It is more important than ever for early-stage food and beverage brands to expertly navigate alternative channels.
Where do we begin?
I want to expand into food service, but I don't know where to start.
Foodservice is a different animal compared to retail. Let us guide your strategy and go-to-market planning to ensure success outside the retail box. We provide a comprehensive solution and hands-on execution support to ensure success.
We collaborate with operators, distributors, GPOs, brokers, and redistributors in the US & Canada.
I need a strategy to sell my products.
There are so many segments within foodservice and alternative channels it is daunting to know where to focus your limited resources. Save time and money by letting our experience guide you.
We create tailored strategies that highlight your brand’s strengths and goals, ensuring a successful launch or pivot and long-term success.
I need help negotiating agreements with group purchasing organizations & distributors.
Navigating a financial strategy to control trade spend costs can be tricky when dealing with national broadliners, redistributors and GPOs. We can negotiate with DOT Foods, Sysco, US Foods, Performance Food Service, GFS as well as Compass/Food Buy, Sodexo and Avendra/Aramark, to name a few.
I don't know if I have the right pricing, packaging configuration, case count, formulation or flavors.
It would be nice if all brands could make a square peg fit in a round hole, but often times foodservice and alternative channels operators demand a different package configuration or a modified taste or flavor profile to fit their needs.
I need help differentiating between front-of-house and back-of-houes sales.
Is your product a branded, grab & go item designed for front-of-the-house or are you planning to sell to chefs for back-of-house? How about bulk and/or private labeling opportunities? We can help strategize around that too.
MEET THE OWNER
Hi, I'm Rachael.
I have a deep love for foodservice, specifically with growing emerging brands. With over 20 years' experience, I have worked on some of the world’s leading brands as well as start-up food & beverage companies. I love crafting the sales strategy and executing against the priorities to bring a brand to life!
"Alternative" is an industry buzz word, a spin on the channel classification for everything outside of the box ... the box being grocery stores. I started The Alternative Foodie in 2020 during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Crazy, right!?
Everything I do is approached as a “project,” slicing & dicing the work into manageable bits and this has served me well both professionally and personally.
(I have completed my MBA, ran 2 marathons, and navigated life with two teenagers!)
Brands We've Worked With
