In: Retailing Tips|Last Updated:

For a brand like Death Wish Coffee, known for its bold, high-caffeine brews, breaking into retail shelves is crucial for growth. However, standing out in the competitive coffee market requires more than just a strong product—it takes strategic tools and certifications to win the trust of retailers. 

To gain exposure to buyers, the brand leveraged product discovery platform RangeMe, and to help win the trust of retailers, it secured SQF certification, a food safety management program.

Using RangeMe for retail discovery

By listing its products on RangeMe, Death Wish was able to showcase its coffee to decision-makers at major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods. RangeMe streamlines the process for buyers to discover new products, making it easier for brands to get noticed. 

For Death Wish, this was a game-changer. It enabled the brand to not only introduce its bold coffee but also provide detailed product information, including packaging, certifications, and pricing, all in one place. The platform’s ability to bridge the gap between suppliers and retail buyers helped Death Wish gain visibility and expand its retail footprint.

Building retailer confidence with SQF Certification

While RangeMe helped get Death Wish Coffee in front of the right buyers, SQF certification …

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PartnerSlate to Streamline Co-Man Searches for RangeMe’s 200K Subscribers

You’ve just landed that huge purchase order and now it’s time to scale up. This means you have to find a solid contract manufacturer. For many brands, this is an arduous, time-consuming task that can involve weeks or even months of phone calls and meetings as you vet dozens of companies to find just the right one for your business.

Until now. 

PartnerSlate, a leading tech platform connecting brands with manufacturers in the food and beverage industry, has teamed up with RangeMe to streamline the process of finding contract manufacturers (CMs) for all RangeMe subscribers.

Through the partnership, PartnerSlate will provide RangeMe subscribers with free or discounted access to its AI-powered Co-Manufacturer Marketplace, which connects CPG brands with CMs that have the capabilities, capacity and are actively interested in their projects. 

“RangeMe is the ultimate tool to help Brands unlock new distribution channels,” said Vince Tseng, CEO of PartnerSlate. “For many of those brands, scaling production quickly is a stressful hurdle to meeting those new POs. We’re thrilled to help brands find their next production partner quickly and with far less stress.” 

Access to 7K contract manufacturers

RangeMe subscribers now have access to PartnerSlate’s 7,000+ CMs directly from their RangeMe …

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Casey’s 1st Innovation Summit Lands 19 New Product Finds

Last August, Casey’s teamed up with RangeMe to launch its first-ever Innovation Summit in an effort to discover new brands that would attract a broader array of customers to its stores. The convenience store chain, which operates more than 2,900 stores across 19 Midwestern states, discovered 19 new brands from the Summit, and their products will be on the shelves this year.

In this interview, Casey’s VP of Merchandising Chris Stewart shares the chain’s initial goals of the summit, the process in which the final brands were chosen, and some advice for suppliers looking to get on the shelves at its stores. You can watch the full video interview below.

RangeMe: Let’s start with an overview of Casey’s and its typical customer. Who are they, how do they shop, and what kind of products do they buy?

Stewart

Stewart: Casey’s operates primarily in the Midwest, across 19 states. While we’re a convenience store at heart, our pizza platform really sets us apart. We’re the third-largest convenience store chain in the U.S. and the fifth-largest pizza chain. That pizza business drives a strong late afternoon and evening daypart, as well as a solid weekend business, which is different from many traditional …

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How RangeMe Leveled the Playing Field for This Startup Bandage Brand

The bandage category is not an easy one to break into. Scan the first aid aisle of any store and you’ll see a wall of products that are primarily from a couple of national brands or else are the retailer’s private label products. Beginning in March, however, you’ll find colorful and playfully-designed boxes of bandages from a new player on the shelves nationwide at one of the major extreme value retailers.

The brand is called Hug-a-BooBoo, but if you ask them, they don’t sell bandages.

They sell hugs.

A husband and wife startup

Hug-a-BooBoo is a Staten Island-based startup co-founded by the husband and wife team of Rob Treglia, a retired NYPD lieutenant, and his wife Christine, a NYC Department of Education speech therapist who is the owner of the brand. The idea for the company came following a visit to the pediatrician for their then three-year-old daughter, Mia. After getting some shots and some bloodwork done, she didn’t like the bandage they gave her and subsequently tore it off.

Cristine Treglia

So Christine made her a new bandage for Mia, taking a marker and drawing a frog on it in the likeness of one of her daughter’s stuffed animals, …

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Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification is more than just a badge of compliance—it’s a gateway to building trust with retailers and customers while creating a robust food safety and quality system. Whether your goal is to meet regulatory requirements, expand your market reach, or streamline internal processes, SQF certification can set your business apart.

Many companies, especially those new to the certification process, find the journey overwhelming. From understanding the requirements to implementing sustainable systems, each step requires careful planning and execution. The good news is that with the right guidance, achieving and sustaining SQF certification is entirely attainable.

What is SQF Certification?

SQF certification is a globally recognized standard that helps companies ensure food safety and quality at every level of their supply chain. It provides a comprehensive framework for businesses to identify risks, implement preventative measures, and continually improve their operations.

Key components of SQF certification include:

Food Safety Plan: A structured approach to identifying and controlling food safety hazards. Employee Training: Ensuring staff are knowledgeable about food safety practices. Ongoing Compliance: Regular reviews and audits to maintain certification standards.

Achieving SQF certification demonstrates your commitment to excellence and positions your company as a trusted partner for retailers …

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How Envision Group Helps Mission-Driven Brands Launch Into Non-Traditional Retail 

Non-traditional retail venues such as offices, sporting arenas, and schools offer brands unique opportunities to connect with engaged audiences. However, navigating this distribution channel can be a challenge for emerging brands. Fortunately, Compass USA, one of the largest food service companies in the world, has developed solutions to help these brands navigate this complex distribution channel with its Envision Group and Retail Incubator program.  

In this Q&A with ECRM’s Wayne Benett, Ann Pendleton, SVP of Compass USA and a key leader of the Envision Group, shares valuable insights into how the company operates, and how emerging, mission-driven brands can break into these non-traditional channels and thrive. 

Watch the full video interview here!

RangeMe: Can you give us an overview of Compass USA and your role within the organization?

Pendleton: Compass USA is one of the world’s largest food service companies, but we’re not a consumer-facing brand, so not everyone knows us by name. We operate behind the scenes, providing food and beverage solutions in places like schools, hospitals, corporate offices, and sporting venues. Essentially, wherever people work, play, study, or receive care, we’re there making sure they have a great food experience.

My role is with the Envision Group, which …

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