Denise Woodard

Constellation Brands Inc. saw its stock climb during premarket trading on Thursday following an upward revision of its adjusted fiscal 2025 profit forecast, surpassing analyst predictions. The company also reported a robust fourth-quarter profit, driven by the stronger-than-anticipated performance of its beer division. CEO Bill Newlands highlighted the beer business's consistent volume growth over 56 quarters, coupled with impressive margins, although wine and spirits sales experienced a decline. https://lnkd.in/ggNU_G9r Constellation Brands Bill Newlands Branded Hospitality Ventures #Technology #Business #Innovation #AI #investing #venturecapital MarketWatch

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Thank you to The Wall Street Journal for highlighting the significant costs incurred by brands to get products to shelf! In today's highly competitive retail landscape, the journey from production to shelf is fraught with significant costs for suppliers. From new item setup and slotting fees to processing and distribution, these expenses can quickly add up. It's crucial for brands to build these factors into their Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) model and negotiate whenever possible. By understanding and managing these costs, businesses can better navigate the complexities of the supply chain and protect their bottom line. IntelliCucina Here are a few tips to help you manage these fees: -Negotiate Setup and Slotting Fees -Optimize Distribution Channels -Reduce Introductory Allowances -Improve Inventory Planning -Leverage Long Term Relationships -Streamline Production SKUs -Review Contracts Regularly -Pursue Alternative Distribution Channels (DTC, Regional Distributors) -Factor Distributor Costs into Pricing Reach out if you want more tips or guidance! https://lnkd.in/ePZX5SYY #SupplyChain #Retail #COGS #SupplierCosts #Negotiation #BusinessSuccess

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Fascinating read on "upflation" happening in both personal care and beauty as well as food. This is all about taking a familiar product - like deodorant or salty snacks - and finding new uses or new use occasions as a way to grow revenue among increasingly cost-conscious shoppers who may be trading down to private label or other options. Think whole body deodorant or the snacks-for-dinner market. Personally I'm not interested in either of those, but maybe Gen Z or Alpha will partake? What do you make of upflation? #food #inflation #health #diet #foodscapefinds (article may be behind a paywall - apologies in advance for those who cannot access) https://lnkd.in/gVSg8xsQ

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HUGE deal: PepsiCo is acquiring Siete Foods for $1.2 billion. Before you doubt that valuation, I’ll say it:  Siete earned their price tag. CPG is hard.  Fundraising in this economic environment is hard. Disrupting stale categories (beans, tortillas, salsa, sauces) is hard. Challenging multi-brand, billion-dollar companies is very hard. Winning market share in salty snacks (chips) is very very hard. Building a multi-category food brand is very very very hard. Getting acquired by your biggest competitor – near impossible. All of those accomplishments are a legacy to be proud of. But the hardest work is just beginning. Because now it’s the family of founders’ job – all 7 of them –  To protect the legacy that they’ve built. To preserve the values that made this brand what it is today. To fight for what they believe when literal billions are at stake. Siete Family Foods x PepsiCo, Keep fighting the good fight. #food #innovation #mergers #acquisitions #marketing #finance

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These statistics on alcohol consumption in the U.S. are quite revealing. The top 10% of consumers are responsible for over 70% of total drinks consumed, with the top 20% consuming more than 2 drinks per day. Conversely, 60% of consumers average less than 1 drink per week. With impending updates to guidelines on safe alcohol consumption levels in the U.S., it will be interesting to observe how this distribution evolves. Where do you fall on this consumption chart? Thanks for bringing to my attention Tim Perreira Tim Barnes Darren McKee #AlcoholConsumption #USStatistics #HealthGuidelines

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Why I’m Investing and am Bullish on the Future of Tea ☕📈 Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world (after water), and its popularity continues to grow, especially here in the U.S. 🌍➡️🇺🇸 Here’s why I believe tea is poised for a massive leap forward: 📊 Consumer Trends are Shifting Over 60% of Americans drink tea daily, and the market has seen consistent growth year over year. Consumers are increasingly moving toward health-conscious beverages. Tea, with its natural antioxidants and versatility (hot, iced, sparkling, caffeinated, or herbal), checks every box. 💡 Tea is Under-Innovated While coffee has seen exponential growth and innovation (think Starbucks, cold brews, and canned options), tea is ripe for disruption. Ready-to-drink tea and premium tea options are growing rapidly, with the U.S. tea market projected to hit $16.7 billion by 2027 (up from $12.3 billion in 2022). 🌱 Sustainability Meets Transparency Modern consumers demand more than just a product; they want ethical sourcing, sustainability, and transparency. By leaning into farm-to-cup storytelling and compostable packaging, tea brands have an incredible opportunity to win customer loyalty. 🔥 The Starbucks Effect Coffee’s success wasn’t just about the product—it was about creating an experience. Tea can be the next frontier of that movement, tapping into the premiumization and internationalization that redefined the coffee industry. At Revival Tea Company, we’re positioning ourselves at the forefront of this exciting evolution. With a bold vision to make tea the new face of beverages, we're innovating across ready-to-drink products, chai concentrates, and high-quality loose-leaf teas. The tea industry is brewing something big, and I’m here for it. Whether you’re a tea enthusiast, an entrepreneur, or an investor, this is a space worth watching. Let’s raise a glass (or a cup) to the future of tea! ☕✨ #Tea #Innovation #FutureOfTea #Sustainability #Investing #FoodAndBeverage

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This one daily habit helps me stay focused as a CPG entrepreneur: (Spoiler alert: it’s not “cold plunging”) Can you guess what habit this is? If you guessed “journaling,” you’d be right! Everyone’s favorite productivity hack didn’t work for me. In fact: I was against it for a long time. (I have dozens of unfinished notebooks in my office right now, gathering cobwebs in my drawers) My problem is that I would be consistent, write every day, and then fall of it for a bit… for seemingly no reason. I just thought maybe journaling didn’t work for me. I was wrong. I found a system that actually works: An electric notebook. This helped me build a daily writing habit: To-do lists, goals, my self-development journey, etc. I started writing whatever I wanted. Almost immediately, I was: • Checking in with myself, morning and night • Reflecting on my day with intention and gratitude • Being more present, conscious, and aware of my goals Most of all: Journaling has helped me stay aligned with my core values, mission, and vision—as a CPG entrepreneur, and not-too-serious human. If you’re building a business, you need to stay focused on your long-term vision. Whether you use journaling, meditation, to-do lists, or another form of reflection to stay on track… Just try sticking with it. See what happens in a few months, or even a year. You never know what could happen. P.S. Do you journal? If so, are you Team Electric or Team Ordinary Notebook? 

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Last week, I had an insightful conversation with Joshua Schall, MBA where we explored the fast-changing energy drinks market in the U.S. and Canada, the strategic moves we’re making at GURU, and the balance between risk and opportunity. We also discussed the journey of taking GURU public and how we’re navigating investor expectations to drive long-term differentiation. Tune in for a deep dive into the dynamics of strategy, business, and the energy drink industry!

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This deal has the potential be an interesting one. On the surface, Mars acquiring a snacking business like Kellanova makes strategic sense— complementary, fast(er) growing snacks category with nice margins for food; however, on the surface, Kellanova appears dilutive to Mars on growth and margin, so there need to be significant synergies to make a deal work. Here's a hypothesis…  Mars will spin out Kellanova’s cereal business, returning it to WK Kelloggs. The Kellanova portfolio still derives ~25% of global sales from Cereal outside North America. Cereal has slower growth and lower margin than Kellanova’s snacks portfolio; however, Kellanova depends on Cereal for scale operations outside the US where it accounts for ~45% of sales. Under a scenario where Mars acquires Kellanova, the scale problem is solved and cereal is no longer needed. For WK Kelloggs, re-integrating the international cereal business would restore the synergies lost (R&D, ops, innovation, brand management—it’s a long list) when the portfolio was split by the creation of Kellanova. There is value here. I remain critical of Kelloggs’s transition to Kellanova + WK Kelloggs. It’s nothing more than financial spin that damages the brands and brings no value to consumers. If this Mars play is perhaps the endgame that the Kellanova architects had in mind, then I may owe them an apology. If not, then it’s a fitting end to the short and unremarkable chapter that was Kellanova. www.avenirstrategies.net https://lnkd.in/eVipvXFF

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A simple quote from Mike Tyson and one of my favorites of all time: "Everybody has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." It rings true in the day to day battles of business, especially in CPG. Here are some examples many CPG founders go through or ones I've personally battled: 🥴 You launch a product, did all the research for R&D, focus group testing, and reviewed the packaging thousands of times before launching, but still something went wrong either with shelf life, negative consumer/retailer feedback, or weak sales on shelf 💰 You had cash flow projections in place and expected that with X amount raised, it would last you for Y Months, but ran short of runway and were scrambling to raise more cash to keep the company going in difficult times 🤝 Formed partnerships, only disappointed to find out the partner backed out, or it wasn't the partnership you envisioned and now you are doing damage control and it's causing emotional pain to be with this person 🚛 Brought on a distributor thinking they would push the brand and it would be an estimated cost, but they didn't do their job, and the costs ended up sky-rocketing from chargebacks, thus losing money on every unit 😲You release a great product, and then a competitor comes up with a version of yours that is a lower price point and they have all the marketing dollars in the world to out-compete you. I can go on and on, but in this business, like any business, you have intentions when you go into it, and many times, it doesn't turn out the way you envisioned. What's your story of getting punched in the mouth?

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Thinking of Building a CPG Brand? Here’s How to Create Something Customers Didn’t Even Know They Needed. Having spent over 20 years in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space, here’s a piece of hard-earned advice: great brands solve unspoken needs. Sometimes, customers don’t realize what they’re missing until you provide it. But before you dive in, here’s a roadmap that can help you avoid common pitfalls: 1. **Identify Hidden Needs**: Instead of reimagining the wheel, focus on making something *better*—a unique, healthier, or more affordable twist on a product people already use. It’s about filling a gap they didn’t know was there, without trying to create a brand-new category that demands massive marketing spend. 2. **Validate Early**: Too many CPG players skip the Proof of Concept and MVP stages, launching without truly knowing if the product fits. Test and refine to reach Product-Market Fit before scaling. This ensures not only a solid product but also a healthy P&L, setting you up for a profitable and sustainable business. 3. **No Frills, Just Value**: Stick to the essentials. Emphasize the unique selling point that genuinely matters to your audience. Every dollar saved from avoiding “bells and whistles” is a dollar that can support growth. 4. **Cause-Driven, Cost-Effective Marketing**: Paid ads can quickly drain your budget. Instead, collaborate with purpose-driven initiatives and content creators whose audiences align with your brand. This builds trust and creates authentic connections at a fraction of the cost. In the end, success in CPG is about creating value that resonates, scaling thoughtfully, and building profitability from day one. Keep it simple, impactful, and truly customer-focused. #CPG #BrandBuilding #ConsumerGoods #ProductMarketFit #MVP #ProofOfConcept #NoFrills #CustomerNeeds #CollaborativeMarketing #BrandGrowth #SustainableBusiness #UniqueSellingPoint #AffordableInnovation #HealthyProducts #MarketValidation #CauseMarketing #ContentCreators #CustomerCentric #ScalableGrowth #LeanLaunch #Profitability #CustomerExperience #BrandLoyalty #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship #ProductDevelopment #CPGIndustry #BrandAwareness #PurposeDriven

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🚀 The rise of functional beverages is more than just a trend—it's a movement reshaping how we think about what we drink. 📖 Great piece by Keren Landman at Vox on why the better-for-you beverage category is surging, with the market set to surpass $200 billion by 2027. Millennials are leading the charge, consuming these beverages at twice the rate of other age groups.   🌱 This is just the beginning. The rapid innovation and demand we’re seeing are a testament to consumers seeking healthier, more mindful alternatives to traditional drinks.   🌵 We look forward to continuing to pave our own unique path forward for MAGIC CACTUS and provide consumers with a refreshing, healthier beverage that can be enjoyed by a broad base of drinkers nationwide. ✨   Link to full article below:

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McCormick & Company. is addressing gaps in its portfolio of sauces, spices, and seasonings through innovation and mergers and acquisitions. Their "more and faster" innovation plan speeds up product launches, as evidenced by the success of their finishing sugars, which sold out online within 24 hours and exceeded sales forecasts. McCormick is also enhancing packaging to differentiate products, with new looks for Grill Mates and McCormick Gourmet. They’re expanding into new areas like beverages, crafts, and sweets, and launching products like Frank’s RedHot squeezable bottles and Cholula Extra Hot sauce. M&A is expected to contribute a third of McCormick’s growth, with a focus on acquiring brands that fit its flavor strategy. The company’s long-term financial goals include 4%-6% net sales growth and 7%-9% operating income growth, supported by cost savings and acquisitions. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/efs_6gVw Food Business News Branded Hospitality Ventures #mergers #Acquisitions #Beverages #CPG Hospitality Hangout Podcast Sherri Tota Bill Simon Kasey Jenkins Suzanne Roy Brad Parker Lawrence Kurzius Brendan Foley

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Better-for-you brands are breaking through. PepsiCo acquired Mexican-American snack maker Siete Family Foods for $1.2B. Known for its grain-free versions of cultural staples, the 10-year-old company is expected to hit $500M in annual revenue by EOY. Initially designed for Latinos with dietary restrictions, Siete’s products span almond flour tortillas and chips, wedding cookies, sauces, salsas, and more. Hitting the mark, it raised $90M from Stripes in 2018, and actress Eva Longoria invested this year. Now, PepsiCo will look to bolster its multicultural and better-for-you portfolios. Across cultures, healthy convenience is in demand. But, when it comes to ethnic foods, authenticity is key — meaning upstarts have a rare R&D edge on corporations.

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In 2024, energy drink sales in convenience stores are expected to remain robust despite anticipated price hikes. Sales surged 10.8% in the past year, with smaller brands like CELSIUS Holdings, Inc. and GHOST leading growth. These brands are forecasted to continue expanding shelf space significantly. C-store operators are preparing for higher prices by focusing on variety, promotional deals, and flexible sizing to maintain customer interest. Brands emphasizing functional and low-sugar claims are particularly popular, catering to consumer demand for health-focused beverages. Overall, while inflation poses challenges, the energy drink market in c-stores is poised for continued growth through strategic marketing and product innovation. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/e84H9Bbn C-Store Dive Branded Hospitality Ventures Sally Lyons Wyatt #hospitality #beverage #foodandbeverage #technology #innovation Joe Sobolewski Paul Storey John Fieldly Giancarlo Morena Jarrod Langhans Toby David Mark Magnesen Ryan Hughes

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A successful promotion takes preparation, communication, and execution. Whole Foods Market executes two promotional cycles each month - July A and July B for example. New promotions drop every other Wednesday and on this day stores transition their old displays for what is newly on sale. Knowing this, a successful promotion begins two weeks prior to change over. During this time, it's imperative that decision-makers in store are aware of what’s coming on sale, what kind of sale it is (TPR, National Off Shelf), and what has been agreed upon in the buyers office. This information helps stores plan more effectively to ensure they are meeting global directives, while flexing their own in-store autonomy. It also ensures your brand is top of mind when store leadership is deciding what brands will go where. Communicating the information once is not enough. It takes weekly reminders and consistent check-ins to ensure that your brand sees the greatest ROI on the promotional spend. The difference between a successful promo and an unsuccessful promo occurs here, in the preparation and communication stage. The execution - the building of displays, the hanging of sales tags, the managing stock levels throughout the whole promotion - is equally important but good execution means nothing if the right people aren’t prepared and informed. The holy grail of promotional execution is when stores build displays and position your brand in prime position prior to the promo dropping. That’s what we see below for our partners at LOVE CORN. This beautiful display at a POP next to the registers is built and ready to go for Wednesday's price change. Fortunately for them, they get two more days of eyes and interest in a prime location, which will only drive their velocities heading into July A. This display is a result of preparation, communication, and some beautiful execution. It takes being present getting dirty to secure, but there’s no doubt - this display is clean. Great job, Chava! Dirty Hands

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“Growing a CPG company, especially in the food and beverage space, ‘is astronomically harder today,’. ” Paul Voge you said it, man. So many truth bombs dropped in this article about the challenges and difficulties growing and scaling a CPG brand in today’s world. The cruel reality is that it takes a whole lot of money or a whole lot of time (and most times both) along with a fair amount of luck to have a chance at making it. If you dont have a ton of money then you better have a ton of time, some good fortune, and a product that can withstand many changes of the seasons (and "trends"). For most emerging brands today its all about survival and just finding a way.  There are lots of traps out there– lots of shiny objects– lots of vanity metrics hoping to be noticed and cared about–but at the end of the day sometimes its just about living to see another one. Here’s to all you day-to-dayers and week-to-weekers out there that are all just finding a way. Keep finding it.

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We’re officially a few weeks into Q4 and you know what that means…. Trend season has begun! Yes, that lovely time of year when anyone and everyone in CPG land starts publishing their top food and beverage trends for 2025. What will consumers want? What will sell well over the next twelve months? Where should my innovation efforts be? What companies are about to blow up? Its all in the trend report, of course. We tend to salivate over the potential that lies within these reports and gloat over the vanity that they can provide: “So-and-so named OUR BRAND as a trending product!” We can also get disheartened and confused by them as well: “My innovation isn’t trending. Am I doing it wrong? Why didn’t [what I’m doing] get mentioned?” My honest take on most of these reports is that they mean very little, and I mostly ignore them. Besides, most of these reports are like the stock pickers on TV. Could be right, could not, but once we all know about them and they are out there, its already too late to act. The last thing you ever want to do as a brand (in my opinion anyway) is chase trends. Its the number one way to lose your brand voice and the number one way to build inauthenticity into your brand.  It's never the trendsetters that impress me.  Instead, it's the quiet killers with their heads down doing important work that matters, always working to build better, that impress me the most.  Just another reminder to all the founders out there to not let the CPG media and PR circus stop you from being you and authentically creating what you believe in, regardless if it's “trending” or not.

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After spiking during the pandemic, profit margins and same-store sales growth have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels for the grocery industry, FMI — The Food Industry Association said in a report released last week. Only 38% of surveyed food retailers said they expect their same-store sales to grow in 2024 while just 13% predict net profits will increase, according to the trade group’s The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2024 report. Food retailers are focusing on improving cost controls and cutting unnecessary expenses that do not drive value, FMI found. In 2023, profit margins in the grocery industry hit 1.6% — the lowest level since it was 1% in 2019 — as total expenses increased, FMI found. The industry’s slowed same-store sales growth of 2.1% last year was driven by inflation.

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