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- Weekly Updates 07/03/23
Weekly Updates 07/03/23
🚀 Tasty News in CPG
The Online Community for Food and Beverage Startups
Hey ,
Happy 4th of July week. I hope you're taking some much needed rest and relaxation this week, I know I am. It's so tempting just to go-go-go, but giving yourself a break to connect with the important people in your life can also refuel you to come back more productive than ever. I had a great convo with a friend and founder last week about what it takes to build a CPG brand. Here’s what we discussed:To have a chance at building a successful CPG brand takes either:⏳Time (8+ years)💰Money ($5 million+)⏳+💰Or ideally both.Margins are relatively low.Inventory and production thresholds are high.Cash conversion cycles are long.All this on top of having a great-tasting product that aligns with consumer macro trends.No matter what, the road to success is often long, so pace yourself.
😋 This Week in #CPG
A roundup of CPG news that happened last week brought to you by Amber Caro
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Dough launched their new allergen-friendly ready-to-bake cookie dough! (
) 🍪
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is now available at
(
)
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is exploding! They have had recent launches in
(Oklahoma locations),
, and Baron's Market! (
) 📈
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is launching in
at 390+ locations! They have also just launched a brand new varietal - Lavender French 75!
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launched a new flavor launching this summer, Dill Pickle Sprouted Almonds + Pepitas. 🥒 This is a collaboration with
, where they are sourcing their pickle ends for this flavor. By using the ends, they are also now Upcycle Certified!
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is back on shelves in the cookie aisle at Roche Brothers (
) 🙌
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is now available at select Chicago-area Foxtrot stores! (
)
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launches organic coconut juices in
nationwide! (
)
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is now on shelves in all
locations! (
)
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is launching in
and
next month!
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is now available at
! (
)
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launched their new squeeze bottle Tahinis (Classic and Spicy!) this week. (
) 👏
➡
is now available at all
locations (
)
➡
are now in
! (
) 🍸
➡
balls are now available at all LA and Hawaii
locations! 🎉
JOYFUL CO. REDESIGN
CHATGPT ASSISTED CMO
I'm building Joyful Co. with a super small team, so I've been testing out how I can leverage various AI tools to help extend my reach. I read a post from Neal Shulman and he shared how to task ChatGPT to serve a specific role as part of your business and then train them right within the chat. This sounded really cool so I gave it a shot. I'm building out our website, so wanted to task ChatGPT to act as my CMO. Here's exactly how I did it:
Created a prompt explaining exactly what role I want ChatGPT to do.Here's my exact Script
After ChatGPT responded confirming everything I then trained it on everything I could about my brand by copying and pasting all of our material into the chat including: a description of the products, mission, vision, values, product value proposition, target customers, and tone of voice.
Now the bot is all set up and will learn as you continue to interact with it. As a note, keep all interactions within the same chat flow.
Here are some of the things I asked it to do:
Create a landing page layout for our website that is designed for a high conversion rate.
Write 10 SEO optimized key benefits for why someone should buy a Joyful Co Gift box.
Describe the brand archetype for Joyful Co
Write 10 facebook ad headlines and sub-headlines to test in paid advertising. share in a table format
Create an email marketing strategy for Joyful Co., based on promoting the key gifting events throughout the year.
Honestly the results were damn good. Of course it needs some tweaking here and there, but so much of what it provided was spot on.
WEEKLY UPDATES
BANKING DESIGNED FOR CPG BRANDS
If you’re looking for a banking partner designed for CPG brands, be sure to check out our partner Aion.
I’ve found that many early-stage founders are not quite ready for financing or still need to build history, so Aion has launched a sleek online banking solution to service Foodbevy members at every stage.
Aion Banking can be especially helpful for founders that are:
Just getting started and looking to move from their personal banking to business banking
Using a community bank and want to supplement it with digital banking for transactions they need to complete outside of business hours
Anticipate needing capital in the near future and want to build history with a bank that provides flexible financing to CPG brands
But don’t just take my word for it! See what other food and beverage founders have to say:
“I’m extremely impressed with Aion’s convenience and ease of use. The platform is intuitive and works on any device, so I can stay on top of my finances wherever I am.” - Arik Markus, Founder, Herb’n Pantry
Get started in minutes for FREE.
You can apply for Aion Capital using the promo code FOODBEVY for a 10% discount on the interest rate.
LAUNCH ON AMAZON
As you know, I’m a huge fan of selling on Amazon, but a number of founders have shared that getting setup in the first place is a huge hassle. If this is you, then talk with Luke Tierney from
.
I had a call with him and shared how many brands are struggling just to get started on the platform, so he created an awesome offer to get brands in our Foodbevy community up and running on Amazon for just $2000. Most agencies charge $5000+ for this.
AFFORDABLE ACCOUNTING FOR CPG BUSINESSES
If you're working with your family accountant to manage your CPG accounting, they may be making a TON of mistakes. Why? Inventory businesses are much different from others, and you need to find accountants who not only know Inventory Management, BUT also E-Commerce.
That's why you should check out Unloop. They specialize in accounting for modern CPG Brands and are super affordable, starting at just $299/month.
MAXIMIZING RETAIL E-COMMERCE
In today's omnichannel landscape, the convergence of online and offline channels has given rise to a new avenue for you to boost sales and expand your reach: retail e-commerce. Let’s explore how any brand, but particularly beverage, refrigerated, and frozen brands can leverage retail e-commerce tools to drive sales by integrating them into their digital marketing strategies.
NAVIGATING CPG IN UNCERTAINTY
Economic uncertainty and inflation are significantly impacting consumer behavior, posing new sales obstacles for consumer product companies of all sizes. CPG leaders ought to adapt their sales approach and employ innovative strategies to navigate this dynamic environment and its challenges.
Join Branchfood and Trax Retail in their upcoming seminar for actionable insights into navigating sales and driving growth. If you are a sales, marketing, or business development professional in the consumer packaged goods industry, don't miss this opportunity to understand the impact of the economy on your business and develop strategies to grow sales.
STARTUP TO SCALE PODCAST
124. [Problem Solved] Reaching Profitability
On this episode, Aaron and I discuss the challenge CPG brands have reaching profitability and specific steps Aaron did at Brass Roots to reach that point.
Begin with profitability in mind
Review your products and channels to find unprofitable product lines and cut them.
Review your business structure, how you’re manufacturing and the SG&A
Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
LINKEDIN POST OF THE WEEK
DISCOUNTS
No Revisions offers marketing services for startups at prices anyone can afford. Save 20% off with code FOODBEVY.
Stripe is now providing $70,000 in fee-free processing for new and EXISTING customers. Save over $2000
NielsenIQ Byzzer platform provides data for emerging CPG brands. You can access 3 free reports using this link.
Mindful Goods is an awesome Amazon expert that can quickly get you started or optimize your pages for strong ROI. Get 10% of their services use code FOODBEVY.
Maverick allows you to create individually personalized videos (with a customer's name) welcoming them to your community.
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