Start Smaller Than You Think You Should

One of the biggest missteps early-stage CPG brands make is confusing retail access with retail readiness. Just because you can get into a chain doesn’t mean you should. Early buyers will test your fill rate, watch your velocity, and expect more than a good product—they want a professional operation.

The better path? Build slowly in smaller or alternative retail channels. INFRA stores, Pod Foods, National Co+op Grocers, Pop Up Grocer, and marketplaces like Faire allow you to move at a pace that fits your bandwidth. These channels give you the space to test packaging, pricing, and distribution processes in a lower-stakes environment. This isn’t just about survival—it’s about building experience that makes you more attractive to larger buyers later.

Build a Retail Resume, Not Just a Sales Deck

Before you pitch a regional chain or start looking for a broker, you need a retail resume. That means real data: how many stores you’ve sold in, your reorder rate, your average velocity per SKU. These are the numbers buyers and brokers look for to decide if you’re worth betting on.

Getting a few wins with co-ops, independents, or smaller regional retailers gives you leverage later. It also gives you the language to refine your sales story. You’ll understand what kind of signage moves units, what promotions drive trial, and where your pricing breaks down. This is groundwork. And it’s a critical part of any item submission process.

Check out our Sell Sheet guide before you call a single buyer.

Invest in Your Brand Story Early

Too many emerging brands rely on a logo, a tagline, and a couple of social posts. That’s not a brand—it’s packaging. A compelling brand has a point of view. It communicates consistently across every customer touchpoint: the shelf, your website, your shipper box, your sell sheet.

If you want to stand out in a crowded set, the story behind your product matters. Are you solving a real problem? Are you creating a lifestyle, a moment, or an identity? Packaging design, content, and buyer communication all need to ladder up to one story that people remember.

Brand development doesn’t need to be expensive—but it has to be intentional. This is how small brands punch above their weight.

Yes, You’ll Still Have to Take Risks

The advice to grow cautiously is not an excuse to stay small. At some point, you’ll need to move faster than you’re comfortable with. There’s no path to being a category leader without taking on risk—whether it’s signing a co-man contract, hiring ahead of revenue, or placing your first big P.O. for packaging.

But calculated risk looks different when you’ve built a foundation. A brand that knows its margins, understands its supply chain, and has buyer relationships in motion is simply better positioned to absorb shocks and capitalize on opportunities.

Don’t wait for the perfect timing. Just make sure you’re prepared to scale when it comes.

CPG Brokers

If you're trying to get your brand onto the shelves of grocery retailers, there's one decision that can make or break the journey: picking the right broker.

And unfortunately, that decision is riddled with landmines.

Founders often come into this process assuming that brokers are the gateway to retail success. That’s only partly true; and it’s the part that bad brokers want you to believe. Despite what brokers want you to believe, many retailers are open to working directly with brands. It’s less noise, fewer middlemen, and often a clearer line of communication.

Can a great broker add value? Absolutely. They can prep your deck, shape your pricing, guide your pack size and case configuration, and help you avoid unforced errors in the sales process. They can also plug you into the rhythm of the retail calendar and help you prepare for the resets that matter most.

But a broker is not your ticket in. They are your partner. And if they don’t act like one, they’re a liability. We recommend starting your relationship with retailers without brokers.

Trade Shows

At this stage of your company’s growth, you will be tempted to try and get your own booth at a trade show; don’t. Until you have read and mastered our guide on UNFI and KeHE, you are in a position to lose more money than you make. Trade Show attendance is expensive, orders seemingly disappear into the abyss after you leave the show floor, and you likely aren’t slotted in the correct DCs to serve a lot of these customers yet. Grow your retail success in one DC first, and learn how to have success in this ecosystem.