Entrepreneurs Get A Boost: Support for Women-Owned, Mission-Driven Brands Ramps Up

Over the past two years visibility and support for mission-driven companies has been on the rise as consumer demand for purpose-forward products increases. To further support these interests, CPG companies and retailers both large and small have introduced a range of opportunities to help jumpstart emerging brands for long-term success. Here are three programs that have returned for another year.

Foxtrot Looks For Women-led Up & Comers

Today, modern convenience store chain Foxtrot opened applications for its second-annual Up & Comers Awards program, which it announced alongside a broader commitment to make at least half of the brands on its shelves women-owned or led within the next year.

While half of the program’s finalists last year were women, only 10 percent of the 900 total applicants were women-owned brands. This insight led the retailer to focus this year’s awards on discovering “female and femme-identifying food entrepreneurs.”

“Our Up & Comers program embodies what we do at Foxtrot every day — discovering small makers who are just as passionate about food as we are, and bringing their delicious and best-in-class products to our customers to enjoy,” said Carla Dunham, Foxtrot CMO, in a press release.

Foxtrot currently carries over 100 women-owned brands, totaling 450 SKUs. Following last year’s program 35 new brands made it on shelf and available online through Foxtrot Anytime including Omsom, Mumgry, Ruby and DEUX.

The judging panel will be composed entirely of female-identifying individuals including one of last year’s Up & Comer winners, Vanessa Pham, co-founder of Omsom. Other members include Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi and Ghia founderMelanie Masarin, among numerous cookbook authors, chefs and entrepreneurs.

Although the focus is on women, applications from all genders will be considered and the process will be open through April 4. A total of six brands will be selected and those winners will be sold nationwide in Foxtrot stores and through the chain’s online platform for at least one business quarter. Winners will be selected for five categories – Ingredient Innovation, Cherry Bombe’s Women in Food Award, Just Damn Good, Classic Product Reimagined and Fan Favorite, which will be selected by consumers through a voting portal on the retailer’s website – in addition to a Hero Winner, which only women-owned and led brands are eligible for.

The Hero Winner will receive a mentorship session with three judges, plus ​​$25,000 for their business and $45,000 in marketing support. Category winners will get $5,000 for business support and $20,000 for marketing. Foxtrot currently operates stores throughout Washington D.C., Chicago and Austin with plans to add 50 more stores over the next year.

“Up & Comers is designed to open the door for the countless entrepreneurs, and specifically women and BIPOC-founded brands, who don’t have access to the resources to grow their business,” said Dunham. “We’re excited about the growth we have ahead as a company and we want to use our momentum to support these talented makers.”

Instacart Expands Advertising Initiative With $1 million For Women-owned Brands

Online grocery delivery platform Instacart announced last week it has expanded its Ads Initiative program with a commitment of $1 million to amplifying emerging, women-owned CPG brands within the “digital aisles” of its marketplace.

The initiative provides eligible brands with free credits to spend on the company’s sponsored product offering throughout the year, onboarding support and campaign optimization strategies. The expansion will launch with Sweet Loren’s, Three Wishes Cereal, and Twrl Milk Tea as inaugural partners, each of which claim its brand has already seen significant growth while using the platform’s ads.

“As a female entrepreneur, I have focused my mission on being a force for good in the food industry,” said Loren Brill Castle, founder and CEO of Sweet Loren’s, in a press release. “I am proud to inspire people, especially young women, to follow their dreams and make the world a better place…. Instacart has played an important role in our business as this is the future of shopping. Our cookie dough is all about convenience, and Instacart helps make shopping such a seamless experience.”

Instacart offers both self-service and managed ad services which offer “prominent advertising placement among millions of items available from the more than 700 national, regional and local retailers.” The initiative was first launched last year with a $1 million ad commitment to support Black-owned CPG brands. Instacart said that the initial program has seen success in markets across the country and will continue to grow alongside the expanded commitment.

Mondelez Names CoLab Class of 2022

SnackFutures, Mondelēz International’s innovation and venture hub, announced the roster for its second-annual 2022 CoLab Class last week. The startup engagement program brings entrepreneurs and global experts together for 12-weeks of growth-driving curriculum in addition to a $20,000 grant for each participating company.

This year’s class includes Bunny James Boxes, Every Body Eats, GoNanas, Moonshot, Nunbelievable, Oat Haus, Pan’s, Popcorn for the People, Wonder Monday and Yolélé and each of these brands support a growing consumer interests, ranging from sustainability and responsible sourcing to accessibility and mental health.

“We are thrilled to have another CoLab class that can benefit from our expertise and help us look at innovation from the ‘outside in’ to create a snacking world that is good for people, kind to the planet and deliciously fun,” said Brigette Wolf, Global Head of SnackFutures, Mondelēz International, in a press release. “Last year’s program was a huge success, and we can’t wait to see what this year holds with an amazing cohort of mission driven brands.”

In addition to the course, the program aims to support these brands with resources often needed during early stage growth such as consumer data and insights and operational support for manufacturing, packaging, ingredient sourcing and marketing.