Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford

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If you treat distributors like a sales opportunity to be won - like a grocery store, cafe, pharmacy, or speciality retailer - you'll go far. Unfortunately, most brand owners think landing a distributor is the finish line, a "set and forget." That's not how they work, no matter what level of distributor you're working with.
Bronwyn Manolas runs Devine Food Wholesalers, a distribution business built around beautiful, high-quality products kept out of the major supermarkets, and a door-to-door, relationship-first sales model most brand owners never see from the inside - the door-knocking, the tastings, the relationship-building that happens long before an order shows up in your inbox.
In episode 168 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Bronwyn opens the door and invites you in on what a distribution business actually looks like day-to-day - so you know how you need to fit in.
If you have a distributor and the relationship isn't working, or you don't have one but want one, do not miss this episode - you'll learn:
💰 What margin you need, and how to think about pricing before you approach one
🎯 What Bronwyn looks for before she'll even consider sampling a new product
🤝 What's more important - tastings or discounts, and why
📅 When you need to take action for Christmas listings
💳 Payment terms to plan your cash flow around
If you've ever wondered what a distributor is really thinking when your product lands on their desk, this episode answers it.
Season 18 is brought to you by NFTC, a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods like nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds and more for emerging food and beverage brands.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
Devine Food Wholesalers website
Devine Food Wholesalers Instagram
NFTC website
BlueRock website
Loco Love website
Enriche Foods website
Sorry Nonna website
Tummy Gummies website
Your Free Pitch Plan
Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC
Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.
If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.
They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.
Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.
Check them out at nftc.com.au

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Nicky Jackson has been a CPG brand owner before, so she knew the ropes. When she first talked to Target US, she didn't ask for a trial, she asked for 700 doors. What came next was a surprise even to Nicky. Target came back with an offer of over 1,900.
Nicky is the founder of Lioness, a daily functional snack range built around what women actually want throughout their day. Before Lioness, Nicky spent years at Kellogg Company  and Pepsi Co, then built RangeMe, the platform that changed how brands and retailers find each other.
In episode 167 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Nicky and I get into why she built a product the category didn't have, and what it actually cost her to get there.
Don't miss this episode, you'll learn:
 🎯 How Nicky decided what type of product to create
💰 The funding required just to cover a first Target order
🛡️ Why you need insurance, and how far in advance
🤝 What most founders don't realise about broker relationships 
🍬 The thinking behind three products for three moments
If you're chasing your first major retail listing, wanting to get into Target US, or you just want a grounded, numbers-informed look at what that journey really costs, this episode is essential listening.
Season 18 is brought to you by NFTC, a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods like nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds and more for emerging food and beverage brands.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
Lioness website
Lioness Instagram 
Lioness TikTok
Nicky Jackson LinkedIn 
NFTC website
BlueRock website
Your Free Pitch Plan
Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter
Season 18 with NFTC
Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.
If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.
They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.
Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.
Check them out at nftc.com.au

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Food and drink brands that stand for nothing fall for everything. And that doesn't work.
In episode 166 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, my guest is Janice Williams from Universal Media Co, a digital marketing and publishing company working with food and wellbeing brands. Janice makes the case for finding the right audience, not just a bigger one.
We get into why behavioural data beats demographics every time, and why borrowing trust from a brand that already has it can do more for a new product than any ad spend. The opportunity you now have is finding which brand is best for you to borrow from. Listen to learn how and:
💬 How to distil years of product development into one or two lines that land;
🤝 Why media should be treated as an influencer, not just a channel; and 
🛒 What retailers actually want to see before they'll back you.
If you've ever felt like you're shouting into the void on social media, wondering why sales still aren't moving, this episode will change how you think about where your marketing effort goes.
Season 18 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase — scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement — NFTC is worth knowing about.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
Universal Media Co. website 
NFTC website
NFTC LinkedIn page
BlueRock website
Your Free Pitch Plan
Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter
Season 18 with NFTC
Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.
If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.
They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.
Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.
Check them out at nftc.com.au

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In the eighth and final episode of Season 17 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I am joined by Helen Johnston, co-founder and creative director of Honey and Fox, and Henry Nevile from the Natural Foods Trading Company - two industry insiders who were on the ground at both the BiteBack Awards and Foodpreneurs Festival on 21 and 22 May. Both were there last year, too.
Together, the three of us unpack what actually happened. What stood out at Stickybeak Station, our product showcase. What Brand Story Studio revealed about where emerging brands are right now. And what Helen and Henry observed about the sophistication of this year's attendees' businesses.
More than 15 brands are named throughout the conversation - not as a roll call, but as real examples of what's working, what's standing out on shelf, and what the market is telling us right now to help you grow.
And after four years of bringing the event to life, and ten years working directly with emerging brands, I share what I’m seeing across the market and give you practical advice to help you grow your sales and brand faster.
If you were at the Foodpreneurs Festival, this is your recap. If you weren't, prepare to take notes - this is your free advisory session.
Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement—NFTC is worth knowing about.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
Collide Drinks
Intentional Tea
Mulled Beverages
Uproar Snacks
Spicetub
Oaty Butter
Seedy Foods
Coast N Smoke
Fabio Soda
Umei Foods
Made4Change
Urban Forager
Raffi Cookies
Get Dressed
Sweet Pea & Poppy
Download your FREE Brand Story Starter Kit
Honey & Fox website
Honey & Fox Instagram
Food Marketing Academy
Jayne Gallagher LinkedIn
Helen Johnston LinkedIn
NFTC website
NFTC LinkedIn page
Henry Nevile LinkedIn
Your Free Pitch Plan
Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter
Season 18 with NFTC
Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.
If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.
They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.
Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.
Check them out at nftc.com.au

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Most people only think about fibre when something goes wrong. It's been sitting in the health aisle, powdered and medicinal, for decades. Nobody had moved it - until now.
Priscilla Mellado saw something everyone else missed.
Twenty years ago, pregnant and struggling with gut issues, she looked at the fibre category and thought: somebody has to do this better. That child is now 24. And Liquify Drinks is finally here.
In episode 164 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Priscilla pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to build a CPG brand from scratch. The 6,000 bottles she couldn't sell. The 6am fitness classes she shows up to pour tastings. Packing orders - even on the morning of this interview. 
Priscilla describes it best herself: sometimes it literally feels like hanging upside down, spinning.
And yet - she's built something with real substance, and this week she walks into a room of investors and pitches for the future of her business. You're hearing her story right before that moment.
This is episode one of two. Priscilla pitches at Foodpreneurs Festival this week. We follow up after. You're coming on the journey with us.
Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase - scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement - NFTC is worth knowing about.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
Liquify Drinks website
Liquify Drinks Instagram
NFTC website
NFTC LinkedIn page
Your Free Pitch Plan
Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
Season 18 with NFTC
Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.
If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.
They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.
Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.
Check them out at nftc.com.au