepreneurship director Samantha Ogle says Dunham exemplifies how a Foster education empowers founders by allowing students to put their learnings into action.

“Classes like Venture Planning and Execution is where theory meets practice, and we push students to talk to customers and build their business,” she says. “The students transition from the idea phase to a viable product.”

As a student, Dunham already had the concept of NoWhere foods and was experimenting with creating his own concoctions.

“I started in my kitchen, carbonating beverages and going to small events, pouring samples, getting feedback, and tweaking the recipe from there,” he recalls. “I’ve always had a passion for food. Even as a kid, I was working on different recipes.”

Dunham credits his Foster education with providing him with the tools to transform a hobby into a career.

“The program gave me a major boost in confidence,” he says. “Starting a business takes the right tools, it takes determination, and it takes passion. The professors give you the frameworks to think about ‘How am I going to start, and how am I going to scale?’ It was incredibly helpful.”

Upon graduation, Dunham had his own potent recipe of a fierce work ethic, a passion for this industry, a promising business concept, and the skills to make it happen. The only missing ingredients were some added experience and funding.

Jones + Foster a transformative experience

Continuing his association with the University of Washington, Zane Dunham was accepted into the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship‘s Jones + Foster Accelerator, a six-month program in which fledging start-ups partner with mentors to help transition promising ideas into viable businesses. It takes learning entrepreneurship to the next level.

“Jones + Foster was a continuation of the master’s program for me,” Dunham says. “The master’s program gave me the tools to feel comfortable launching a business. Then Jones + Foster was about going out and doing it. We had a great group of mentors. We collaborated to set milestones around getting our product out there and dialing in on operational efficiencies.”

Jones + Foster culminates in a presentation in which founders detail their progress in the hopes of securing funding to expand their businesses. Dunham entered the accelerator with five wholesale customers. By the time of his presentation, he had over 100. NoWhere was awarded $25,000 in seed money.

Putting quality first

Today, NoWhere is a full-time endeavor for Dunham. His brother and NoWhere co-founder, Duke, is pursuing a PhD in Boston and is a big part of scaling the business. The company has two part-time employees. In fitting with the organic nature of his products, Dunham is eager to grow the business, but not at the expense of its values or hand-crafted quality.

NoWhere has a product line of six climate-friendly craft beverages with exotic flavor combinations such as elderberry, rosemary, and honey. “We aren’t competing against Coke or Pepsi,” he says. “Quality comes first for us. We are leading with our products being sustainably sourced and thoughtfully made. We have made a conscious effort that the quality of your beverage should match or elevate the quality of your meal.” 

The power of regenerative agriculture

NoWhere’s ethos is centered on great taste and sourcing products from regenerative agricultural farms.

“We started the company to support the transition to regenerative agriculture, which is a step past organic agriculture that incorporates carbon sequestration. We see it as the future of farming,” Dunham says. “Right now we are transitioning from the small business phase into being a regional, and eventually national, brand.”

NoWhere’s sustainability practices extend to every aspect of the business, including production and packaging. That can increase costs, but as a premium beverage marketed in upscale environments, NoWhere is able to sell at a reasonable margin.

One of NoWhere’s most unique marketing tactics is the company’s mobile food lab, a converted 1953 Silver Streak trailer. Inside is a full kitchen, and Dunham has plans to bring it to pop-up events and festivals. “NoWhere is about knowing where your food comes from and connecting people to where their food is grown. That sense of travel, nostalgia, and being outdoors is very much in line with our brand. The trailer embodies that in a physical sense.”

From making deliveries to setting strategy

“NoWhere is a tremendous success story,” Ogle says. “Zane is taking our curriculum and applying it in an endeavor that offers consumers a great option and makes money while also supporting transformative agricultural practices. It’s an inspiring lesson in how our graduates are making an impact.”

Dunham appreciates the praise but is focused on the tasks at hand, whether that be a strategy session or hand-delivering a shipment of NoWhere beverages in his electric vehicle.

“You are always doing something different,” he says of the role of a founder. “It’s had its challenges, but in some ways, it’s felt more natural than I thought it would. It’s a lot of work, but it doesn’t feel like it. I’m very fortunate to be doing something that I love.”

Interested in learning entrepreneurship? Find more about the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship program.