Kendra Bennett 🍯🍫’s Post

🗞️What’s new this week with CPG brands? Let’s celebrate the wins from emerging brands! 🛒 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐒 🍪 WILDE CHIPS boosts its presence with expansion into major retailers like Target, Walmart, and Costco, capitalizing on its rapid growth and doubling of business for the third consecutive year. 🥞 New pancake & waffle mixes from Yishi Foods by Lin Jiang debut on the shelves at Fresh Thyme Market , promising a colorful and healthy breakfast option. 💸 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐂𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 💰 WILDE CHIPS secures $20 million in growth funding from KarpReilly, with celebrity investments from Jack Harlow and MGK, aimed at furthering innovation and consumer engagement. 🥛 Pasture Brands acquires Pillars Yogurt, strengthening its portfolio of natural brands and setting the stage for accelerated growth and expanded distribution. 🏬 Foxtrot's unexpected closure marks the end of an era for the modern convenience store that was a significant platform for premium CPG brands, just months after its acquisition by Dom’s Market. 🎉 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄 🎈 Black Ambition, founded by Pharrell Williams, is launching its next grant program with applications closing May 6, offering checks ranging from $15,000 to $1,000,000. (Link to apply below) 🍿 Betty Lu of Confetti Snacks clinches $10,000 at this year's Snax Tank, highlighting the brand's innovation and impact. Read more about each story here: https://lnkd.in/dg9N4xZU Have your own news to share? Let me know in the comments or DM me. #cpg #foodandbeverage

WIN WITH WHOLE FOODS: UNLOCK OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING BRANDS Are you an emerging brand looking to scale in Grocery? InnovateX: Winning in Grocery taking place during ECRM Center Store Grocery Week is your chance to learn directly from industry leaders like Casey Gaston, Executive Leader of Whole Foods Market Local and Emerging Brands Team. Why Whole Foods? Whole Foods is the destination for innovation and growth in Center Store categories. With a dedicated focus on local and emerging brands, Casey and her team are identifying new opportunities and setting brands up for success in this competitive space. What You’ll Learn: Insider Tips: Discover what it takes to grow and scale in the Whole Foods ecosystem. Emerging Brand Insights: Learn how Whole Foods champions local brands and creates pathways to success. Trend Spotlights: Stay ahead of the curve with the latest trends shaping Grocery and Center Store. Build Your Future at Whole Foods: This is your chance to hear from a true industry leader, gain actionable advice, and take the next steps toward getting your products on the shelves of one of the most innovative retailers in the world. Don’t Miss Out! Secure your spot at InnovateX and position your brand to thrive with Whole Foods. #Chicago 📅 Register today: https://lnkd.in/eDHWEKjv #WholeFoodsMarket #EmergingBrands #GroceryGrowth #InnovateX Market Performance Group RangeMe ECRM

CPG Brands: If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading “Crossing the Chasm” by Geoffrey A Moore (link in comments). It was originally written about tech adoption but it is highly relevant to the food business. At Pod Foods, our purpose is to help brands scale nationally with as little friction as possible, and at the right pace. We’re up to 1675 active emerging brands on the platform as of this morning, and EACH brand has its own challenges in trying to reach the promised land of “early majority” status. The biggest mistake we see over and over again is brands who feel pressured into trying to jump straight from “early innovation” to “Majority” without getting a big enough installed base of “early adopters” first. This is why retailers like Erewhon, Pop Up Grocer Central Market and Berkeley Bowl Marketplace are so important. (RIP, Foxtrot) because the earliest stage brands need innovation platforms for Early Adopters to become aware of them. EVERY brand who reads this needs a Growth Plan for how to “Cross the Chasm” from Early Adoption without running out of Money, or Time. This needs to be a comprehensive national strategy, and we want to help make that happen with our warehouse, 3PL, capital, transportation, and dropship support. Harsha Srivatsa, great article on this, which I linked below. Gavin Konkel Russell Heiman David Leuthold MOM's Organic Market Jack Sinclair Shawn Berg Flowspace Total Quality Logistics Will Nitze Melissa Pashko Target Fresh Thyme Market Meijer Becky Paine Kate Cash #foxtrot #innovation #emergingcpg #podfoods

As I was browsing through my old MBA case materials, a thought struck me: Why not share some fictitious CPG case studies to spark discussion and learning? After all, who doesn’t love a good puzzle to solve? So, here’s one for you: The Curious Case of the Vanishing Market Share A mid-sized snacks company, Oat-standing Snacks, had a flagship product line of premium granola bars. For years, it dominated the “better-for-you” snacking aisle with a consistent 20% market share. Then, over the last 18 months, its market share plummeted to 12%, despite the following: 1. No price hikes—in fact, Oat-standing Snacks introduced occasional price promotions. 2. New flavors—they launched three new variants based on consumer preferences (from surveys). 3. More marketing spend—a 30% increase in digital advertising aimed at younger demographics. Upon investigation, some concerning trends emerged: • Competitors grew faster: A key rival introduced a protein-packed granola bar and claimed a chunk of Oat-standing Snacks’ market. • Retailer shelf space shifted: Oat-standing Snacks’ top SKUs were being moved to lower-visibility spots. • Loyalty drop-off: Repeat purchases from loyal customers were declining by 15% year-over-year. The leadership team quickly brainstormed solutions: • Implementing a new loyalty program to address declining repeat purchases. • Enhancing supply chain visibility to secure better retailer relationships. • Investing in a data-driven marketing platform to better target customers. But here’s the twist: These solutions, while flashy and seemingly innovative, don’t fully address the root problem. Before jumping into implementation, the leadership team needs to pause and ask: Are we solving the right problem? What’s your take? If you were leading Oat-standing Snacks, how would you frame this challenge and decide on the next steps? Let’s hear your thoughts—solution-first or strategy-first? Drop your thoughts in the comments! #CaseStudy #CPG #Retail

Thanks to Grocery Dive for an exclusive feature on the research I led with colleagues (Wes Janson, Stephanie Koszyk, and Mansoor Kazi) into private label grocery brands, including our list of the country’s “most-loved” private brands, many of whom are rivaling national brands and standing out for value, quality, and taste. I see an exciting opportunity for Grocery private brands that looks like... Consumers looking to shave off grocery spending this holiday season... + consumers looking for private brand products to help them do that + the relationship between private brand "love" and customers' overall loyalty to grocers + people in the kitchen with friends and family and that means exposure to first-hand recommendations for products = A particularly rich opportunity to expose people to the quality and value of specific private brand products and influence longer-term loyalty https://atbain.co/3OcPxjk

There's a subtle but HUGELY important trend playing out in CPG that may have ripple effects across the entire industry: Modern consumers are starting to care less about legacy brands. This article was specifically about Kraft Mac & Cheese, but I think it's indicative of a wider trend happening across the CPG landscape, and in alcohol in particular. Many multi-national, household name brands don't carry the same weight with consumers that they did even five or ten years ago. So, what does this mean & what are the implications? Well, it has lots of implications but two things I feel strongly are true: 1. This is a particularly interesting time to be launching and scaling challenger CPG brands 2. Big CPG conglomerates will need to get aggressive in shaking up their portfolios Going to be an exciting and interesting few years in the space!

Acquisition, sober curiosity, and some big personnel moves over the last week. Here is your weekly industry update: - Diageo's AI listening finds that the non-alcoholic trend is growing and The HEINEKEN Company's research in collaboration with University of Oxford professor Charles Spence identified that social pressure continues to inhibit growth of the category. - United Legwear & Apparel Co. is optimizing its supply chain network by implementing AI-powered traceability to support its sustainability goals and navigate the regulatory environment. - Brown-Forman is smashing its sustainability goals by embracing regenerative agriculture with the goal of improving soil health, biodiversity, and the economic conditions of farming communities. - Dole Packaged Foods names Mike Secor as VP of Marketing for the Americas. Secor is responsible for shaping and executing the company's US marketing strategy. - Flowers Foods & Subsidiaries will acquire Simple Mills for $795 million. - Former retail media lead at Albertsons Companies, Claire Wyatt, joins The Trade Desk as General Manager of Client Services. - NIVEA sets a Guinness World Record with largest online video chain of people passing and applying moisturizer. - Instacart's partnership extends its reach in foodservice by integrating with Cut+Dry. - Nature Nate's Honey Co. drives growth in Northeast US with a omnichannel push deployed by Blue Chip. - Whole Foods Market Canada partners with Too Good To Go in a further effort to minimize food waste. Follow us for more weekly news! #WeeklyNews #NewsUpdate #CPG #Retail #AI #Headlines

As grocery shelf space becomes more competitive, brands are feeling the squeeze—literally. With grocery stores reducing unique products by nearly 9% since 2020 and store brands gaining ground, companies like Conagra Brands and CELSIUS Holdings, Inc. are finding new ways to stand out. Interestingly, some brands are investing more in packaging and technology to extend product shelf life, all in a bid to secure that prime spot. It's a reminder that you must perform and remain visible on the shelf is as vital as ever in retail. With supermarkets becoming more selective and store brands on the rise, how brands adapt will determine their success. Read the full story from The Wall Street Journal here: https://lnkd.in/e5HiEXaE #RetailSales #ConsumerHabits #ConsumerInsights #GroceryStore

PepsiCo: A Place Where Magic and Sales Collide! 🚀 PepsiCo does more than just sell snacks and drinks; they also create trends, create experiences, and remain ahead of the curve. They have transformed strategy into an art form in the following ways: 🍹 Taste Meets Fandom: Have you ever experienced Mountain Dew Baja Blast or Lay's Magic Masala? PepsiCo starts movements in addition to new products. Every taste turns into a cultural emblem that appeals to both regional preferences and universal emotions. 📈 Smart Sales Ecosystem: PepsiCo creates enticing matches between snacks and drinks by utilizing their Power of One strategy. Soda with chips? Sure, please! This combination increases basket sizes and encourages impulsive purchases. 🌟 Big Data, Bigger Dreams: PepsiCo employs analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to forecast trends and customize advertising campaigns. They are changing the rules around customer relationship, from implementing targeted promotions to filling shelves with client favorites. 🌱 Sustainability That Sells: PepsiCo demonstrates how to combine purpose and profit with eco-friendly packaging, water conservation, and innovative healthful products (like baked chips!). Both the environment and the bottom line benefit. At the same time, everywhere: PepsiCo's omnichannel presence guarantees that you won't miss them whether you're shopping online or in a rural market. When it comes to convenience, they literally deliver. PepsiCo sets the standard rather than merely remaining relevant. What's their secret? Creativity, flexibility, and a dash of culinary magic. Which PepsiCo strategy or product is your favorite? Let's talk! 💬 #MarketingStrategy #SalesSuccess #PepsiCo #Innovation #BrandStrategy #ConsumerTrends #OmnichannelMarketing #DataDriven #Sustainability #GlobalBrand #Localization #SnackLovers #BeverageIndustry #MarketingInspiration #CustomerExperience

Many emerging CPG brands dream of landing in a big chain Whole Foods Market. But for Big Spoon Roasters, the added headaches and costs increasingly weren’t worth it. In this piece by Gabriela Barkho, we speak to Mark Overbay.