Pantry AI

?? 80% of purchase decisions happen in-store. If your brand isn’t nailing merchandising, you’re leaving money on the table. ?? For brands entering grocery retail, in-store merchandising is a survival strategy. The first 90 days at a new retailer are critical, and if you’re not executing properly, your product could be pulled from shelves before customers even know it exists. Take Juicero—the $400 juicer startup that raised $120M but flopped. A failed in-store trial at 11 Whole Foods in Southern California only accelerated its downfall (among many other reasons!) Compare that to Poppi, acquired by PepsiCo for a reported $1.95B, which dominates grocery retail with strategic end-cap placements that reinforce its brand identity and drive sales. If your product is misplaced, not stocked correctly, or lacks a strong shelf presence, you’re losing sales. Here are 3 Key Factors for Merchandising Success: ?? Packaging – Eye-catching, informative, and on-brand design drives conversions. ?? Shelf Positioning – Eye-level placement can increase sales by 80% (POPAI). ?? Retailer Relationships – Store managers can make or break your in-store execution. ?? Pro Tip: A dedicated merchandising team is worth the investment. Whether it’s in-house or through experts like RDSolutions (formerly RetailData), Relentless by LA Libations , Skyu, or even having boots on the ground ensures your brand stays visible, stocked, and selling. If you’re expanding into grocery retail, what’s your biggest challenge in merchandising? Drop it in the comments! ?? #retail #merchandising #CPG #grocery #brandbuilding

"We are not sure what the future will hold for the industry. Please say a prayer for all strawberry growers.” This is a Facebook post from Welch, a family-owned farm based in Ohio. They had to cancel their strawberry season because they weren't able to grow disease-free plants... Strawberries could go the way of egg-flation! And it's not just due to Neo-P, the highly contagious disease affecting strawberry plants in the midwest and south. It's also because of tariffs. Target CEO Brian Cornell just warned that produce prices—including strawberries —could rise as soon as next week. The US imports lot of produce (and strawberries) from Mexico. New tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports could kick in by April 2, affecting the $200B+ worth of food the U.S. imports annually. Costco is already pivoting away from Canadian suppliers. But with US strawberry growers facing Neo-P, could strawberries become the new eggs?! But this raises an interesting question... ?? Will premium, indoor-farmed strawberries like Oishii’s Berries, which can start at $10 for their Koyo berries, start looking like a better deal? Would you pay $10 for strawberries if the alternative wasn’t much cheaper? Let us know in the comments! PS Hiroki Koga would love to hear your thoughts on this : )

Nearly 25% of CPG companies don’t use Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)—yet it’s the glue that holds supply, demand, and financial planning together. Without it, brands risk stockouts, excess inventory, and major bottlenecks. The best S&OP processes follow five key steps: ?? Gathering Data – Sales forecasts, inventory levels, and past trends matter. ?? Predicting Demand – Understanding what customers want before they want it. ?? Planning Supply – Producing the right amount without overstocking. ?? Checking for Gaps – Finding imbalances before they create chaos. ? Making It Official – Aligning every team to the same plan. But here’s the thing—S&OP is complex and time-consuming. That’s why even big brands like In-N-Out Burger are (hiring) dedicated S&OP managers to keep everything running smoothly. So why are we talking about S&OP? Because Pantry AI can make S&OP managers lives so much easier because our tech ensures sales and ops actually talk to each other. ?? We did this with our client TOST Beverages, a leading non-alcoholic beverage brand: Before Pantry, their sales team was drowning in manual order processing just to meet different retailer requirements. After switching to Pantry, they automated everything, reduced errors, and scaled effortlessly. If S&OP still feels like a headache, we should talk. Your supply chain shouldn’t hold you back—it should fuel your growth. #CPG #SOP #SupplyChain #PantryAI #RetailTech #DemandPlanning

Many companies struggle with S&OP (sales and operations planning) execution—not because the process is flawed, but because meetings turn into discussions instead of decisions. S&OP is designed to align supply and demand through cross-functional collaboration. Without the right data, leadership, and engagement, the process breaks down. Here is what S&OP is supposed to look like in Five Steps: 1?? Data Collection & Management – Gather sales forecasts, inventory levels, and financial objectives. 2?? Demand Planning – Forecast future demand. 3?? Supply Planning – Determine production or procurement needs. 4?? Plan Reconciliation – Identify gaps between supply and demand. 5?? Plan Approval & Execution – Finalize and implement the strategy. Somewhere in these 5 steps, teams typically get stalled by -- Inaccurate or incomplete master data -- Lack of commercial engagement and accountability -- Poor integration of sales and operational inputs. For brands looking to improve their S&OP process, modern tools like Pantry AI make strategic alignment and real-time decision-making much easier. DM us for more information!

76% of leaders say sales performance improves with the right sales enablement tools. Scaling sales ops is a major challenge for F&B brands. Once a business hits a certain number of SKUs and retail partnerships, traditional inventory tracking (manual entry, spreadsheets, siloed systems) starts breaking down. That translates to stockouts, overstocks, and inefficiencies that hurt both revenue and relationships. Proactive brands invest in sales ops tools to create a centralized source of truth—aligning teams, automating workflows, and improving forecasting. Take Coke Florida, an independent Coca-Cola bottler. They recently opened a 28,000 sq. ft. Sales & Distribution Center to deliver over 2 million units efficiently. One key to their success? A well-structured sales ops strategy that ensures accurate inventory management at scale. There are TONS of Sales Ops Tools in the market, but here are some key features that are must-haves for any sales ops tool: ? Make Data Actionable – Pantry AI helped Kiva Brands, Inc. clean up 100,000+ unmapped SKUs in a day. ? Enable Accurate Forecasting – The best tools provide real-time sales insights to prevent stockouts & optimize inventory. ? Speak the Customer’s Language – Automate product mapping to ensure seamless orders, even when customers request "the green sour one" instead of the full product name. Curious if Paul Voge has any good stories of how customers ordered their unique flavors! Her are some sales ops tools to checkout: Cin7 – Advanced inventory & demand forecasting for complex supply chains. Crisp – Real-time store-level demand insights for CPG brands. Pantry AI – Automates sales orders, predicts reorders, and converts email communications into actionable insights. #SalesOps #InventoryManagement #RetailTech #CPG #FoodandBeverage #PantryAI

Are egg sections chaos at every retailer? It seems like it! Egg shortages ?? have been dominating headlines as bird flu continues to decimate bird populations. According to the USDA, the virus led to the culling of 13.2 million birds in December 2024 alone. Since bird flus outbreak in 2022 over 160 million birds have died, but this year has been particularly bad. What this means for consumers is egg prices are sky-rocketing and the sticker-shock is real. In NYC, egg prices can range anywhere from $8 - $11 or more. Egg prices have increased so much that even restaurants like Denny's are passing on the costs to consumers (they recently announced a temporary surcharges to meals containing eggs.) This egg-flation has created opportunity for plant-based egg brands. Eat Just sales for Just Egg grew 5x faster in 2025 compared to 2024 and is attracting an entirely new demographic - 91% of its consumers purchasing aren't even vegan or vegetarian (Source Green Queen.) Green Queen Media reporter Anay Mridul wrote a great piece on this after interviewing Just's CEO Josh Tetrick. Definitely check it out! We'll link it in the comments. If you're also feeling the stick-shock from egg prices, it's a great time to try plant-based egg alternatives. Plus with Natural Products Expo coming up in California, you'll probably discover egg-alternatives that you love. Here two that we are already on our radar ?? ?? Yo Egg -- Ariel Glazer what's your take on all of this?! Let us know in the comments! ?? Crafty Counter Wunder Egg their founder Hema Reddy will be at Expo N1917 Drop a comment because we want to know what plant-based egg alternatives you've tried AND the craziest price you've paid for eggs!

Colgate-Palmolive is over 200 years old. They reached OVER $20 billion in net sales for the FIRST time in 2024. How does a company that's over 200 years old do this? ? Constant innovation in all corners of the company...and an incredible supply chain. According to the Institute of Supply Chain Management, 55% of business managers believe that optimizing supply chain processes is the best way to gain a competitive edge. But you don't need to be a multibillion dollar brand to create a resilient, innovative supply chain. There are ways any brand can start today. Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is a great way to start because it forces suppliers to be proactive and take control of their supply chain. VMI is supply chain approach that shifts inventory management responsibilities from retailers to suppliers, leveraging real-time data and automation to keep stores stocked with exactly what they need. If executed correctly VMI can... ? Save brands $$ by eliminating warehouse fees from overstocking ? Make brands & retailers money by preventing stockouts ? Improve supplier-retailer relationships because it requires high-levels of trust and communication. Companies that succeed with VMI invest in the right technology, partnerships, and communication frameworks. Examples of successful companies that use VMI: -- Walmart -- Kroger -- Danone But its not just the CPG industry that uses forms of VMI. Pharmaceuticals and even the aviation industry uses similar approaches! What do you think are other ways companies can innovate their supply chain? Let us know in the comments!! We want to hear ?? #retail #cpg #grocery #supplychain #supplychaintech

Bob Dylan is making a lot of people money this year! ?? Draft lyrics to Mr. Tambourine Man just sold for $508,000 at auction. ?? His biopic A Complete Unknown crossed $100M globally and snagged 8 Oscar nominations. ?? And his whiskey brand, Heaven’s Door, is seizing the moment releasing excited limited editions, serving its whiskey at select events, and reaching new customers! Let's look at the Heaven's Door story ?? shout out to Matt Balaker's podcast that helped us learn a lot more...link in comments! In 2018, CPG industry veteran?Marc Bushala? discovered Bob Dylan’s whiskey ambitions after coming across a trademark filing for “Bootleg Whiskey”—a name traditionally associated with moonshine. As a longtime Dylan fan, Bushala saw an opportunity and reached out to Dylan’s longtime manager, Jeff Rosen, to pitch an idea which soon evolved into Heaven’s Door. While the name was an unmistakable nod to?Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Dylan wanted the whiskey to be recognized for its quality rather than his celebrity, so he purposefully took an active, behind-the-scenes role. After proving to the world Heaven's Door can stand on its own - its won almost every whiskey award you can think of - Dylan's image has been popping up in their marketing a tiny bit more, especially with the release of A Complete Unknown. For example, Heaven's Door partnered with the film’s producer Searchlight Pictures to ensure their whiskey would be served at the film’s premiere events in LA and New York. It’s also being featured at select screenings across the country, making it part of the movie-going ritual. This kind of pairing goes beyond traditional endorsements. It enhances the experience for fans, making a night at the movies feel even more immersive. What can non-celeb brands learn from this? Experience-driven marketing is powerful. Creating the right mix of culture, community, and product experience can go a long way. Lunar is an Award-winning Asian Hard Seltzer that does a great job at this. Look at their IG @drinklunar and you'll see what we mean! Would love to hear: What’s the best experiential marketing move you’ve seen lately? Comment below or tag us in any interesting experiential moments you see on LI!

Convenience Stores are becoming Inconvenience Stores. If you've visited Target, CVS, or Walgreens in any city, you've probably seen aisles upon aisles of locked-up products as a theft-prevention measure. However, it's ruining the shopper experience and hurting sales for retailers because shoppers are more likely to ditch the store and buy on Amazon. Walgreens' CEO publicly admitted this as well, "[It] does impact how sales work through the store because when you lock things up, for example, you don’t sell as many of them. We've kind of proven that pretty conclusively." These tactics are likely hurting brands sell-thru rates, which makes us ask.. . Is getting into Target and CVS still a win for emerging brands if they're in a "locked up" section? ?? Thoughts on this Nate Rosen and Russell Kohn?? Although, there may be a work-around solution. The WSJ reported that CVS is piloting an app feature that lets shoppers unlock cabinets with their own device, so you won't need to hunt down an employee. If you're in NYC, this app is being piloted in three CVS stores: 1) 630 Lexington Ave on the corner of 53rd Street 2) 540 Amsterdam Ave on the corner of 86th Street 3) 158 Bleecker St. between Thompson and Sullivan If the app is successful, it will be rolled out to a few more stores and then go nationwide! Our questions for you: ?? Has anyone tried the app yet? Let us know in the comments! ?? How are brands like Bubble and Starface World navigating being in friction-filled shopping sections of the stores? ?? What's the craziest item you've seen locked up?! Drop a comment.

?? How Liquid I.V. became a Billion-Dollar Brand?? “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” ?? That’s what Brandin Cohen (founder of Liquid I.V.) told Loyola Marymount University when he was reflecting on Liquid I.V.'s success which is today a billion-dollar hydration empire. Liquid I.V. started as an idea in 2013. Cohen, a former LMU golfer, dreamed of going pro—until injuries changed his path. Working in pro baseball, he noticed something odd: elite athletes in the dugout were chugging Pedialyte to stay hydrated. Through research, Cohen discovered Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT), a science-backed formula designed to fight dehydration. The idea was simple: use this proven hydration technology, remove the junk in traditional sports drinks, and build a lifestyle brand around it. Liquid I.V. started small, launching in mom-and-pop shops in LA’s South Bay. The real breakthrough was Whole Foods. Cohen attended a “Supplier 101” class, met a buyer, and locked in one store. He personally sampled every weekend until Liquid I.V. became the top seller. By 2015, they were in 12 Whole Foods locations. Then they met Scott Emerson of The Emerson Group—a distribution powerhouse. Emerson was impressed by Liquid I.V.’s sales data and helped scale it into national retailers. Strategic partnerships (including Justin Bieber as an investor) and viral marketing fueled explosive growth—more than $200M in annual revenue by 2020. But Liquid I.V. wasn’t just about making money. The brand donated 500 servings to a LA homeless shelter in 2014 and later partnered with Direct Relief to expand global hydration efforts. By 2020, Liquid I.V. was in 30,000+ retailers nationwide and got acquired by Unilever for a reported $500M Today its reportedly a billion-dollar brand.. ?? The takeaway? ? Spot an overlooked market gap. ? Use science & data to build a better product. ? Hustle your way into distribution. ? Leverage culture & community to scale. What’s your favorite CPG startup story? Drop it in the comments ??