Mentors Matter
MENTOR NETWORK

Mentors Matter

Is my brand suited for the club channel?
How “local” can a Whole Foods Market buy?
What are Sprouts’ purchasing priorities?
How can I sell into more independent and specialty stores?
What’s the best way to approach a buyer in my category?
What kind of promotions does Wegmans expect?
How do I adapt my supply chain to accommodate my evolving eCommerce and DTC strategy?
What food safety plans should I have in place?

The Emerge Community has answers! We’ve brought together trusted industry experts who share invaluable experience and advice to support your growth journey. Mentors share their expertise and best practices, leverage their networks and provide exclusive opportunities leading to more growth for your brand.

Emerge Mentor Network

Mike Anderson

Business Development

A 42-year veteran of the CPG industry. Mike led Natural Specialty Sales, the natural and specialty division of Acosta Sales & Marketing from 2002-2018. He’s worked with hundreds of small companies across every category in the natural channel.

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Mike Anderson
Business Development

Gregory Arz

Natural Foodservice Broker

Helps brands understand the organic and natural food service channel, and the role of a food service broker.

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Gregory Arz
Natural Foodservice Broker
Provide outsourced sales management for the organic & natural foodservice and e-commerce food & beverage market. Natural Source Sales offers brokerage and sales management services to the natural foods industry. We provide a value-added approach towards developing a foodservice presence in the Western U.S. We represent both grab & go snacks and foodservice pack sizes. Multiple vendors are combined under a single portfolio. We will help you develop and grow your food service sales in the West. Healthy food is in demand in foodservice. We offer a variety of certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, kosher, low-sodium, dairy-free, fair trade, vegan, local and low glycemic foods. We are committed to the growing number of natural and organic brands, and enjoy eating the fine foods in our portfolio as much as we enjoy representing them. Consider the costs of maintaining a regional management team vs. the savings of working with Natural Source Sales to develop and accelerate your foodservice program. We leverage decades of industry knowledge and relationships to advance your foodservice sales program at a great value.

Jim Badalati

Vice President Retail Sales

Offers executive level expertise in broker and sales management, along with distribution advisement.

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Jim Badalati
Vice President Retail Sales
Jim Badalati shares his expertise on broker and sales management with the Emerge community. He has years of of experience gaining initial distribution and optimizing current distribution practices. Previously the Senior Vice President of Customer Development at Crossmark with expertise in nearly every category, Jim is currently the VP of Retail Sales at illycaffè North America, Inc.

Allison Ball

New Product Discovery Expert

Advises small brands on developing their pitch to retail buyers, and scaling production.

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Allison Ball
New Product Discovery Expert
A former Grocery Buyer & Head of Grocery at Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco, Alli now consults with CPG clients on the behind-the-scenes of wholesale & retail. Her clients range from small vendors launching their first product, to entrepreneurs opening their first market, to well-established retail stores and nationally known food producers. She concentrates on supporting sustainable, community-focused businesses, promoting unique, delicious products, and coaching small business owners on developing strong management teams, creating effective operational systems, and building strong business models.

Mike Barone

Vice President of Sales

Provides guidance on improving business forecasting, e-commerce strategies, and broker relationships. Expertise in sales strategy and working with brands like IAM's and Stacy's Pita Chips.

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Mike Barone
Vice President of Sales
Partners with growing brands to improve their business forecasting, e-commerce strategies, and broker relationships. Spent years building his expertise in sales strategy, while working with companies like IAM's, Stacy's Pita Chips, and Boom Chicka Pop, as they evolved from emerging to household brands. Mike also shares insights on retailer interests, when working with emerging brands. Retailers include Publix, Kroger, Harris Teeter, and Sprouts.

Robert Berg

Data Analytics Strategist

Leverages data and insights to help CPG brands develop and validate their strategies for growth, across distribution, velocity, new product development and raising capital.

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Robert Berg
Data Analytics Strategist
You deserve more thoughtful, customized approach to your business needs. I know how to leverages data and insights to help CPG brands develop and validate their strategies for growth, distribution, velocity, new product development, and raising capital. If you are ready to move forward, I will create a simple plan to help you see how can get actionable insights. Contact me at robt.berg@iridescentdata.com.

Kim Biddle

Influencer & Digital Marketing Expert

Experienced in Sales, Partnership and Influencer Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Online Marketing, and Digital Marketing.

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Kim Biddle
Influencer & Digital Marketing Expert
Experienced in Sales, Partnership and Influencer Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Online Marketing, and Digital Marketing.

Bryan Bootka

Sales & Broker Relations Advisor

Expertise in Sales Management and Broker Support.

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Bryan Bootka
Sales & Broker Relations Advisor
A Qualified VP of Sales for a Fraction of the Cost. Early-stage CPG founders deserve a proven leader even with a startup budget. We understand how precious your time and money are and want to help you scale sustainably!

Stephanie Bossung

Vice President Account Services at Indiana Design Consortium and NewPoint Marketing

Advises brands with smaller budgets how to optimize marketing plans for ROI. Wired for a hawkish attention to detail, while also maintaining a high-resolution view of the big picture, Stephanie is uniquely able to provide astute branding direction and simultaneously apply the business principles necessary to squeeze more bang out of every marketing buck.

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Stephanie Bossung
Vice President Account Services at Indiana Design Consortium and NewPoint Marketing
Food industry marketing expertise—from retail to food service— is a natural outcome of having deep knowledge in every facet of a business’ operation. With 10+ years in branding and business development, preceded by 15+ years in mass media and promotions, Stephanie provides executive-level expertise in sales, marketing, media, and production management. This exceptionally diverse skill set adds value for clients by providing a full complement of perspectives on food-industry brand management endeavors. Wired for a hawkish attention to detail, while also maintaining a high-resolution view of the big picture, Stephanie is uniquely able to provide astute branding direction and simultaneously apply the business principles necessary to squeeze more bang out of every marketing buck.

Kelly Bottenfield

Sales & Business Development Advisor

Provides coaching on various market strategies including specialty, conventional, club, and food service.

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Kelly Bottenfield
Sales & Business Development Advisor
Kelly Bottenfield is an accomplished sales professional with the proven ability to help emerging brands with advisement in the following areas: sales and distributor management, purchasing management, broker and team management, merchandising, and marketing. Kelly brings expertise in diverse areas of natural grocery, conventional, club, c-store/drug, e-comm and foodservice. She has been instrumental in achieving record growth in saturated markets with her decisive leadership skills.

Amaris Bradley

Food Brand Storytelling Expert

Offers food and beverage brands advisement on communications and branding strategy.

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Amaris Bradley
Food Brand Storytelling Expert
Amaris Bradley brings key expertise as a registered dietitian with a keen understanding of strategic nutrition communications and food policy. Her experience includes partnership-building, CSR strategizing, and health professional outreach and nutrition communications. Currently, Amaris is Senior Account Lead at Eat Well Global, a highly-specialized strategic consulting firm focused on food, nutrition and health. In her role, she supports clients in planning and executing strategic health professional outreach and activations domestically and abroad. Prior to joining Eat Well Global, Amaris served as the resident nutrition expert at the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), a national nonprofit founded my Michelle Obama dedicated to leveraging the power of the private sector to bring lasting, systemic changes that improve the nation’s food supply and increase physical activity. While at PHA, Amaris brokered partnerships to transform the marketplace via third-party verified commitments to reformulate, innovate and market healthier options. Before joining PHA, she was Senior Account Executive at Porter Novelli, a global public relations agency where she executed nutrition communications strategies for a number of food boards and brands, including the Almond Board of California, NatureMade Vitamins and SOYJOY bars. Amaris holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the Florida State University. She is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and serves as communications chair for the Food and Culinary Professionals Dietetic Practice Group.

Todd Brantley

Private Business Banking

Financial Advisor to early-stage CPG founders. Advising on pros and cons of various financing products and raising capital strategies.

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Todd Brantley
Private Business Banking
Financial Advisor to early-stage CPG founders. Advising on pros and cons of various financing products and raising capital strategies.
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Help emerging brands thrive!

Help emerging brands thrive!

Mentors, investors, sponsors and partners from all across the food and grocery retail industry help Emerge member brands grow in a supportive environment. We’re grateful for each industry leader within the Emerge network who shares their time, enthusiasm and expertise. The community is supported and strengthened by industry partnerships with SPINS, Nielsen, CRISP, Natural Source Sales, Fairfield Partners, Mable, KitchenTown, Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, and many more industry leaders and disruptors!

Are you interested in supporting early-stage founders and helping them to scale sustainably? Become part of the Emerge Community and share your passion, expertise, leadership and guidance!

Become a mentor