Maybe it’s just the nature of my job, but I feel like everyone and their sister is launching a small food or drink business these days—and it’s exciting. Every week, I get multiple pitches to cover everything from black pepper simple syrup and savory German cakes to more new coffee roasters and full-on bread labs. There are even funky marshmallows.
The internet’s created a new wealth of e-commerce options for many of these small businesses, but physical shelf space is still coveted. Unfortunately, getting in stores is not as straightforward as launching a SquareSpace site, and where should a small business with these aspirations even begin?
We hope to help answer this and other questions next Wednesday, March 2 at our “How to Pitch a Product” panel discussion at the Brooklyn Brewery. I’ll moderate an expert panel including buyers from Whole Foods, The Greene Grape, Stinky BKLYN, R&D Foods and BKLYN Larder. We’ll discuss for an hour, take questions and then leave the last 30 minutes for networking. Expect questions like:
- What sets buyers at small-batch focused shops from buyers at mega stores?
- At any give time, what are you looking for in a product?
- Where do you go to find new products?
- Whether it’s in writing or in person, what are three main points that a business should make to you in their pitch?
- What are the saturated categories in your stores? Are there any products that you wouldn’t encourage people to pitch?
Tickets are $10 and free for Edible subscribers. Tell your friends, get yours here and stay tune for updates on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #EdibleBKBrewery. Hope to see you next week!
