“Together Talks” #114: Every Body Eat - presented by KLS

Some Background on Every Body Eat

For today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the opportunity to interview Every Body Eat and VP of Sales, Matt Rink. Their snackable, craveable thins are full of the flavors you want, and free from the stuff you don't. So good, you won't even realize they're missing the top 14 food allergens (EU standard), plus corn, which are associated with more than 90% of food allergies and intolerances. You’ll taste chive and chile pepper, not chalk. Garlic, not grit. So go ahead and share them with everybody at your table.

At Every Body Eat?, they are for the overscheduled families, the hungry teenage hockey practice mob, the last-minute party throwers, the culinary creators, the on-the-move makers, the back-of-the-car snackers, the special diet eaters, the gatherers, and the grazers—those who love to eat and who eat to live well, together. Unfortunately, they have found that sometimes reality gets in the way. One-third of American households struggle daily with food allergies, intolerances, or autoimmune diseases, and that number is only on the rise. Everyone is ordinary people with ordinary problems, and the food we eat shouldn’t be what divides us. The dining and social segregation caused by special diets ends here.

Every Body Eat set out to make it easy to eat with everybody. They create craveable, crunchy crackers—and soon, creamy dip-dressings, flavor blends, and more. They take the time and guesswork out of eating, and put the flavor and joy back into it. Their products and manufacturing facilities are free from wheat/gluten, milk/dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, corn, sesame, eggs, mustard, celery, lupins, sulfites, fish, shellfish, and mollusks. (Yes, you CAN make food that's free from all these things and still tastes great.)

Trish & Nicole at the forefront

The Co-Founders met each other at their children's school. There was an immediate spark and connection, but once they realized they both of their families were impacted from eating limitations they set out to work together. Both driven by the challenge to conquer a new space and create real, sustainable change, they created Every Body Eat.

Trish, a former entrepreneur, was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. Medication was the only remedy provided to try and manage the symptoms. Trish instead decided to research and see if she could get to the root of the problem. In experimenting with different foods she found that there were positive changes when she removed corn, dairy, and gluten from her diet. The progress, albeit small, allowed her to reduce her level of medication, but she knew this wasn't a permanent solution.

Nichole brought into the equation experience within the CPG space. However her family was impacted when two of her children were diagnosed with acid reflux and severe lactose intolerance. Upon discovering this about her children, soon her husband discovered he was lactose intolerant as well and sensitive to eggs and shellfish. Finally Nicole realized she had a sensitivity to dairy and gluten. Dealing with discomfort, pain, and true uncomfortableness within her family, they understood the need to make a change.

When Trish and Nichole met each other, both had the drive to create change within their families, but understood they was a greater calling. Their passion to bring accessible options to anyone and every body is the driving force behind their company. Understanding the hinderance that food limitations can have for an individual or family is the reason they set out to create real change in a healthy way. They are removing the stigmas, the worry, the concern. Every Body Eat is providing a true solution for those in need.

2020 - Matt's entrance

In 2020, Every Body Eat was in 7 retail doors in Chicago. They had no distribution, retail chains. Their primary focus was going through foodservice and educational channels. Matt's first day with the company was March 30th, 2020. Then the world shut down.

They took the opportunity to create their strategy and vision. Their first goal was to create a direct personal connection with their consumers. Their products were created out of need. Matt explained, "We understand we can't be a snack for every body, but we are going to try and be a brand that is a possibility for as many people as possible." Not every person can eat everything either through dietary restrictions or personal choice. The company understood what they could offer as a solution, clean ingredients, non-gmo, gluten free certified, kosher certified, but most important inclusive.

For the industry, not every company can stand behind the oath to create and provide the healthiest of products for those in need. Every Body Eat could. They were providing products that consumers with any limitation could consume with absolute confidence. This is what the company stood for as an organization and why the company was created. They understood their why, next they needed to direct the course of their company and plan where they were going to go.

Matt shared that initially they thought they could co-manufacture, but to maintain the highest level of standards they elected to keep everything in house. They wanted to extend an olive branch to everyone who sat at their table, once again focusing on inclusion. Then the company decided to spark disruption in their category. They put ALL of their ingredients on the FRONT of the bag. Their focus is what is inside the bag. It immediately grabs the attention of consumers, but Matt implored one critical need, "The trick is to get them to say 'Wow, this is delicious!', regardless of who is trying it."

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Retail Door Growth

March of 2020 the company was in 7 retailer doors.

Today they are in over 2600 doors.

Matt told us that their goal was to build velocity. They focused on going deep locally at first. He shed light on the importance of expansion, "If a company is going to expand they must understand who their real consumer is, whether that be catering geographically, selling online, or a specific region." Every Body Eat utilized a methodical and strategic approach remaining very cognizant of their capacity. They focused on going as deep as they could. Matt credited their growth to a key partner, Green Spoon Sales.

"Without them, we wouldn't be in this position today. They have been an incredible partner for us. They have been advocates, ambassadors, champions for us.", Matt shared. He explained that whether a company can afford a sales team or if they have to go the ambassador or broker route it all comes down to one key metric, alignment. He continued, "Find someone who really understands your vision. When they can pair that with your community and audience it allows the traction to build. Over time the consumers become champions for the brand too because they campaign for your product."

While there have been so many incredible wins for the company Matt, candidly shared a moment that proved to be unfortunate for their trajectory of growth. While not having any partnerships with large retail distributors they made a push to develop those in the Midwest. They hoped to get into locations such as Mariano’s, Jewel, FoxTrot, Whole Foods, Lunds and Byerlys. They got approval from Whole Foods for local stores. Next Lunds gave them approval, stating they loved the product. This preempted Every Body Eat to activate at UNFI. However this small partnership prevented them from being eligible for the UNFI Next Program. "This was a huge missed opportunity for us, we just didn't know and understand what was out there. We had to learn the hard way by missing out on this great opportunity within UNFI.", Matt explained. He continued by explaining how critical it is to have the most updated information and support from all potential and current partners. Matt reiterated the importance of true partnership and being respectful and understand of all retailer agreements. Despite missing out on the Next program, it was a pivotal learning experience for the company. They have also not let it derail them as they are shattering growth with UNFI.

The Why

From Every Body Eat's website:

"Our kitchen is clean. We pride ourselves in creating our food in an environment that is higher than the highest standards and free from the ingredients so many people struggle to avoid. Building our own kitchen from scratch wasn’t easy, but it was the right recipe to meet our standards; many “free from” food companies produce their products using contract manufacturers that may still pose a risk of cross contract from other allergens."

Despite a consumer's limitation they are committed to providing excellence and assurance with each and every product. They understand the importance of building efficiency into their services with manufacturing. Matt said a company needs to always have an eye on what is coming next. One way to be ready for the next phase is to evaluate the current set up and see if there are any additions that could be added to a brand that fit within the scope of production base don raw goods, machinery, supply chain, etc. "Ultimately we are selling a model of tomorrow and trying to survive today, but what is that timeline?", Matt shared.

Unicorns are the companies who can easily gain distribution and stick Matt believes. It is easy for the consumer because it fits their price point and is easy to understand it. There is creativity and uniqueness to the product, placing it ahead of the curve. When a company is on this trajectory it is chasing validation which Matt described as the 3rd purchase. "When a consumer or retailer makes that third order that is the permission for the next step, or the next door. In order to scale, we believe that we need to go deeper first and that starts with growing after we reach that third order.", Matt shared.

During his few years with the company Matt explained that what brings him the most joy is the opportunity to sample. Between stores and tradeshows the company has completed almost 1,000 samplings to date! Matt told us that the ability to talk direct with consumers who have to eat their product because of dietary restrictions and also those who choose to eat it, gives them so much pride and perspective. Another huge milestone for the company was being awarded Midwest Supplier of Whole Foods in 2021. Matt enlightened us on their reception, "We believe Whole Foods sets the bar for delighting consumers and being a good value. For them to say we embody what they want from all of their suppliers, is just a wonderful testament. Gaining that acknowledgement from a retailer just goes to show what we have built. And all of the credit goes to our team."

Matt explained how it is easy to get caught up watching other brands and their success or wins. But also alluded to the fact that there isn't one right way to do things. It is ok to try and emulate what others have done, but ultimately the approach may not align. Instead he suggests finding the north star of yourself and your brand and work off that. Find the purpose, find it quickly, very quickly and ingrain that in every decision that is made. He added how critical it is to surround yourself with people who understand what your purpose is. He concluded with, "It is ok to mirror your company to others for, but in the end you want to be the magnet. Take that mindset into each and every decision you make."

Piece of Advice

The conversation with Matt ended with him sharing his piece of advice:

"Don’t strive for perfection, good enough works. If you made it this far, meaning you took the time to create a business plan and launched into market, then you’ve already done everything. You’re good enough. Remember that. Now focus on what is next. You need to find a community and audience to let your vision and company grow.”

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In Closing

KLS wants to thank Matt Rink, VP of Sales, of Every Body Eat?and for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!

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