Winning the Fresh Thyme Pitch Slam

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with two founders who've leveraged Startup CPG's Grocery Run events to accelerate their retail growth: Amna Mettmann of Brause and Jocelyn Ramirez of Todo Verde. The conversation provides an inside look at how these curated retailer events create high-ROI opportunities for emerging brands to close deals, build relationships, and gain invaluable feedback from buyers—often in a single day.

Amna shares how Brause used their very first Grocery Run in April as a launch pad for B2B, meeting dream retailers like Woodland Markets, Luke's Local, and Good Stuff Distributor within hours of officially launching on Shopify. She discusses attending four to five Grocery Run events since then, closing deals on the spot, and receiving critical product feedback that led to can redesigns and velocity improvements. Amna emphasizes the power of the community—from retailers offering actionable insights to "competitors" like All Phenoms taking her under their wing—and why Grocery Run's curated environment accelerates the typical 20-25 touchpoint sales cycle down to just 4-5.

Jocelyn recounts winning the pitch slam competition at the Chicago Grocery Run with Fresh Thyme Market—a milestone that came after months of unsuccessful cold outreach. She reveals what it felt like to pitch live on stage in front of hundreds of people, the importance of bringing authentic energy and storytelling to buyer conversations, and why treating judges and buyers as fellow humans (not pedestals) helps eliminate nerves. Jocelyn also shares how winning opened doors beyond the initial placement, including meetings with category managers from other departments and connections with service providers she'd only engaged with via email.

Whether you're considering attending your first Grocery Run or looking to maximize ROI at retail events, this conversation offers tactical advice on preparation, follow-up, booth setup philosophy, and why showing up—even without a table—can change the trajectory of your business.

Listen in as they discuss:

• How Brause used Grocery Run as a B2B launch pad with just a week on Shopify
• Closing deals with retailers and distributors on the spot vs. 20-25 touchpoint cold outreach
• Why Grocery Run accelerates sales cycles: curation, buyer expectations, and prep work
• Critical product feedback from buyers that led to can redesigns and velocity improvements
• The minimalist booth philosophy: letting the product speak for itself
• Building relationships with "competitors" and the unique community at Grocery Run events
• Winning the Fresh Thyme Market pitch slam: preparation, storytelling, and stage presence
• Why treating buyers as humans (not pedestals) eliminates pitch nerves
• Leveraging pitch competitions to meet category managers beyond your immediate buyer
• The importance of pre-event outreach and post-event follow-up
• Strategic advice: always buy a ticket and show up with samples, even without a table
• How Grocery Run differs from traditional trade shows and why ROI is consistently higher

Episode Links:

Brause:
Website: https://drinkbrause.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkbrause 

Todo Verde:

Website: https://todoverde.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/todoverde/ 

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Show Links:

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• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com

Episode music by Super Fantastics