Category: Operations

April 21, 2022

Detect & Manage Retail Voids with Crisp

Gaining distribution at a retailer is a big win for emerging brands — after working hard to secure valuable shelf space, founders discover that their work has only just begun. […]

April 13, 2021

SQFI: Food Safety Fundamentals

Food safety is a critical component of a successful supplier/buyer trading partnership, and SQFI has created an approach for small to medium size food producers who don’t have a robust food safety program in place that satisfies buyers and retailer’s concerns. 

January 6, 2020

SQF Fundamentals Program

Has your company set food safety resolutions for the new year? 

Well, it all starts with building and nurturing a culture of food safety. Food safety doesn’t begin or end at your food industry site. Food safety is critical at every step in the supply chain. Therefore, in a perfect world, every food industry site should have a food safety management system in place. For SQF stakeholders, our solution is the SQF Fundamentals Program. 

December 17, 2019

Emerging Brands Meet Shoppers’ Desires

I work with emerging brands and have found that many of these newer brands focus on health and well-being, sustainable food production and sourcing ethical ingredients. These traits are revealed in the 2019 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report, which finds the meaning of “eating well” continues to encompass health, enjoyment and social benefits as well as mindful connection with where food comes from. In order to “eat well,” shoppers connect health with eating nutritious food and beverages that are perceived as high-quality. Enjoyment is just as central to eating well ideals, exemplified by having tasty foods and beverages that are hearty and filling with family or friends.

December 1, 2019

Getting to Know National Co-Op Grocers

Join a free online seminar: Getting to Know National Co-Op Grocers 
Designed for new brands or new brand representatives unfamiliar with NCG.  Join this session to gain an overview of NCG and how NCG is different from other retailers. Attendees will learn about NCG programs and will learn how to present items to NCG category managers.

November 20, 2019

The Surge of Plant-Based Foods

FMI’s 2019 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report finds a rising number of households (33%) have at least one member following a non-medically prescribed diet such as vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian or flexitarian. Increased demand for personalization is challenging the food shopping experience, and a growing number of shoppers are turning to plant-based proteins to help meet their unique household needs. The Power of Meat 2019 report finds plant-based meat alternative sales increased 19.2% last year and account for $878 million in annual sales.

So what does this all mean for retailers and CPG manufacturers? It’s clear that consumers across the board have a growing interest in plant-based foods, including plant-based protein – and they are buying more of these items.

October 4, 2019

Shoppers are Hungry for Stories

David Taylor shares his key takeaways from the recent Food Marketing Institute Private Brand Summit 2019. Read more in the  latest  SR4B blog post.   by David Taylor David Fikes, US-based Food […]

July 17, 2019

Emerging Brands Aren’t Just Disruptors to Established Companies — Incredibly Important Partners, Too.

Of course, emerging brands aren’t just disruptors to established companies — they can also be incredibly important partners, too. Groceryshop’s Working with Startups to Transform the Business session will showcase three leaders who evaluate opportunities to incubate, accelerate or invest in startup brands. Gulrez ‘Gary’ Arora, the Global Launchpad Lead and Head of the Seeds of Change Accelerator at Mars Incorporated, Lauren Jupiter, the Managing Partner at AccelFoods and Andreas Wuerfel, the Director US Strategic Partnerships at METRO Group will each bring a unique point of view to this topic.

June 25, 2019

Emerge Community Store Tour to Zabar’s

Being a part of the Emerge community has the benefit of being with other brands and exploring and sharing experiences. 

Recently, with Stanley Zabar and Scott Goldshine as our hosts, 35 FMI guests were welcomed by Zabar’s for a store tour. Everyone loved seeing the famous neighborhood spot where you can buy eggs, a Kitchen Aid, a bagel, an Instapot, coffee and exotic cheese all in one place. It’s simply a dream store.

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.