A new food product that is being added to your production facility's inventory could manage to be a breakthrough item that many people enjoy eating, but the manner in which you go about getting your product on shelves and promoting the item could be time-consuming. If your current lineup until this point didn't contain food items or if you were basing previously sales upon online communications, hiring a food broker will pave the way to using a different sales approach.

What Is A Food Broker?

A food broker has existing relationships with many store owners and will promote a product by word of mouth, through demonstrations, and by using advertising tools. National chains, independent grocery stores, and specialty shops are all in the realm of possibilities when it comes time to have your product placed on shelves.

A broker can aid with choosing a targeted area, where sales have proven to be exemplary for other distributors and will help you devise a sales tactic that will alert the public to the new item, its benefits, and preparation methods. A broker can also advise you on current trends, which will include letting you know the cost of comparable products and how different seasons or shelf placement have affected overall sales. 

How Much Help Do You Need?

Your long term goal should be taken into consideration when devising a plan. Maintain a steady production rate that will make the product readily available to the public so that you can fulfill the number of orders that you anticipate. You can use a gradual approach, which may include having the item displayed at a couple of nearby locations and move up with your selling efforts, as time passes and you notice that the product is selling as well as you had hoped for.

Your broker will conduct routine assessments, which will determine how much of the product is being sold at a specific location. This will help you determine if you should increase your current production rate or if you should try another marketing tactic, which will increase sales.

A food broker can coordinate sampling stations, which will allow a customer to view the contents of the product and some preparation methods that are used, or you can request that individual samples are made available to the public, which can include tasting the food and providing coupons or another type of promotional item, to encourage people to buy the item.

If you have further questions, reach out to a local food broker.