Category: Innovation

May 17, 2019

Shared values nurture meaningful brand-supplier partnerships

We could not agree more with this story from Natural Products Insider  on the importance of relationships that contribute to meeting consumers demands for product information and transparency.

Please enjoy the NPI story by Chris Holland vice president of sales at Barrington Nutritionals.   See also the free FMI report,  The Transparency Imperative: Product Labeling from the Consumer Perspective

Consumers demand full transparency of the products they purchase, and this demand goes beyond a “clean label.” Consumers want to look back across the entire supply chain to understand how each ingredient was handled, where it was grown and how it was manufactured. They want to connect directly with the source of their food and supplements. The relationship between the ingredient manufacturer and the consumer product brand is a vital part of differentiation as brands seek to get ahead of the competition.

May 14, 2019

Gelson’s invites entrepreneurs to pitch grocery products

As announced today in Winsight Grocery Business

Gelson’s Markets is hosting an event called Local Discoveries in California on June 6.

Local entrepreneurs will be invited to pitch products to the grocer’s buyers in an effort to expand the company’s local offerings.

May 10, 2019

The Rise of Plant-Based and the Opportunity for Produce

Plant based products are on the rise, but is there a place for the produce industry in the trend? Produce Retailer breaks down who is buying plant-protein products and how […]

May 2, 2019

Plant-based Food, Grain-free Trends, Love of Bubbles and more trends spotted from Mattson

Love how the 2019 Mattson Natural Products West Review starts out with this perfect quote! “Changing the way we think, to create the world we want. ” — Frances Moore Lappe Author of Diet […]

May 1, 2019

Welcome to the Golden Age of Vending Machines

By Margaret Core, Vice President, Marketing & Industry Relations, FMI A few summers ago, I was having dinner with a college student and he was in the middle of an […]

March 21, 2019

Key Trends and Products from Natural Products Expo West

The energy was palpable at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim earlier this month. There was truly a community feel throughout the event. See all the Expo West photos I took here!

The FMI Emerge team was there to speak with emerging brands wanting to grow their distribution and scale sustainably. In the same way that Expo West brings the entire food and grocery retail industry together, this too is one of the key tenets of the FMI Emerge program and community. It is a nurturing environment with regional and nationwide retailers, the industry’s leading experts, mentors, education, supportive outreach and access to investors. Our team helps emerging brands fully integrate into the larger industry, by getting the education they need, and access the resources they’re seeking, fast.

A highlight of Expo was catching up with FMI Emerge subscribers: MyFitMode and StepOneFoods, were unveiling new products at Expo as they continue to grow distribution. World of Chia, the first chia fruit spread, also continues to expand their distribution and grow across e-commerce. FMI Emerge resources enabled these companies to tackle challenges such as finding the right co-packer partners, updating their packaging and revising their product formulations and growing their e-commerce and Amazon sales.

February 24, 2019

It All Begins with Food – Working Creatively with Your Retailers

Food retailers around the country provide food and beverage experiences that seem to be tailor-made for their customers and their unique lifestyles. An emerging brand has the opportunity to partner with their retailers and work creatively to find the right promotions and customer engagements that will drive sales.

December 13, 2018

The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Food Retail

Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations – Private Brands, Technology for Food Marketing Institute interviewing David Moran, co-founder and chairman of Eversight A lot of futuristic movies and TV shows portray a society […]

November 15, 2018

B Corp: Are You Already One and Just Don’t Know It Yet?

B Corp: Are You Already One and Just Don’t Know It Yet?

The most recent Deloitte Millennials survey found 40 percent of respondents said the second most important goal of business should be to “improve society” – right after “generate jobs.”

Meg Barnhart’s experience with her 6-year-old business is that the survey results are accurate.

A year ago she and her partner, Jane McKay, opted to go through the process to obtain B Corporation certification for their company, the Zen of Slow Cooking, which produces and sells spice packets to make meals with slow cookers.

The B Corp movement is a group of 2,600 companies worldwide that have committed themselves to social and environmental goals beyond simply meeting financial targets. It is one way to satisfy consumers and employees who want to buy from and work for companies that share their commitment to social responsibility. While the consumer has been comfortable good product seals or certifications for years now, we need to recognize that the desire to interact with products from good companies is alive and well. 

October 30, 2018

Wafflepreneur Values FMI Emerge

My partner Kyle Rood and I knew we had a great product – nutritious, easy-to-prepare frozen waffles – but we were having trouble figuring out how to turn what we thought was a brilliant idea into a real business.

We were fortunate to connect with FMI Emerge because, in the brief time we’ve been working with the FMI Emerge team, they and the people they have led us to have really helped us move Start Right to the next level. The Emerge staff and the connections we have made are now extensions of our small but mighty team.

First, we were able to talk through our situation with Emerge mentors who helped us understand that we still needed financing to improve our business processes, production, and distribution. With the help of Emerge, we have built a significant network of investors and mentors in distribution and marketing to help us continue our growth.