#173 Mason Vitamins- Executive Vice President- Idanys Alapont and Vice President of Sales & New Business Development- Nilda Oyola

Today on the Road 2 Retail we visit with Amy Collins, the CEO and Co-Founder of RoRo's Baking Company. Amy shares with us how she left being an ICU nurse to taking her grandmother's recipe for delicious cinnamon rolls and turning it into a growing emerging brand. Links to the episode in the comments below. Details on how to follow the Road 2 Retail podcast can also be found below. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Discussion points today include: - Their 'accidental retail launch' into Central Market- Learning the hard way how to select and deal with distributors and brokers - Lessons learned about trade spending and fees in the CPG industry and how they address them - Why being patient selecting a contract manufacturer is critical to brand success- Amy's thinking as they begin to look for growth capital to expand their business - Our first Auburn Tiger football fan Follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on the following platforms Apple podcasts-https://lnkd.in/gs3BfXbd Spotify- https://lnkd.in/ewWcnYpY YouTube channel- https://lnkd.in/gH2Dk_q6. Thanks to our sponsors: The Emerson Group- A trusted CPG partner and omni channel expert to brands https://www.emersongroup.com Big Chalk- The Emerging Brands Launch & Growth Toolkit https://bigchalk.co/emerging-brands-launch-growth-toolkit/ Agency Habitathttps://agencyhabitat.com/

Episode 176 Introducing CPG Ignition from Road2Retail. Managing and growing your emerging CPG brand is hard, but finding qualified, capable service providers to help you grow should not be. After years of connecting brands to service providers, we established CPG Ignition to accelerate the process of emerging brands and service providers finding each other. Brands can search our 'atlas' of subject matter experts by the need they have at this time. Need a broker? Struggling with Amazon? Need some research to validate your business plan? Companies that support emerging brands will be listed by the services they provide to facilitate discovery by brands searching CPG Ignition for help. Brands: Your next great business partner may very well be waiting for you within the CPG Ignition atlas. Service providers: If you would like to be listed on CPG Ignition- contact us via our website and the 'request to be listed' button at www.cpgignition.com https://cpgignition.road2retail.com/ Check out CPG Ignition today. Unless you enjoy spending weeks looking for suppliers.

Episode 175 Today the Road 2 Retail team discusses how to prepare for a meeting with a retailer and how to be a value-added supplier to your buyer. Organization, nailing details, and being empowered to problem solve are both critical and obvious. But why do so many fail? Follow the Road 2 Retail so you don't miss any episodes (details below). Learn more at www.road2retail.com.Discussion points today include: - The need to establish relationships within each retailer beyond your buyer - Understand how each retailer works internally and what is important to them - Be 'easy to do business with' and make the call when presented with opportunities that make sense. If you always have to check back with HQ - the opportunities will cease. Act with authority! - You are your company - Understand how a category manager thinks about their assortment and how they are evaluated. Hint: don't waste your meeting time defending a dying sku. - The decision has likely been made. Build the healthy part of your business - Follow up swiftly and accurately. Hit all dates you commit to !Follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on the following platforms: Apple podcasts-https://lnkd.in/gs3BfXbd Spotify- https://lnkd.in/ewWcnYpY YouTube channel- https://lnkd.in/gH2Dk_q6. Thanks to our sponsors: The Emerson Group- A trusted CPG partner and omni channel expert to brands https://www.emersongroup.com Eagle Labs- A manufacturer of consumer healthcare products https://wwweaglelabsinc.com Enjoy the show! Please share the Road 2 Retail with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Want to be on the show? DM us on LinkedI

Episode #174 Today the Road 2 Retail team speaks with Clive Sher, the Managing Director of the organic snack brand: Little Bellies. Listen to their founder story and then what went into bringing this Australian-based brand to the US market. Details on how to follow the Road 2 Retail podcast are below. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Points discussed with Clive today include: - How their unwavering commitment to their corporate ethos of "Do What's Natural" drives everything they do - How looking internationally gave them both inspiration and helped them see the potential to go for geographic expansion - Why they opted to NOT go the natural channel route when entering the US market even though they are an organic brand - Picking the right business partners in the US has been key to building their business - A fan of U2 and the Chicago Bulls Follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on the following platforms Apple podcasts-https://lnkd.in/gs3BfXbd Spotify- https://lnkd.in/ewWcnYpY YouTube channel- https://lnkd.in/gH2Dk_q6. Thanks to our sponsors: The Emerson Group- A trusted CPG partner and omni channel expert to brands https://www.emersongroup.com Retail and Response- a media company https://www.retailandresponse.com Enjoy the show! Please share the Road 2 Retail with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Give us a follow on LinkedIn. Want to be on the show? DM us on LinkedIn!

Episode 172 Today the Road 2 Retail team discusses what you should include in that first presentation to a retailer. You have achieved a few key goals: you identified a retailer that is a good demographic match for your brand, and you got a meeting with the buyer scheduled. Now what? Check today's episode to hear how to optimize the content of your presentation. These insights stem from our experiences with many brands over many years of making these presentations ourselves, supplemented by input from over a dozen interviews with senior retail merchants. - Be concise! Buyers don't need another 60-page deck. To you this may be the biggest meeting of the year; to the buyer it is simply meeting number six today - Make it a conversation and not a lecture- seek engagement- Details, studies and claim support belong in the appendix of your presentation- not in the core 10–15-page deck (yes- this is the optimal length based on buyer feedback) - Remove uncertainty for the buyer as much as possible - Many more key issues are discussed in today's episode. DM us questions after listening! Follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on the following platforms: Follow the Road 2 Retail so you don't miss any episodes (details below). Learn more or send us questions at www.road2retail.com.Specific points covered today include:Apple podcasts-https://lnkd.in/gs3BfXbd Spotify- https://lnkd.in/ewWcnYpY YouTube channel- https://lnkd.in/gH2Dk_q6. Thanks to our sponsors: Floret, a deduction management platform www://https:tryfloret.com The Emerson Group- A trusted CPG partner and omni channel expert to brands https://www.emersongroup.com Enjoy the show! Please share the Road 2 Retail with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Want to be on the show? DM us on LinkedIn!