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Unlocking Growth at Retail & Foodservice with Global Cuisine

Global cuisine is no longer a niche. For today’s consumers, international flavors are an expectation, not a novelty. For retailers, foodservice operators, and emerging CPG brands, they represent a powerful growth opportunity in the marketplace, one that has only been accelerated via social media and new AI platforms.

At ECRM’s recent Center Store Grocery Sessions in Dallas, Diana Sheehan, founder of PDG Insights shared some insights around global cuisines during a presentation to buyers and seller participants that highlighted how global flavors have moved from immigrant households into mainstream retail aisles, what’s driving adoption today, and how brands and retailers can capture this momentum. In addition to showing how these foods and ingredients spread from home to niche markets to mainstream retail shelves, she also touched on how shopper behaviors, technology, and demographics are accelerating the pace of change.

I sat for an interview with Sheehan to discuss some of these trends uncovered by her and the team at PDG Insights, and below you’ll find a summary of these findings, as well as the full video interview. 

Watch the full interview on YouTube!

From Chef Boyardee to global flavor adoption

According to Sheehan, the idea of “international food” in American …

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2025 Core-Mark Curated Winner & RangeMe Premium subscriber Unite Food is looking to shake up the protein bar aisle with globally-inspired flavors and natural ingredients.

In this interview, Founder & CEO Clara Paye shares her journey from Managing Director of a major plumbing manufacturer to launching a food brand with distribution at leading retailers like Target, Sprouts, H-E-B, and Meijer, and her recent experience with the Core-Mark Curated program, which was one of RangeMe’s Immediate Opportunities. (Note: this interview was done prior to the announcement of the winners).

She also discusses her passion for helping the next generation of entrepreneurs as a SKU mentor, YPO member, and the Founder of (included), a membership collective for BIPOC top executives in CPG who are dedicated to one another’s success.

You can also listen to the interview on our podcast: Winning Pitches with RangeMe & ECRM.

See ll of RangeMe’s customer success stories and reviews here.

The RangeMe Blog…

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Command Attention at the Shelf with Purposeful Packaging 

In retail, your product speaks long before the customer touches it. The packaging is your voice across the aisle, your silent salesman standing guard on the shelf. It’s not merely design—it’s communication. And in an environment where attention is scarce and decisions are made in seconds, that communication must be sharp, honest, and impossible to ignore.

A well-packaged product doesn’t beg for attention—it commands it. It doesn’t over-explain—it connects. The goal is not to decorate the box, but to deliver a message that cuts through the visual noise. The packaging must anticipate its audience, acknowledge its environment, and assert its value—all in a glance.

Imagine the store shelf as a stage and your product as a performer. If it’s placed on the bottom shelf under dim lighting, it needs bolder colors, larger type, and stronger contrast. If it’s eye-level, it must be refined, confident, and direct. Surrounding it are rival players—shouting in neon, whispering in matte, posturing in plastic. Your packaging must rise above the fray not through volume, but through clarity.

Packaging design elements must earn their place

Every element should earn its place. Fonts should be legible from five feet away. Claims should be compelling, not cluttered. Visuals …

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Nicobi Foods is Proof That Success Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity

When Obi Linton gears up to submit products to a retailer via RangeMe, the former detective in him comes out. He investigates every aspect of that retailer: Its goals, values, the buyers in his category. He’ll purchase data to see what’s selling in the markets the retailer serves and how competitive products are moving. 

Armed with this information, Linton, the Co-Founder & CEO of Nicobi Foods will fill out the product submission form, highlighting why his line of seasonings and sauces should be on the shelves from the perspective of the category manager’s needs and objectives, and the white space those products fill.

When one of Linton’s submissions are approved and he moves onto an in-person or virtual buyer meeting hosted by ECRM, the people skills he developed conducting investigations on the streets of Baltimore come into play, only in this case they are deployed in building relationships and learning how he can best serve the retailer. 

Indeed, Linton’s law enforcement background has certainly worked well for Nicobi Foods, and by using them in conjunction with the tools provided by RangeMe & ECRM, this True Detective of the CPG industry has landed deals with the likes of Walmart, Wakefern and …

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From Pitch to Shelf: Why Small Business Insurance is a Must-Have for Emerging Brands

Your product is dialed in. Your packaging is shelf-ready. Your RangeMe profile is polished—and buyers are starting to take notice. You’re almost retail-ready. But before that exciting “yes” from a retailer turns into a signed PO, there’s one essential step many small brands overlook: business insurance.

Whether you’re selling vegan skincare, cold-pressed juices, organic supplements, or keto granola bars, insurance isn’t just a legal checkbox—it’s a smart business move.

Why insurance matters to buyers (and your brand)

Buyers love innovation—but they need assurance. Retailers want to know that if anything goes wrong with your product, you have the backing to resolve it responsibly.

In fact, many retailers require proof of insurance before they’ll agree to list your product.

If you’re looking to land in Whole Foods with your line of collagen protein bites or secure a shelf spot for your all-natural deodorant, not having insurance could hold you back.

What could go wrong? (Yes, even with great products)

Let’s make it real with examples that hit close to home for RangeMe suppliers:

Beauty & Skincare: A customer has an allergic reaction to your natural face serum and posts about it online. They later send a legal notice. Food …
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Tallow’s Making a Comeback, and Brands are Scaling up to Meet Demand

Sally Jo Reagor, New Products Coordinator for Palko Services, is on the hunt for tallow-based beauty products. Palko Services distributes to more than 2,000 natural products stores, and shoppers are increasingly asking for products made from this rendered animal fat such as soaps, shampoos and skin creams.

Indeed, tallow-based products across the food and beauty categories are all the rage nowadays. I get regular updates on Instagram Stories of some guy who has been using tallow on his skin for the past 55 days (as of yesterday). TikTok videos of people cooking up a steak in tallow. I’m hearing about tallow on podcasts. Reading about it in blogs. Tallow everywhere.

While the increased buzz around tallow may be new, its use in beauty products is anything but. It has a long history in skincare, dating back to ancient civilizations. It was used as a moisturizer, healing balm, and even in soap making. Cultures like the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and various indigenous communities recognized tallow’s moisturizing and protective properties, particularly in harsh climates. It was also used for candles as well as in cooking.

The reason for tallow’s recent surge in popularity is driven by consumers’ interest in natural products and …

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