Wonder

Research Outline

Prepared for Philip B. | Delivered August 7, 2020

Strategies for Specialty Food Distribution

Goals

To uncover examples of best in class strategies for specialty food distribution, case studies of successful specialty food brands that have worked with distributors, and market trends in the specialty food sector.

Early Findings

STRATEGIES FOR SPECIALTY FOOD DISTRIBUTIONBased on publicly available data, there are many strategies that specialty food brands can use to distribute their merchandise. Some strategies explored briefly below include.
Reach out to a DistributorFood distributors have local warehouses, specially designed to hold food, which would benefit a brand that is starting with specialty food.
Selling specialty foods also allows businesses to assess which category or niche the item falls in to ensure one is in either organic food stores or whole foods establishments.
Specialty food distributors take orders from wholesale food buyers then pick and pack the items to deliver to stores.
Go Digital or Sign-up on E-commerce PlatformsE-commerce continues to rise, which is advantageous to businesses already having stores online because most customers are now online.
Online stores offer customers convenience, which helps to build customer loyalty. E-commerce platforms offer business owners "more freedom and control of inventory management and back office processes."
However, in situations one is not ready to have their e-commerce platform, they can start selling online by signing up on e-commerce platforms and list their products.
MARKET TRENDS IN SPECIALTY FOODSA review of a report by PR NewsWire provides in-depth information on some trends to expect in the specialty food market, including which products are gaining more market share, which ones are emerging, trending, etc.
Fermented beveragesAccording to an SFA State of the Specialty Food Industry research report, refrigerated, ready-to-drink functional beverages have increased 55% in retail sales.
The probiotic-friendly kombucha drives the change, while more examples of fermented functional beverages with health claims, tradition, and flavor are entering the market.
Likewise, drinking vinegars, which are rich in amino acids, antioxidants, and probiotics, are expected to continue growing into the future.
Dairy-free ProductsAccording to more recent market data, more consumers are leaning towards dairy-free products.
On that note, dairy-free alternatives like oats and nut-based milks continue emerging and are expected to "reign in yogurts, beverages, creamers and frozen desserts."
CBD Products CBD products have been trending for a while due to their therapeutic benefits.
The market is witnessing continuous growth in product categories containing CBD.
The growth in CBD products follows continued research and understanding of CBD's importance and its other functions as an ingredient.
Summary of FindingsThe initial hour of research has uncovered a few examples of specialty food distribution strategies and a few market trends in specialty food. We believe there is more information on the topic available in public, which could focus on all aspects of the request.
In addition to this public search, we scanned our proprietary research database of over 1 million sources and were unable to find any specific research reports addressing your goals.