Category: Operations

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 14, 2019

2019 Emerge Smarter Available Content

As we finish out 2019, we are pleased with the valuable education content we hosted and have available for subscribers.

You can dive into recorded thought leadership on fiancing, e-commerce, co-manufacturing/production, packaging, distribution and more. 

2019 Emerge Smarter Available Recordings for Emerge Subscribers
e-Commerce Insights – What are Upcoming Changes with Selling on Amazon
What Retailers Desire in Emerging Brands
Finding Finance for Growth
Packaging & Design Strategy
Working with Distributors
Exploring Food Service as a Channel
Retail Strategy for Growth

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 Marketing Institute Communications VP, opened the FMI Private Brand summit with a bold declaration: “We need to understand that we are no longer solely in […]

August 12, 2019

Packaging Trends to Consider for 2020

The past few years have seen an enormous rise in consumer consciousness when it comes to sustainability, whether it be learning about waste from production or realizing the detriment caused by plastic packaging, because of the wide-spread rise of environmental concern. The packaging industry is under more pressure than ever to become as environmentally friendly […]

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 27, 2019

IRI’s 23rd Annual New Product Pacesetters Report

IRI’s highly-anticipated New Product Pacesetters report reveals that brand upstarts continue to disproportionately influence the CPG industry. For the first time in 2018, products developed by companies with annual revenues under $1 billion represented the majority of top-ranking brands, accounting for 51% of the products listed and representing 27% of Pacesetters revenues.

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.