BevNET & NOSH Community Call

Walmart's Open Call program is a unique opportunity for emerging brands to enter one of the world’s largest retailers. Our guests—Scott Gutche, Sr. Development Executive at Walmart, Molly Blakeley of Molly Bz Cookies, and Yasmin Curtis of Two Fish Foods—share their experiences with the program, from the application process to preparing to pitch. They discuss the importance of flexibility, demonstrating brand fit, and why the exposure gained is valuable, even without an immediate deal. Scott Gutche also explains Walmart’s key evaluation criteria, emphasizing the importance of market data and brand momentum in determining a brand’s potential for success.

Slotting fees, free fills, retail markups, distribution costs, trade spend & marketing—making money in retail is expensive and complex. But just how long does it take? Jia Liao, founder of Hotpot Queen, wants to find out. Join us as experts Dwight Richmond, Director of Center Store at Town & Country, and Sarah Dorey, partner at Synergy Sales, share their insights on the timeline and offer tips to accelerate the process.

Derek Majewski, Sr. Partner Development Manager at Amazon's Buy with Prime, and Robert Principe, President at eTail Advisors, explain Amazon's Buy with Prime feature, which allows brands to integrate the Prime button on their own websites. In this episode we discuss the benefits, logistics, and strategic considerations for CPG brands, covering the differences between FBA and Buy with Prime, fulfillment economics, inventory management, brand readiness, subscription services, shipping speeds, fees, ROI, and customer service. 

The Conagras and Nestlés of the world have business fundamentals and levers that drive smart innovation and product development, which aren't always available to smaller brands. Monica Watrous, managing editor of Nosh, and Glenn Pappalardo, co-founder of Integral CPG, clarify the attributes and themes big brands center their innovation strategy around to help smaller brands put together smart innovation strategy. This Community Call is a companion piece to an article on NOSH.com.

POD Foods offers a distribution solution that stands out from broadline options, particularly benefiting early-stage brands. Dan Rabens, Director of Growth at POD Foods, explains how their model emphasizes transparency, eliminates deductions, and improves speed-to-shelf. We’ll break down POD Foods' fee structure and discuss how they provide support with capital financing, warehousing, and brokering, making them a comprehensive partner for emerging brands.

Kimberle Lau, founder of Bake Me Healthy’s upcycled, allergen-friendly baking mixes, is preparing to launch a new product line but wants to set herself up for success by ensuring it answers a consumer need. Robyn Carter from Jump Rope Innovation brings her experience from big CPG to help Kimberly figure out what her core consumers like about Bake Me Healthy and how to use that information to launch a new set of products that will hit the ground running.

To succeed in retail, building direct relationships at the store level can grow your food or beverage business, creating valuable "eyes inside." Cedar's Hummus has its roots in DSD and store relationship building. Aimee Tsakirellis, EVP of Marketing at Cedar's, will share tips on forging strong relationships with store teams, expanding into new regions, and collaborating with retailers to boost sales.

We’ve all heard that owning your backyard and going a mile deep is key for gaining traction in CPG. The GNGR Labs team self sold their product into to every indie store and bodega in NYC, building a grassroots base. Their scrappy approach allowed them to test and refine their ginger shots before partnering with a distributor, leading to investment and wide-scale distribution. Join Daniel Chechelnitsky and Namik Sultan to understand how to use NYC's distribution system to your advantage, how to build a relationship with a new DSD, and how to make the most out of a modest marketing budget. 

The Nosh editorial team joins the Community Call to announce and honor our 2024 NOSH Notables—individuals who make the CPG industry enjoyable, successful, and fulfilling. Visit NOSH.com to see the full list!

Join Jamie Borteck, board member and advisor, and Matt Weiss from RIND Snacks as they guide you through assembling the ideal team to support your CPG brand's growth. We'll cover selecting advisors who complement your skills, building a board for exponential growth, compensation strategies, approaching potential partners, and maximizing your partnerships.