Maria Reyes has 41 years of experience working in the specialty food industry and knows how to effectively manage and interact with brokers and distributors. She will cover everything a business needs to prepare when speaking with, choosing, and working with a broker or distributor, this Saturday, January 14, during SFA’s The Basics at the 2023 Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas. Information about how to register for The Basics, an all-day course featuring founders and principals from some of the most iconic brands in specialty foods, can be found here.
Reyes is vice president of Casas de Hualdo, a brand from Spain, and previously worked as a category management director at KeHE. SFA News Daily recently spoke with her.
What should a specialty food business consider before working with a broker or distributor?
It all starts with a business plan, goals, and strategy. This is all very important to determine the needs and/or type of broker needed such as a national or regional broker. This also applies when determining whether you need a distributor. Usually the answer is going to be yes you do.
What mistakes do you see specialty food businesses make when working with a broker or distributor?
Based on my experience, the biggest mistake is the false assumption that a broker and the distributor are going to build a plan for the brand and then will execute that plan on behalf of the brand.
Do you feel that there have been any notable changes to working with a distributor since the start of the pandemic?
I think that basically it is the same as pre-pandemic but with a greater number of disruptions due to logistic issues. People in this space are busier, so response times are generally slower.
Does the process differ when using a broker or distributor to facilitate selling to foodservice vs retail?
Yes. Foodservice and retailers have completely different ways of working, different processes, and needs.
What information should a company bring to an initial meeting with a distributor or broker?
I would say a key piece of information when meeting with a distributor and or retailer is to tell your story, making sure to include what makes your product different than your competition. This would be true when meeting with a broker as well, but the conversation with a broker is different. Both will want to know pricing, promotional support, etc.
What would you like attendees of the session to walk away with a better understanding of?
I would say that if they take away anything from this session, they should understand that, ultimately, when building a brand, the success and/or failure is on them, not on the broker nor distributor.
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