A small business food producer reveals how he got his product into the major supermarkets on small business marketing website Marketing Donut.
Getting their products into a national supermarket chain is a dream for many small food producers. Achieving it is not easy, but it can be done, says The Black Farmer Managing Director Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones in a case study on Marketing Donut.
Today a supplier to Asda, Sainsbury’s Morrisons and Tesco, Emmanuel-Jones says he always intended to sell his premium sausages nationally. But initially getting the attention of supermarket buyers required enormous persistence and knowledge of customer preferences.
“Rather than just turning up with a sales pitch, you need to show them evidence that their customers are actually going to buy your product,” he tells visitors to Marketing Donut’s sales section.
“I’ve made a conscious effort to get the consumer on side by building my brand. I produced a seven-minute film showing me at county fairs selling Black Farmer sausages. It demonstrated to buyers that people liked my sausages and were prepared to pay for them.”
Emmanuel-Jones says cost of his premium product was an issue in the negotiations, but ultimately he stood firm. He believes that independent food labels have a lot to offer mass market retailers.
“Supermarket categories these days lack personality. Own-label brands are all the same. Small firms need to remember they are the ones bringing some personality into the category – that is our advantage over own-label products.”
More information about The Black Farmer experience, lessons learned and Emmanuel-Jones’ advice for others can be found on Marketing Donut.
Backed by Royal Mail and Good, Marketing Donut is a free marketing resource for small businesses. It’s packed with expert articles and resources to enable small businesspeople to plan and implement successful marketing campaigns.
The Marketing Donut is at www.marketingdonut.co.uk
Further information:
>> visit http://marketingdonutblog.co.uk
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