Naturally Chicago, 7-Eleven Partner To Help Brands Gain Shelf Space

A new partnership with a major convenience store operator has the potential to open retailing opportunities for dozens of food and beverage companies in the Chicago region.

Naturally Chicago’s Locally Made program launched last year to provide a pathway for brands into retail and support them once in store. Last year it worked with Chicago-area stores like Fresh Thyme, Mariano’s, Go Grocer and Whole Foods Market. Now, it’s added a relationship with 7-Eleven Midwest.

Naturally Chicago brand partners that have completed the Locally Made brand assessment form are eligible to apply for a discounted booth at the 7-Eleven Midwest Franchise Owners Association trade show on June 5 in Schaumburg, Ill.

“Not every franchisee is going to take a brand on, and some of those stores are company-owned, which might be easier, but still, that’s a lot of doors with high traffic, high volume movement,”said Jim Slama, managing director of Naturally Chicago.

Perks of the program include enhanced on-shelf awareness and point-of-sale support, increased sales opportunities and access to category managers.

“We had some initial placement in Fresh Thyme, [and] the Locally Made program has allowed us to get coveted space and shelf talkers identifying our local status,” said Ashley Selman, co-founder of functional beverage brand heywell.

“It has created huge visibility for us, and it allows you to get your foot in the door with retailers at a time when local or ‘innovation’ programs can be either hard to get into or expensive,” she added.

Emily Groden, founder and CEO of Evergreen, said the Locally Made program helped her seal the deal after “chasing Fresh Thyme for years.” A pitch session in August landed the frozen waffle brand in eight stores, and a tabletop showcase several months later led to a chain-wide expansion.

“Naturally Chicago and the Locally Made program helped get us in front of the right people at the right time to finally get us across the finish line,” she said.

Slama said many participating brands are women- and minority-owned, who traditionally lack access to resources. He, along with Gregory Keller, senior strategist for Naturally Chicago, are seeking to expand the Locally Made concept to other Naturally Network chapters.

“Right now we’re fundraising to build a playbook so that we can potentially collaborate with other chapters that might be interested,” Slama said.