Our Blog
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December 17, 2018
Emerge Smarter: E-Commerce – What are Upcoming Changes with selling on Amazon? Join us Jan. 8th
Emerge Smarter: E-Commerce Insights – What are Upcoming Changes with selling on Amazon?
Tuesday, January 8, 2019 | 2:00 PM EST
Free, Open-Forum Discussion
Join in an open call format where Betsy McGinn will provide a 10-minute overview of recent and upcoming changes in eCommerce and specifically at Amazon in an open forum with Julie Pryor, Director, FMI Emerge.
eCommerce represents one of the best opportunities for emerging brands to forge their path to market. Ask questions and share your brand’s e-commerce experiences. We all know with a buttoned-up business development plan, smart sales, and e-comm and marketing strategies, we can anticipate challenges, optimize advantages, and ultimately, increase your company’s success and revenue growth (Isn’t that the goal, after all?).
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December 16, 2018
Developing a Strong Broker Network to Grow Your Sales
Building and Maximizing Your Broker Relations to Increase Your Sales
We recently sat down with three seasoned broker professionals to get their wisdom on building an and maximizing broker relationships. Here are some pearls of wisdom:
Jerry
When choosing a broker, look for a passionate sales agent – they will promote your brand with energy!
Consider a small broker. They are more likely to accept brands with little or none distribution track record.
Make your case for assortment differentiation. Brands and brokers can work together to determine how to best add value to a retailer’s assortment.
A good broker should know all local market buyers and key players.
BruceThe time is now for emerging brands. Big retailers are depending on products from emerging companies and startups to drive in-store consumers.
I love to see a brand with a great story – one that will resonate with buyers. A great brand story helps the broker sell well.
Your broker wants your brand to succeed and will share their data and analytics.
JohnWhen finding the right Broker and brand fit, synergy in the relationship is key!
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Two things brokers want to know about a brand: 1. how well you can grow in a region, and do you have proper funding?
Supermarkets are lowering their fees just to get emerging brands on the shelves. Natural/ organic specialty chains are even dedicating promotion blocks solely to smaller brands.
Discuss omnichannel solutions, with your broker. Meet the consumer where they are, instore or online. -
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 where robots or Artificial Intelligence (AI) take on a lot of the more mundane tasks in society. In Star Trek you can order a meal from a […]
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November 29, 2018
Vetting a Co-Packer
Thank you to FMI Mentor, Patrick N from New Point Marketing for sharing this excellent Workshop Q &A on
Co-Packer Start-Up Costs & Lead Times
Dive into the Q & A and you will gain insights great questions:As a small producer, is there anything you can do to keep from being consistently bumped to the end of the co-packer production queue?
What should I expect in terms of cost and lead times when working with a co-packer?
See the full Workshop Q & A here.
In the Emerge community, we have brands that are growing production at a rate that they need to leave a shared kitchen and a co-packer relationship is a viable option. We also have brands that choose to invest in their own production facility. We feel that only the brand will know the answer as you what is the right approach at the current stage of their business and based on your focus and expertise.Once you know you want to explore finding a co-packer, the size and location of your options can be a daunting task. Based on your current distribution and your growth projections, you really need to explore all your options. Then once you have narrowed down your options, you really have to dive into the details. Details include production timelines, ingredient storage, packaging options, labeling, finished product storage, transportation and of course, food safety protocols.
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November 27, 2018
Raising Seed Capital? 6 important questions
Your 2018 Guide on How To Do It Successfully
Thank you to Parul Sign who has provided a great guide. Access the guide here.Parul walks through some great questions to ask yourself and your partners such as:
Realistically, are you venture scale?
How competitive are you?
Are you willing to optimize for investor fit?
As an Emerge subscriber, we strive to serve you and your team by saving you time and money by connecting you with the knowledge, mentors and resources you need at each stage as you grow your shelf space. Creating a great new product with just the right packaging is vital to building a winning brand, but it is only the first step. Gaining the financial acumen to grow and sustain a successful business is equally important.In recent conversations with FMI Emerge Mentors Randy Funk of Frontera Equity and Keith Kohler of the K2 Group, we learned some finance basics.
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November 24, 2018
Taking the Pulse of the Industry, It is Not Just About the Worry (Index)
Last month, FMI released the 68th annual edition of The Food Retailing Industry Speaks (Speaks) report. For many years, a prominent feature of our Speaksresearch has been what we called the Worry Index. This was FMI’s way of looking at a set of macro and micro issues to understand how much they impact food retailers’ ability to generate sales and profits. This Worry Index provided a list of what retailers were most concerned about. However, this year, in analyzing the data from the questions that historically shaped the Worry Index, we found that there were as many factors that contributed positively to sales and profits as there were factors negatively impacting the bottom line. Consequently, in a decided to move to the more positive – we renamed the Worry Index the Food Retail Pulse. We hope you detect the more encouraging note of this move as it is a recurring theme in this year’s Speaks findings.
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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.
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If You Think Your Customers Don’t Care About Accurate Product Knowledge—Think Again
Remember the good old days when shoppers would bump into you with their carts while you were restocking because they were walking around searching for what they wanted?
Now, of course, shoppers are just as likely to bump into you because their noses are buried in their smartphones, looking for more information about products on your store’s shelves that they want.
Here’s some news: When shoppers are at home, they’re often staring at their computer screens to get information about the products they want BEFORE they hit your food retail aisles.
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November 10, 2018
What is the state of the food retail industry? Top 10 Take Aways
The food retail industry is riding several positive growth trends even as it grapples with unprecedented challenges.
See the top-10 findings from the FMI 68th annual The Food Retailing Industry Speaks report here.
As an Emerge subscriber, we will keep you informed on the trends and insights needed to succeed.
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October 30, 2018
Wafflepreneur Values FMI Emerge
Start Right Foods 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 […]
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October 25, 2018
Insights on Maximizing Broker Relationships
As your emerging brand gains sales velocity, your distribution network evolves, and broker relationships are emphasized.
Join our live panel discussion on Tuesday, November 13th, 2 pm EST to learn how the old model of finding and working with a broker has changed, and how redefining the manufacturer-broker relationship is key to managing sales and costs control. Register Today!
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October 18, 2018
Will You Be in the Bag?
Be in the Bag!
Our goal: To place your products in the hands of C-level retailers.
You in?
We’ll be distributing a hotel room bag drop with samples of your products and promotional materials to more than 250 grocery retailer executives at FMI Midwinter Executive Conference.Subscribe to FMI Emerge by Nov. 30, 2018 and provide your product samples for the room drop.
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October 12, 2018
Welcome Amaris
Amaris Bradley, MPH, RD s the 52nd mentor to join the FMI Emerge community. Amaris brings key expertise as a registered dietitian with a keen understanding of nutrition research and food policy as it relates to the food industry. Her experience includes defining and enhancing well-being priorities and strategies within healthcare systems, college campuses and large convenience store chains to meet the changing needs of clientele.
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October 10, 2018
@FMI_Emerge
Follow us on Twitter for insights, updates, community good news and more
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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.
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October 1, 2018
Understanding Brokers with Bruce Nierenberg
Wondering how to build a strong broker network? Want to be a better partner to brokers? FMI Emerge mentor Bruce Nierenberg has got you covered.
Bruce differentiates the different types of brokers (which he refers to as “independent sales agents”) – including limited vs. full-service and national vs. regional brokers. He also explains how to know if and when you need a broker, how to identify the right one, how to lay down the terms with them, and ultimately how to work well with them once you’ve become partners.
As Bruce explains, the services that independent sales agents (or brokers) can provide you include merchandising, data analysis & competitive info, relationships, industry experts, and product feedback.
“You need to buy in on them, and they need to buy in on you.”
Enjoy the presentation here! https://bit.ly/2M0NNI1
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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!
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September 20, 2018
Listen & Learn – Learning to Use Your Label and Ingredients for Sales Growth
Beyond the Label: Learning to Use Your Label and Ingredients for Sales Growth
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Free Webinar, Wednesday, October 10th.
Consumers increasingly make purchase decisions based on product information online and in-store. If your emerging brand fails to deliver the right attributes then you lose shelf space, visibility and sales.
In this free fast-paced interactive webinar, you will gain the understanding on how to take your product content to the next level. We will focus on both core and enhanced product attributes.
You will gain an overview on GS1 Certifications, SBA Packaging Guidelines, SEO and organic search considerations and SmartLabel® implementation.
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September 11, 2018
Distribution or Velocity – Insights from a FMI Emerge Mentor
How many stores, shelves, doors, are you in or on? In some form, that is the most frequently asked question of a founder of an emerging brand. In my opinion, that question perpetuates the wrong strategic focus. I will admit, I have a strong opinion on this issue. Chasing ACV, getting sucked in by the allure of store count, can kill a brand before it ever really gets started.
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September 8, 2018
Help Food Distributors and Brokers Share Your Selling Story.
Help Food Distributors and Brokers Share Your Selling Story. by FMI Mentor, Patrick Nycz of NewPoint Marketing See also NewPoints’ Second Annual Emerging Brands Conference. You’ve created a killer pitch deck and selling story. You’ve researched the retailer’s plan-o-gram (POG), the trends, and competitive homework. You’ve finally had a meeting with a retail food buyer – and it went […]
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