Category: Innovation

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.

October 2, 2018

Supermarket Wellness Watch: Health-focused upstarts shake up food retail

Food industry disruption is being accelerated by innovative, upstart consumer goods companies focused on attributes including health and wellness.

That’s a takeaway from a first-time Consumer Goods Innovators Index produced by consultancy Oliver Wyman. The index provides insights into which types of companies are truly disrupting. Moreover, in an interview, Oliver Wyman partners addressed how traditional food retailers are impacted, and how they can adjust to these challenges.

The consultancy pursued a rigorous process to identify the most innovative disruptors in a number of industry sub-vertical sectors, including food and beverage. The organization considered more than 86,000 retail and consumer goods companies across sectors, analyzing aspects including depth of innovation and disruption. It turns out many of the most disruptive food and beverage companies identified were those marketing attributes that included health and wellness.

September 22, 2018

5 Food Innovation Trends At Expo East

At Natural Products Expo East last week, it was a pleasure to meet inspiring innovators and entrepreneurs who are at the cutting edge of food retail today.

I had the chance to connect with product innovators who are generating new ways to combine ingredients and to create better-for-you snacks, drinks and meal solutions. And, at a show where most exhibitors are category disruptors, it was great to talk with entrepreneurs spearheading new distribution systems and market opportunities for farmers and new supply chains.

I was also thrilled to meet with some of our awesome FMI Emerge Mentors. Over the past few months, I’ve made vital connections between the mentor network experience and the needs of the subscribers in our program. If you are an emerging brand or know a company growing their retail sales, we hope you will consider supporting FMI Emerge.

With so much to see and so little time, I headed straight to the “Hot Products” pavilions! 

September 6, 2018

New Mentor- Greg Arz, Natural Source Foodservice Sales

Greg Arz  today joined the FMI Emerge Community as a valuable mentor who can support emerging brands with an understanding of how to utilize outsourced sales management for the organic & natural foodservice food and beverage market. 

September 5, 2018

How the Bava Brothers Got Their Groove

Earlier this year, a childhood friend put the brothers in touch with Julie Pryor, FMI Director of Emerging Brands, who told them about the FMI Emerge community, designed to provide entrepreneurs like themselves with information and, most importantly in their case, mentors.

After a phone call with Pryor and Ed Hoffman, one of the 40+ FMI Emerge mentors, Steve said, “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the break we need.’”

That first call led them quickly to a lead on a fulfillment partner.

August 11, 2018

What Do Meal Kits and Multicookers Have in Common?

While meal kit online sales continue to grow, some e-commerce providers have begun to struggle a bit and it’s becoming clear that the traditional brick-and-mortar store may be one of the best places for consumers to purchase them.

June 22, 2018

Virtual Reality: The Unsung Hero of Brand Packaging

If there’s one constant in the CPG industry, it’s that brands are always searching for the best ways to get their products noticed on the store shelf. It’s more important than ever to create packaging that can stand out in a (very congested) crowd.