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For Emerging CPG Brands, Collaboration Beats Competition Every Time

Emerging brands have to support each other. 

This is the way we climb mountains. None of us can do it on our own. It takes a collective interest. How can we together move the needle? The key word here is “together.” 

Our founders take on big CPG brands – bringing even bigger ideas and with much smaller bank accounts (we’re often just hoping to make payroll and pay the bills, right?). We are fighting for a seat at the table. This is the magic of the emerging brand. Our founders earn a seat at the table by their nature of being a change agent. By wearing the badge of an impact driver for people and the planet while driving for profit, founders become players.

Founders of emerging brands are in a position to set the stage for what consumers should expect. Consider the ripple effect of impact and innovation from emerging brands:

Brands launch innovative products.  Consumers discover innovation in ingredients, form factors, etc.  Consumers become educated about the benefits of said innovation and show up at the register. Big CPG sees the validation of concept and begins R&D/formulation, heading toward launch.

Don’t think for one minute that younger brands …

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It’s one thing to know that you need insurance to keep your business safe, and it’s another to know what the coverages are and how they serve you. Manufacturer insurance is like a production line: there are multiple pieces and moving parts, but everything comes together to form a final product. There are lots of different coverages you can mix and match to build the perfect plan for your business. It can be tough to know which ones are right for you. 

Here’s how you can use a customized manufacturing insurance policy to strengthen your business’s risk management strategy.

Protecting Your Products

Product Liability Insurance

Product Liability Insurance provides coverage for bodily injury or property damage caused by products, parts, and ingredients you manufacture and supply.

The products you make have the potential to cause injuries or damages to those who use them. From a curling iron catching fire to a candy necklace causing choking, there are thousands of ways an accident may occur.

Having to pay for legal fees, medical bills, repair costs, and more can be costly. That’s where product liability insurance helps you out. It’s designed to cover the cost of a product-related claim so you don’t …

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How Fire Department Coffee Turned Customers Into Investors With Equity Crowdfunding

During yesterday’s webcast, Fire Department Coffee CEO, Luke Schneider, discussed how he raised $ 1.8M for his business through crowdfunding with the help of StartEngine. The webcast also included Harrison Bert, Director of Sales for StartEngine and was moderated by Wayne Bennett, SVP of Retail for ECRM and RangeMe.

For those of you not familiar with it, equity crowdfunding allows startups to raise capital by selling shares of their company to a large number of investors, typically through an online platform. It’s rapidly becoming a vehicle of choice for emerging brands looking to raise capital quickly while maintaining control of their company, and enables everyday people to get in on the game with minimal investment. 

Why FDC chose equity crowdfunding

FDC’s Schneider

Fire Department Coffee Is one such brand. Based in Rockford, Ill. FDC is a veteran-owned business certified by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association and National Veteran Business Development Council, that was created and run by active and retired firefighters. Each batch of its coffee is freshly roasted in the U.S.A. Schneider and his team are committed to giving back via the Fire Department Coffee Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting first responders facing physical, mental, or other …

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Expo West begins today, and for the next few days many brands will experience a whirlwind of networking, handing out samples, schmoozing at after-hours events, and starting potential business deals. Once it all wraps up, though, now what? Well, then it’s time to turn that momentum into tangible success. You’ve invested time, money, and energy into the event, and now the post-trade show phase is crucial. 

Let’s break down the essential steps to ensure you make the most of your trade show experience (keep in mind that this is also relevant for brands wrapping up an ECRM session as well!).

Create Your Event Post-Mortem Document

The first step in your post-trade show checklist is to take a moment to breathe and reflect on the whirlwind of the past few days – and getting those notes down on paper. It’s incredible how quickly the event fades from our memory, so now is the time to document the experience so you have it for future reference. 

Did you achieve your goals? Whether it’s expanding your network of potential distributors, finding a new co-packer, securing new orders, or simply gaining exposure, this reflection is crucial for your future success. 

Create a post-show document …

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Behind the Scenes of a Professional Product Photo Shoot

In today’s digital world, having great product shots are essential to a brand’s success. Whether they are for grabbing the attention of buyers on your RangeMe profile, or driving D2C sales on your website and social media, how you visually showcase your products to the world should be a key component of every brand’s marketing strategy.

But what exactly is it that goes into capturing these images, whether they are pure product shots in front of a white background, or lifestyle shots in a variety of settings? To answer this question, I spoke with my friend Larry Shore of The Shore Shot to get a behind-the-scenes view of what went into the photos he recently shot for Daisy Betance, Founder of RangeMe subscriber Little Buddha. Below, he’ll walk us through his vision and setup for some of the product photos from the shoot for Little Buddha’s various digital platforms, with some guidance for brands that might look to shoot their own product photos. But first, a little about the brand…

A holistic approach to skincare

Little Buddha is committed to promoting a holistic approach to skincare that encompasses both the well-being of our planet and the well-being of our minds, …

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Saying ‘No’ Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand

What makes a brand story sexy? What gives the appearance of a healthy and strong business? What gives friends and family the impression that you are killing it? Distribution gains. Fast and furious. 

What causes you to lose sleep at night and wake up in cold sweats? Distribution gains. Fast and furious.

Let me be clear. Fast growth isn’t the enemy. That’s not what I’m saying at all. Growth that is intentional and smart is the name of the game. Know what you are getting into. Be intentional with your decisions. Run the numbers. With every opportunity, with every retailer. If the economics of the deal don’t show a path to making money with the new distribution, then you are looking at a fast lane to defeat.

Know when to say NO

Knowing when to say no is a super power in CPG. This understanding is the key to the kingdom. It comes down to being Nice versus being Kind. Being nice to your brand/business would be taking on all the new distribution and growing the brand as fast as possible. It’s sexy at parties. It feels good for people to see your product in more places, but it is …

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