Ian Navarro’s Post

Food distribution has three main stakeholders in my opinion and they all work together to keep our ecosystem thriving. Each of these stakeholders have different needs and expectations. If you've found yourself scratching your head on how to grow your presence and make the right connections within foodservice distribution, you are not alone. Navigating this quickly changing distribution landscape with digital, consolidation and continued challenges at the operator level can lead to frustration. After spending time connecting top chefs with premium brands at some of the fastest growing independent distribution companies, I've seen brands of every shape and size enter the arena with various results. I understand the needs of the distributor partner while realizing how to connect the dots with end users in the fast paced world we live in today. Our team can help you realize where the sweet spot is. We are not Ozympic for Brands, there are no shortcuts or get rich quick schemes. We do paint a realistic picture, work to build up your brand and make the right connections for you. Sound intriguing? It would be great to connect and hear your story and share ours!

Growth of your brand is vital to your continued success. Making the right connections and cultivating relationships in the foodservice industry are things everyone should be focusing on. Find ways to provide value to each of the channels, for the distributor, the brands you work with and the chefs will create a great opportunity for yourself as you wrap up 2023 and prepare for 2024.

If you are a FOOD OR BEVERAGE BRAND looking to scale with a CO-PACKER, you don't want to miss this! #dontmissit It is the most common question I get from food brands looking to grow their presence, either through DTC or retail channels, ❓"How do I find a co-packer?" The second most common question... ❓"Why won't co-packers return my calls or emails?" And then, of course, there are the 😱 horror stories when co-manufacturing relationships slide off the rails. It is a CHALLENGE for new and emerging food brands to get traction with finding and managing the right co-manufacturing partners, so it is something I consult on regularly. So... to that end my team and I have created an online course exclusively designed for Food Brands looking to scale with a co-packing partner. 🌟 Mastering Co-Manufacturing is a masterclass in finding, negotiating with and managing long term, successful relationships with co-manufacturers and co-packers. Join us for this 10-week intensive that will fully equip you to succeed in this arena once and for all, and learn the "insider secrets" that have allowed us to outsource over 92% of our CPG food products to co-mans. 🌟Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gt3rPM72 And SHARE THIS POST if you know other food and beverage brand owners who are looking to scale in 2024! #foodbrands #foodbrand #beverages #beveragepackaging #beveragemanufacturing #foodmanufacturing #copacking #cpg #cpgindustry #cpgbrands #scaleup #growth

Do you know what it is like to build a brand in foodservice? Jesse Konig 🍟is doing it in real time while operating restaurants so he understands the buying and selling side. But what is is like trying to get into distribution? Join our conversation as we talk shop for an hour, it was one of my favorite conversations of the year! Here are some key takeaways. Building a brand with personality and authenticity is crucial in the food industry. Having a personal touch and being able to connect with customers sets smaller brands apart from larger corporations. Solving problems for customers and providing a unique experience can help build a loyal customer base. Building relationships with distributors and understanding their incentives and challenges is key to successful partnerships. Overcoming objections related to limited freezer space in distribution centers requires creativity and collaboration. The frozen food industry presents unique challenges due to constraints around freight and freezer space. Building demand with restaurants and end users can help pull a brand into distribution. Being understanding, flexible, and focused on win-win scenarios is key to building and maintaining relationships in the food industry. Storytelling and content creation are powerful tools for building a brand and engaging with customers. The potato industry is highly consolidated, making it difficult for new entrants to innovate. Focusing on quality ingredients and techniques can set a brand apart in the food industry.

“The work we did with Vivaldi was such a game changer for how we thought about our business. It was hard work, but we were able to translate it into a strategy that was motivating and inspiring so that the rest of the organization understood the practical applications. It was a model for really thoughtful planning and analysis of a portfolio of brands.” ➡ Learn more about our work with Frito Lay and how our comprehensive in-situ consumer research led us to a winning proposition! #clientsuccessstory #casestudy #brandandbusiness #foodandbeverage #insights #fritolay

I used to work for Frito-Lay and PepsiCo. So, it's interesting to me how they are able to adapt to food and beverage industry demands, their supply chain management strategies, and digital tools they are investing in for even more efficiency. Read more to see how this global giant is able to continue its success! #thomasforindustry #pepsico #fritolay #supplychainmanagement #foodandbeverageindustry #supplychainnews https://lnkd.in/euVPXWhp

Moving slow this morning after getting in late from my 3 day trip to both coasts. We do what we have to get the work done, right? Our clients on our testimonials page know what I mean. Check them out - they are pretty cool. https://lnkd.in/e7TiCSWK Speaking of vetting people, we appreciate needing to work with folks a little bit to understand how they work before committing to a large scope. Our model of working hourly with our clients allows for that test drive. This allows us to understand if we are a good fit for the client's need. Additionally, we vet the folks on our resources page to make sure that they are good fits for our clients' philosophies, business systems, and existing skill sets & capabilities. We try to bring webinars from those partners that can add some depth to a particular topic that clients may not get elsewhere. Selfish marketing ploy - we know more about the F&B sector than we can put into words, so we are proving it by how we bring forth webinars. On November 1 at 12p EST, Catapult Commercialization Services is co-hosting a webinar with Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA) on "Comanufacturing Roundtable - How to Work with Comans to Scale Your Production". This webinar will feature David Miller from Premiere Packaging Partners, Cathy Sennett from Green Mountain Beverage, and Matt Whiteside from Circle Beverage. Following the presentation, there will be ample time for Q&A with these presenters about the audience’s specific concerns. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gS4gN97N On November 15 at 12p EST, Catapult Commercialization Services is co-hosting a webinar with Yael Nussbacher at Ramah Marketing on "Organic Growth Marketing for CPG Companies".  Following the presentation, there will be ample time for Q&A with the presenter about the audience’s specific concerns.  Register here: https://lnkd.in/ddmGExfp Marcos Salazar 🍺🍷🥃

✈️ On the road again! We aren’t like everybody else, we’ve recognized that being different is good and that our experience, platform and ideas can help connect the foodservice industry. Each of the stakeholders have different challenges: Chefs want to source products with stories that meet certain criteria points for them. Brands seek further distribution and awareness for their products. Distributors want to sell more of what is in their building and at time look to innovate their product mix to bring more value to the customer. Each situation is different and we dig into that with our stakeholders. We use a mix of traditional and untraditional methods to map out a plan and work to accomplish those goals. Y’all have a great week!

🤝 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐳 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 🍫 Following the fascinating announcement last week that Mondelēz International and Lotus Bakeries (Biscoff) are partnering to launch new products, Robert Lawson, Managing Partner at Food Strategy Associates cast his view on what may lie ahead in Just Food. "𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯?" Link to the article and Robert's full view in the comments below. Food Strategy Associates are seasoned experts in the global Snacking category. With >150 years of combined industry experience in our Senior Team, and having supported >50 strategy and transaction-related projects in the space, we are better placed than anyone to assist with the challenges your Snacking business faces. Please get in touch to learn more about our credentials in the space and how we can help you today. #snacking #foodandbeverage #strategy

Do you know what's coming next in packaging? the people in the know at Kraft Heinz, Premier Foods, Unilever, Jordans Dorset Ryvita, McCormick & Company, Tilda® | B Corp told us what they think and if you let me know what you think too, our client will let us share the report with you....they are nice like that. What's next in packaging? Where is the industry heading? What do the FMCG industry think consumers want? Will we still be putting EVERYTHING in a pot for 2025? We are conducting some research with industry leaders at the moment on food packaging and what will be the next big thing. Kraft Heinz, Premier Foods, Unilever, Jordans Dorset Ryvita, McCormick & Company, Tilda® | B Corp and others have all had their say, but we want a few more to really make sure we are on the right track especially from the smaller and mid size food companies. Drop me a comment or a DM if you want to take part. #packaging #suppychain #foodsupplychain #insights