Hardware Podcasts

#152 Direct Store Delivery 101: Allison Taylor, Pint Size Hawaii, and Ahmed Chehade, Good Stuff

The Startup CPG Podcast · 16 Jul 2024 · 58m · Episode 58

What this episode covers

Allison Taylor, Director of Business Development at Pint Size Hawaii, and Ahmed Chehade, COO at Good Stuff Distributor, Inc., explain the operational differences between Direct Store Delivery (DSD) and broadline distributors like UNFI. They detail how DSDs provide high-touch services including merchandising, inventory management, and sales incentives to drive brand growth in specific regional markets like Hawaii and Northern California. The guests highlight the importance of local teams, in-store demos, and collaborative pricing structures to ensure success for emerging brands entering these specialized distribution channels.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Pint Size Hawaii, Good Stuff Distributor, Inc., UNFI, Rainforest, Lad, High Touch, Back to the Roots, Health Aid, Fancy Pants, Foodland, Safeway, 7-Eleven, ABC Stores, Rainbow Grocery, Star Berkeley, Nugget, Gus's, Whole Foods, Kroger
Products
Mellow Water

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • How I Built This · 50m

    Advice Line with Pete Maldonado of Chomps

    Pete Maldonado, co-founder and co-CEO of Chomps, advises three founders on scaling their physical product businesses. He counsels Jennifer Ballin of Badass Bagels on navigating the complexities of CPG retail, including slotting fees and trade spend, while advising Brandi Shelton of Just Add Honey Tea Company to leverage its premium story and target Whole Foods before big-box retailers. Finally, he encourages Jake Meyer of Annie Alaska to prioritize direct-to-consumer sales through relentless door-knocking and authentic storytelling to build a stable customer base for his wild salmon business.

    Retail, wholesale & distributionDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    5 chapters

  • How I Built This · 45m

    Advice Line with Travis Boersma of Dutch Bros

    Dutch Bros co-founder Travis Boersma joins Guy Raz to advise three early-stage founders: Sean Chang of Mukja Korean Fried Chicken, who is struggling with delivery app margins; Trenton Yoder of Pine Ridge Coffee, deciding between DTC and wholesale; and Yasmin Santos of Altar Native Bar, seeking to scale her non-alcoholic elixir business. Boersma and Raz suggest Mukja pivot to corporate catering and unique street snacks, advise Pine Ridge to differentiate through storytelling and local university partnerships, and encourage Altar to consider ready-to-drink formats like cans or bottles to reach the mainstream. The episode highlights the importance of adapting business models, protecting margins, and educating consumers on new product categories.

    Direct-to-consumer & e-commercePricing, margins & unit economics
    5 chapters

  • How I Built This · 48m

    Advice Line with Andy Dunn of Bonobos

    Bonobos co-founder Andy Dunn and host Guy Raz advise three early-stage founders: Michele Casentino of Top Banana, Alek Supak of Broda Beverage Company, and Sabrina Nass of House of Biscotti. Dunn critiques Top Banana's DTC pricing and influencer strategy, suggesting wholesale partnerships with brands like Caraway and Paris Hilton. He advises Broda Beverage to leverage its 'better-for-you' ingredients and Polish heritage to create a 'shot culture' in bars, while telling House of Biscotti to abandon DTC e-commerce in favor of competitive wholesale pricing at retailers like Whole Foods and Walmart.

    Pricing, margins & unit economicsRetail, wholesale & distribution
    5 chapters

  • How I Built This · 49m

    Advice Line with Sarah Kauss of S'well

    S'well founder Sarah Kauss joins Guy Raz to advise three early-stage founders on positioning and growth. She helps Chiara Moonzi of Chigi navigate grocery placement for a chickpea-based hot cereal, Jesús Rualcaba of Paper Tacos expand his Latino-inspired greeting cards beyond specialty stores, and Adam Barker of Bolt Skin and Shave determine his growth strategy for a razor brand targeting men who shave their legs.

    Retail, wholesale & distributionMarketing & brand
    4 chapters

  • How I Built This · 41m

    Advice Line: New Offerings, Bigger Markets

    Guy Raz is joined by Che Wong, founder of Boxed, to help Christina Latroverse of Seagrass Pottery decide how to scale her local pottery studio and wholesale business nationally. Next, Hernan Lopez, founder of Wondery, advises Jim Kursley, founder of Lemur Strap, on whether to expand his direct-to-consumer camera strap sales into retail channels like B&H. Finally, David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue, helps Will Carroll, co-founder of Tool Club, figure out how to change consumer behavior to adopt their delivery-first tool rental model.

    Retail, wholesale & distributionDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Startup CPG Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.