Our Blog
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August 11, 2018
Is Your Brand Ready for the Next Level?
Take the 5-minutes Assessment to find out! You’ll gain an initial review of how your company is doing, and identify areas of opportunity to help your brand reach grocery retail distribution.
Once you’re finished, download the “10 Critical Steps to Food Retail Distribution Success”.
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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.
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August 7, 2018
Build Healthy Relationships with Your Retailers
Retailers are eager to build relationships with brands that can consistently offer products consumers are looking for on their shelves. As partners, retailers and suppliers can provide the greatest value to consumers.
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August 6, 2018
Brand Awareness: How to Create Your Plan
Developing a smart brand awareness strategy starts with three basic questions.
Who’s the target market?
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What’s the right vehicle?
What’s it going to take to reach my target? -
August 1, 2018
Brand Secrets and Strategies with Dan Lohman
sten to our conversation here with FMI Emerge mentor Dan Lohman who will discuss resources for emerging brands with our Director, Julie Pryor.
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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.
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July 25, 2018
8 Steps to SQF Food Safety Certification
If you produce your product in your own facility, it is critical that you have your certification program plans underway. Take a look at these 8 steps and contact our team if you have any questions on getting started.
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July 23, 2018
2 Questions Every Brand Should Answer
There are two very basic and related questions that the founding team of any brand or product must be able to answer with absolute clarity.
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July 20, 2018
Meeting Food Safety Standards: Not Impossible for Emerging Brands
As an emerging brand, you’re almost ready to move your product to the next stage of assembly. You worked hard to guarantee its greatness and ensure the packaging catches the consumer’s eye. Production is set to ramp up now that you landed the partner who’s providing capital, market access, and the business advice you need.
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July 18, 2018
Top Trends and Finds from 2018 Fancy Food Summer Show
We were excited to talk to companies who might be a good fit in the new FMI Emerge program, a subscription-based service for brands seeking sustainable retail sales growth.
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July 16, 2018
3 Tips for Boosting Creative Output
As a fifth generation innovator and strategist with a very successful track record, Ryan has joined the FMI Emerge community as a mentor who seeks to help emerging brands change the world. In this short video, he discusses three important tips for entrepreneurs and innovators seeking creativity.
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July 11, 2018
The Speed of Food Product Recalls
Change is occurring in our industry at a rapid pace, but one thing hasn’t: food retailers’ commitment to food safety and communicating relevant recall information to their customers wherever – and however – they shop.
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Mentoring in the Food and Beverage Business
FMI Mentor, Bob Wheatley, CEO of the Chicago-based healthy living agency, Emergent formally announces a partnership with the Food Marketing Institute’s new Emerge platform, a forum to help nurture and grow new, developing food brands on their way to potential stardom.
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June 24, 2018
Have You Explored the Benefits of Diversity Certificates?
Supplier Diversity is a business process that works to level the playing field for suppliers. Retailers offer Diverse Supplier programs to promote trade participation of suppliers that is reflective of the diverse US population. Some programs include deep discounts on promotions or even no fees because of the certificate.
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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.
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June 18, 2018
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.
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June 11, 2018
Established Brands Creating Investment Vehicles and Incubators?
Back in the summer of 2015, wine and beer (Corona portfolio) category leader Constellation Brands was one of the first established companies to create an investment vehicle to help nurture emerging brands.
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June 1, 2018
Is Your Emerging Brand Ready for a Strategic Investor?
At first glance, it would appear that capital would be the commodity startups are most in need of as they look to grow their emerging brands. In fact, that isn’t necessarily the best reason to get involved early on with a strategic investor.
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May 16, 2018
Get It Right – 4 Tips to Rebuild Your Emerging Brand
The packaging you decide on, if done correctly, will set a consumer’s expectations. But then you must deliver on the promise of that expectation, taking into consideration pivotal elements as taste expectation, mouth feel and function.
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April 29, 2018
On Display at Natural Products Expo West: Fruit Jerky, Drinkable Vegetables, Overnight Oats – You Had to Be There
When my colleague, Julie Pryor, and I set off for Natural Products Expo West a few weeks ago, we couldn’t imagine the variety of “only what you need” products we would find!
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