Startup CPG’s Post

Hey food brands, got a ready-to-sell product and thinking about your next step? While direct-to-consumer options like events, farmers markets, and your own website can work, let's talk brick-and-mortar. For those trying to break into the NYC market, my opinion? Focus on retail. Why? Because it's where your customers already go to shop. Be where your customers are likely shopping. Sure, it's a grind, and there's no magic formula. But, gradually, as you sell more on supermarket shelves and become a part of shoppers' routines, you build that brand trust and recognition. Remember, as I've said before, building a brand—be it food or otherwise—takes so much work, creativity, and some serious hustle. Got questions or topics you'd like me to dive into? Shoot me a DM or comment below. I'm all ears. Always happy to delve deeper into topics and share my experience in this market. #NYCGroceryMarket, #foodstartup #FoodBrands #RetailStrategy #StartupStrategy #nycfood

Busy afternoon in London talking all things brand acceleration with our friends at Eat Real PROPER | WARP Snacks. Loving the work we are doing with WARP Snacks identifying channels where we can exploit growth of their fab Eat Real and Proper brands. Real collaboration going on. Jim Tyler I managed to leave without taking any delicious product home with me. I consider this a total fail, so you can expect me back soon to rectify this error! Want to know how Foster could drive distribution & sales for your brand? Give me a shout here on LinkedIn 😃 NB Tim and I know may know how to accelerate brand distribution and sales, but we are clueless when it comes to taking a good looking selfie 🤣🤦🏻♀️ #brandacceleration #brandpartners #collaboration #oneteam #foster #retailactivation #urbanactivation #sales

In the latest edition of All Consuming, we're unpacking the latest retail earnings and covering the developments in retail technology that are setting new benchmarks for the industry. From strategic shifts to fresh capital, here's a peek at the news you shouldn't miss: 🧴 Slate Brands embraces Gen Z with the acquisition of FRONTMAN®, expanding into targeted skincare 🍷 Full Glass Wine Co. raises $14M, led by Insight Partners, aiming to unify the DTC wine space with the acquisition of Bright Cellars 🌿 L’OCCITANE Group refines its beauty portfolio, selling GROWN ALCHEMIST 🥖 MONBAKE finds new opportunities under CVC Capital Partners, aiming for expansive growth 🥩 Innocent Meat gears up for sustainable production with €3M in seed funding, led by Agronomics Limited 🌱 Clean Food Group secures £25M for sustainable food solutions, with support from Breakthrough Energy 💆♀️ ALLIES OF SKIN strengthens its global presence with investment from Meaningful Partners 🍣 The ONE Group set to acquire Benihana, the parent company of RA Sushi Bar Restaurant for $365M, enhancing its restaurant portfolio 👗 FULLBEAUTY Brands champions inclusivity, acquiring leading marketplace, Dia & Co 🏄 Boardriders adjusts to the surf and skate market's currents with strategic layoffs 🍹 Boisson recalibrates its strategy, closing stores amid the non-alcoholic industry's flux Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gF-w9CrJ

Who else would like to see up and coming emerging brands in your favorite convenience stores?! ✋ Heck yeah! Traditionally, it is a challenge for small, emerging brands to take the leap into monumentally large c-store distribution. And, traditionally, it is difficult for c-stores to bring in these exciting, new brands because there is an incredible ease of ordering through the systems in place with their distributor (who may not be warehousing smaller emerging brands). So, what is one to do? McLane Company, Inc. and Mable to the rescue! As revealed at the recent NACS show, McLane is launching its Emerging Brands Program giving its c-store customers access to specially curated emerging brands, including Bon Bee Gourmet Honey Bars (Peanut Pecan and Coconut Almond varieties)! 🍯😋 With McLane's new Emerging Brands Program, c-stores can order select emerging brands in the same manor they would order any national brand through McLane. However, rather than McLane warehousing these items, the order is filled directly by the supplier (ie Bon Bee). So, c-stores order through McLane, the order arrives to Bon Bee via Mable, and we ship directly to the store. Win-win-win! ✨✨✨ What an incredible way for c-stores to test trending, innovative products that their customers are craving and giving emerging brands the opportunity to sell to a channel that is otherwise difficult to reach. Thank you, McLane and Mable, for having the vision to create such a program and for including Bon Bee Gourmet Honey Bars! #cpg #cstore #conveniencestore #emergingbrands #sharktankproduct #veteranowned #womanwowned #familybusiness #innovation

Innovation curation was on full display at Foxtrot, the Upland team’s new favorite spot during some recent work sessions in Chicago. With disruptor brands like Mayawell Bubbly Prebiotic Soda in beverage to Popadelics Crunchy Mushroom Chips in snacks, the shop was truly a delight to visit. Hands-down our favorite item was the Coffee Date Smoothie, a collaboration between Foxtrot x La Colombe Coffee Roasters featuring Medjool dates and white miso blended with La COLOMBE's cold brew. Perfection!   For a recent #foresight and #strategy project, we spoke with Chris Walton, an omnichannel retail expert, about emerging store formats like Foxtrot and other curated retailers (Pop-Up Grocer in NYC, Wine Eggs in LA) – and how they are reducing the choice overload often found at larger stores. Curated retailers make shopping more convenient because consumers can rely on them to vet products and brands. As Chris explained to us, “Foxtrot is interesting because they're trying to go upscale. They're doing convenience differently.” As the corner store evolves, what will this mean for the future of #cstores and, in particular, their product assortments? #innovation #growthstrategy #shopperinsights

Will CosMc's erode rivals' market share? Last summer, Gen Zs’ sudden passion for the Grimace shake blanketed TikTok, reviving a beloved retro '80s character. The campaign proved McDonald's knows how to stay relevant and go viral. It also hinted that McDonald’s is rekindling Gen X’s love for the chain by targeting their kids. (Like how Stranger Things connects these cohorts.) SATISFYING NEW APPETITES McDonald's new CosMc’s concept may steal market share from rivals, ranging from Dunkin' to Starbucks, as Gen Zs gain new choices in select markets. CosMc's aligns with younger consumers who seek: 🎉 Fun 💡 Innovative 💰 Affordable 😍 Aesthetic drinks and snacks they can celebrate online. What do you think of CosMc's and its market potential? See the recent RetailWire article and share your thoughts. #retail #marketing #QSR #GenZ

🚀 Big News: The Growth Foundation’s Latest Venture! 🍸 I am delighted to announce that The Growth Foundation has taken a significant step in the spirits eCommerce sector by investing in NIO Cocktails, a premium RTD cocktail brand known for its innovation and excellence. Currently, spirits under-index in eCommerce, presenting a great opportunity for growth. NIO Cocktails is perfectly positioned to lead this charge with their sophisticated, innovative packaging that overcomes the traditional challenges of delivering heavy glass bottles. Their letterbox-friendly, lightweight design is a game-changer, allowing customers to enjoy the ultimate, premium cocktail outside of a cocktail bar without compromise. At The Growth Foundation, we specialise in unlocking potential and driving the right growth (more on that below). Our expertise spans across all crucial business foundations, from brand and marketing to operations and talent. With NIO Cocktails, we see an opportunity to transform the ready-to-drink cocktail market, much like Nespresso did for coffee. The chance to democratise high-quality cocktails for home consumption is both exciting and groundbreaking. Our journey with NIO Cocktails started with a deep dive into their business through our comprehensive growth assessment. This process highlighted numerous opportunities and confirmed our belief in the brand’s potential. We’re not just investors; we’re partners who are committed to seeing NIO Cocktails thrive. This partnership exemplifies our approach – we immerse ourselves fully, bringing our pattern recognition from years of eCommerce experience to the table to drive the right growth, which is profitable, manageable, sustainable and enjoyable. Together, we’re embarking on an exciting new chapter, aiming to make NIO Cocktails a household name in the ready-to-drink cocktail space. I couldn’t be more thrilled about the possibilities that lie ahead. Here’s to new beginnings and a future filled with innovation and exceptional cocktails! 🥂 #TheGrowthFoundation #NIOCocktails #EcommerceGrowth #Innovation #SpiritsIndustry

In what might be the hottest beverage *launch* of 2024, Andrew Huberman partnered with Mateina - a fast growing Yerba Mate brand - to launch in the US. I got to chat with Founder Nicolas Beaupré on DTC Pod — where we broke down how he built the brand over the past 5 years. These are 4 ways that the brand grew organically and is now positioned for major scale on the back of their new strategic partnership 👇 1. Product Form Factor Mateina focused on loose leaf form at first to cater to purists, before scaling to ready-to-drink options which were preferable for retail. 2. Education Leads to Expansion Nicholas noticed early on that customers were his biggest advocates, and organic word of mouth drove the most conversion. 3. Start With A Niche Community Mateina catered to authentic mate lovers - a small niche in terms of the greater CPG space, but found product market fit this way before looking to scale. 4. Strategic Partnerships Enhance Credibility The collaboration with Tiny and neuroscience expert Andrew Huberman came together due to creator alignment. Andrew has been a big mate drinker and fan, consistently talking about it's benefits on his show, and that type of credibility and trust facilitated immediate scale and national distribution. Check out our full convo below: https://lnkd.in/eBgtNuWK #huberman #cpg #caffeine #yerbamate #dtc #ecommerce