As emerging brands consider their channel strategy, some ignore the foodservice industry – an industry estimated at $1.7 trillion in the United States in 2020, according to the USDA.
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Expo East ’21 As the first industry trade show to return since the start of pandemic, Informa Markets’ Expo East 2021 provided a valuable peek at top trends in organic and natural foods. Held in Philadelphia, a number of brands and retailers attended the show, which had strict COVID protocols in place to give attendees…
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Steef Schelke and Chris Olivier, the principals of Craft Catalyst, spent some time with them to learn more about Craft Catalyst, and to talk about why they believe SKU Atlanta can help bring together the Southeast’s CPG community.
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When you walk into a store, you easily can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of products on the shelf. In a market with thousands of companies are selling similar products, how do you break through the noise to reach your target consumer? We spoke brand strategist and designer Kady Sandel with Aventive Studio, an Austin-based…
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Mark Crowell, SKU Mentor and founder of Culinex A decade ago, few would have imagined the the concept of insects as protein, the range of milk alternatives or the proliferation of hard seltzers in every flavor imaginable. The innovation in the food and beverage space is creating entirely new categories, reshaping the store shelves and…
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Austin-based SKU is accepting applications for its 10th Austin cohort through Oct. 31st. The ideal SKU company has traction in the market, a compelling founder story and annual revenues of $250K or greater
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With Expo East coming up Sept 22-25th in Philadelphia, Tara Burkley shared the experience of going virtual and the return to live events.
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Pricing is unique in that it is the one opportunity for the firm to capture value.
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We spoke with Matt about his experience working to grow a brand that came out of a successful restaurant while maintaining the “special sauce” of what makes it unique.
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Track 9 brand rebranded from Macro Snacks to HA! to appeal to reach a larger market.
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Highlight in-home consumer testing experience Founders of many emerging brands often depend upon friends and family to provide feedback on their products. While that can be helpful – and cost effective – in the beginning, it has its shortcomings. Unfortunately, many of those closest to us may tell us what we want to hear rather…
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SKU mentor team meeting Mentoring for SKU is something special. It’s a transformative experience that positively impacts the mentors as much a the founders. I started mentoring for SKU Track 7. After selling my TextureMedia (NaturallyCurly), I was attracted to the idea of mentoring other entrepreneurs – sharing the dos, and possibly just as important,…
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7-Eleven is putting an emphasis on on bringing emerging brands onto its shelves.
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Nada Moo! One of the questions we get most often at SKU from our founders is about how to successfully launch a new product. Although there’s no magic bullet, there are some tactics that have worked for many emerging brands. We talked with Austin marketing guru Chris Kocek from Gallant Branding to get some of…
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A year ago, the folks from DFW CPG came to us with a proposition: They wanted to bring SKU to the DFW area to help create the same positive and nurturing environment for CPG startups that we created in Austin, New York and the Twin Cities. We launched in August with six amazing companies: All…
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ASKU Founders Clayton Christopher, Shari Wynne Ressler and Scott Jensen A decade ago, Austin was known for tech, live music and great barbecue (and our mighty Texas Longhorns). But a dynamic, fast-growing consumer-products industry was bubbling up under the radar, with larger brands as well as a wide range of emerging brands springing to life.…
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Many people may have heard of Patrick Schwarzenegger because of a last name that brings to mind his famous father, Arnold. But in the CPG world, he’s gained a reputation for being a savvy investor and entrepreneur in the space – a person other investors are watching closely. Patrick started his own investment company back…
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We have to find a way to level the playing field for BIPOC founders. And as a leader in the CPG community, And I want to be a part of that change.
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Robert Nathan Allen has become a vocal advocate for sustainabile agriculture
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As we get ready to kick off ImpactSKU ’21, I want to talk about the importance of the program to SKU’s mission and its special place in the CPG industry in the Twin Cities and beyond. Growing up in the Minneapolis area, I knew there were a number of large CPG powerhouses, including General Mills,…
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Jeff Klineman, editor-in-chief, NOSH/BevNet One of the first things we do every day at SKU is looking at NOSH and BevNet to learn about the latest trends and brand news. For 25 years, NOSH/BevNet has been helping food and beverage professionals navigate the industry. At the helm of the news side is editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman,…
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Jason Karp, Co-founder of Hu Kitchen and founder of HumanCo When Jason Karp joined SKU Track 8 as a mentor, he brought with him a wealth of knowledge gained from his own journey as a successful entrepreneur in an emerging industry. The co-founder of Hu Kitchen leveraged the popular paleo-inspired eatery to test recipes to…
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SKU receives hundreds of applications every track from startups around the country. When taken together, they serve as a powerful barometer of hot CPG trends. Among the hottest trends were seeing are: Female wellness products: By and For Women Women entrepreneurs are driving a boom in female wellness products. The category spans a wide range…
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UltradermMD Imran Karim was running a successful exclusive medical spa in Dallas. But he was frustrated that he could only serve the “one percent” who could afford these beneficial services. Inspired by how non-invasive beauty treatments could transform his patients’ skin, he decided to create high-quality skincare solutions for the general public. After a long…
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As SKU celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, we are at the epicenter of the CPG ecosystem in Austin and beyond. As the nation’s first CPG accelerator, SKU is in the unique position of seeing emerging trends and evolving categories before they ever appear on the shelf. Small CPG startups now are the leaders and…
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