Getting a product on retail shelves is one of the most popular topics for Foodpreneurs trying to grow their business through wholesale. If you’ve never approached a buyer, or you have but have been unsuccessful, or if you’ve already got your product stocked in retail outlets but want to get it on more shelves more successfully, then you’ll need to know these key things; how to impress a buyer, and what they need and want to know about your products and business to make a decision.

In episode 81 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I have an insightful conversation with Karyn Redford, CEO of Retail Feed, whose bread and butter is helping Foodpreneurs get their products noticed by buyers, and onto retail shelves. If your aim is to get your product stocked by retailers (or more retailers!) you will not want to miss this as Karyn shares her experience as an expert in the retail food sector for almost 20 years who knows how to impress buyers and store managers.

Launching a new product is a lot of work. There’s market research, production, branding, packaging, marketing, distribution, sales and so much more to think about. And it’s a gamble. Even more risky is launching a new product using a traditional, overseas seed most Australians haven’t even heard of. But that’s exactly what my guests on this week’s podcast episode have done.

In episode 80 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I chat with Melanie Salwa and Bhuvan Dua, co-founders of Fox Pops, a guilt-free snack which has been around for generations in India, but is new to Australia. They only just launched – making their debut at Foodpreneurs Festival 2023; and we chat through their strategic approach to everything from naming the product and branding, to specific target locations and marketing channels. Listen now to discover how these innovative co-founders are on a mission to revolutionize our snacking habits!

There’s thousands of new food and drink products launched every year, and they’re all vying for limited retail listings on crowded shelves, which retailers are rationalising right now. So how do you cut through the noise of wholesale, get the attention of buyers and put more money in your pocket for every product you sell – particularly in a cost-of-living crisis? By focusing on the right things based on your level of revenue.
In this week’s episode of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I take you through a never-released Revenue Ladder I created initially for my own use to help my clients put more money in their pockets based on what level of revenue their business was generating. Listen to this episode if you want to know what your primary focus should be as you scale, and how to level up during these tough economic times we’re experiencing.

Getting your brand seen, known and purchased by consumers can be tough and expensive. But there are ways to increase your brand awareness and drive product sales with an effective, little to no cost marketing activity that a lot of businesses don’t take advantage of. I’m talking about collaborations.

In this week’s episode of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I chat with Jess Ruhfus founder of Collabosaurus, a marketing platform that match-makes brands for clever collaborations and partnerships. We go through everything Food and Drink entrepreneurs need to know about collaborating with other businesses and why if they’re not already doing it, they’re missing out on getting their products in front of highly-relevant audiences, and growing their sales – especially if like many Foodpreneurs, there’s not a lot of marketing dollars in the budget to play with.

Imagine leaving a lucrative career in Finance and Banking to move overseas and start producing dairy products in a country with no history of dairy production. Some might say it’s crazy, others extremely brave, but for Lisa Steny it was a decision purely based on her goal to live life on her terms; a life that aligned with everything that mattered to her. Fast forward a few years and Lisa’s cheese and Greek yogurt products are used by chefs in luxury hotels and in supermarkets and grocery stores all around Bali and the outer islands.

In this week’s episode of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I chat with Lisa, Founder and MD of 8 Degrees Cheese (soon to be Shy Cow), about her incredible journey as a Foodpreneur, one which took her from her homeland of Australia, all the way to the highlands of Java looking for milk cows. If you’re looking for a positive story to inspire and motivate you to think big and back yourself, this is not one to be missed.

If you’re new to the world of food and beverage distribution or considering entering it, there’s a multitude of factors to think about. For instance, you might trying to decide which company to work with, how to forge a collaboration, and what profit margins are feasible. Irrespective of the distribution partner you choose and your mutually agreed-upon margins, there’s a single factor that can wield an immense influence on the outcome of your collaboration – your mindset around the working with your distributor.

In this week’s episode of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I chat with Sally Gosper, General Manager of Two Providores, a Wholesale Food Distributor. We delve into the concept of viewing your distributor not as a mere salesperson, but rather as a ‘partner’ – a perspective that can make all the difference.

I know for many of you, imposter syndrome is holding you back from playing a bigger game and taking your business to the next level. In fact, it’s very common among female business owners across all industries. But it needs to change as it’s preventing talented, hardworking, packaged food and drink owners from scaling their businesses and living life on their terms.

In episode 75 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast I speak to Janessa Rutter, one such Foodpreneur who has has dealt with imposter syndrome. We chat about how it’s prevented her from ‘playing a bigger game’ and limited the growth of her handmade granola brand. We also talk about how she’s working through this, and shows how by backing herself, it’s paying off both personally and professionally.

Moving your business focus from DTC to wholesale can feel scary and overwhelming in the beginning. You need to reassess your business, marketing and logistics strategies, re-visit your margins and pricing, and decide whether to bring on intermediaries. This move can be even more stressful when this shift is due to reasons out of your control.

In episode 74 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast I talk moving from DTC to wholesale with Helen Tricarico, the Foodpreneur behind award-winning Hoti Kombucha, who lost a large percentage of her business almost overnight when her DTC space changed direction. I take her through everything to consider, know and action when shifting focus to wholesale, to not just reclaim her lost DTC revenue, but to take her business to the next level.

The end of Q2 and the beginning of Q3 means, at least for Aussie businesses, that we’re at the end of the financial year. These past 12 weeks of quarter two, the main goal for Foodpreneurs was to sell HARD to close the gap to hit their full year revenue and sales volume targets; and there were many opportunities to do so. But what should Foodpreneurs focus on in Quarter 3, particularly with increased operational costs?

With In episode 73 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I help you review your quarter 2, take you through exactly what you should be doing in quarter three to increase your product margins in order to reinvest in your business, pay yourself a great wage or to give yourself more freedom to live life on your terms; and tell you what the biggest mistake is that you must avoid in Q3.

The first-ever Foodpreneurs Festival was an incredible event that showcased the remarkable creativity and resourcefulness of small batch packaged food and drink makers in Australia. The festival brought together over 170 food and drink brand owners, expert industry specialists, and retail buyers, all gathered under one roof. It offered attendees a chance to learn invaluable advice from industry experts, establish valuable connections, and seize an entire year’s worth of sales opportunities in just one day.

You may have got a lot of info on the day if you attended, but in ep.70 of Foodpreneurs Festival I dish the dirt on all the insider insights you wouldn’t have heard, including what retailers were impressed with in pitches, and what they thought could be improved, trends that can help Foodpreneurs innovate and stand out from the crowd, Ideas that sparked retailers’ attention at Stickybeak Station and more!

Many Foodpreneurs think the role of design in packaging is only about making a product look attractive on the shelf. But it’s so much more than that. Not only do you need outstanding packaging that makes your product stand out from the crowd, but it also needs to align with your business strategy and your business ethics. Branding and packaging can have a huge effect on whether your product ends up in more consumer baskets, so it needs to be done right.

In episode 71 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I chat with Bex Deere and Nat Townsend from Griffin Grace, a design agency that help brands create a personal connection with their customers. We talk about all things a challenger brand owner in the F&B space should consider when designing or refreshing their brand, including current trends, QR codes, business strategy and ethos, and much more.

I bet you can count on one hand the amount of 100% Indigenous-owned packaged food and drink brands you know of (if that). This may be due to the fact that, like Sharon Brindley’s experience, there just weren’t opportunities for many First Nations people of previous generations to even dream of having an FMCG product in the market.

To celebrate National Reconciliation Week, in Episode 69 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast I go deep with Foodpreneur and Yamatji/Noongar woman Sharon, who owns and runs the 100% First Nations owned chocolate and tea brand Jala Jala Treats. We talk everything from self-sabotage and mental health, to marketing challenges and specific issues faced by Indigenous FMCG brand owners; as well as how she’s ready to take Australian flavours to the rest of the world.