News

Your audience contains your consumers, both present and future. Here’s how to build it.

The team at Kroger is intent on finding new beverage brands to surprise and delight consumers. They discuss the store’s goals and the best ways to pitch and grow with this influential national chain.

We spoke with buyers from two of the leading e-commerce platforms about how they approach merchandising and purchasing decisions. Executives from Misfits Market and Thrive Market paint a picture of what it takes to catch the eye of an ecommerce buyer or category manager, how they think about assortment given the option of an “endless aisle” and what makes a brand successful with their consumers.

Faaturing: John Maggiore, Founder, Maggiore Sales and Marketing

UNFI Next is a distributor run program designed to curate and incubate emerging brands. We chat with Aaron May who oversees the UNFI Next program to discuss what the criteria for entry is, ideal timing for launch in a brand’s life cycle, and how to make it work for brand growth. Come with your questions and ask them live!

Demand planning and supply chain management have always been a critical part of CPG operations, and it’s more important than ever as businesses are looking for ways to create efficiencies with minimal sacrifice. Join Ed Davidson, demand planning and operations expert, and Kelli Wilson of Partake Foods as we discuss best practices for demand planning and how to tighten up operations to cut costs and improve your bottom line.

Long term success for food brands should be rooted in financial stability. Join CPG financial experts Monisha Khushalani and Elizabeth Carter to learn how strategizing for the future is based in setting attainable economic goals and managing a business’ bottom line.

How do you keep your intellectual property — processes, patents, recipes, designs and trademarks under your control? And how should you deal with the inevitable attacks from competitors, both established and copycats, as you grow? Seasoned CPG attorney Allison Roseman Hagey will take founders through some of the key legal touchpoints surrounding brand and product IP.

Fresh granola bar maker Mooski is reaching new regions after inking deals with Foxtrot, Fresh Thyme Market and Central Market over the past two months. Check out the full roundup for distribution updates from Cometeer, Voyage Foods, Stumptown and That’s it.