Wizards of Ecom #036 Choosing the Right Big Box Retailer for Your Private Label with Jesse Wolfe - Founder of O’Dang Hummus
Jesse Wolfe has never sold on Amazon, but the information he has to share about approaching big box stores is invaluable. He is one of those people who has always been an entrepreneur. From starting his own lemonade stand to starting his own business at the age of 19, he loves serving the world through entrepreneurship.
He is now the founder of O’Dang Hummus and has appeared on Shark Tank with his new ways of using hummus in salad dressings. He started off showing his wares in farmer’s markets across the country and later tried to direct shipping. Crazy enough… transporting hummus is fairly difficult.
It wasn’t until he realized that direct to consumer was not going to work that he started approaching big box stores. He did everything the wrong way starting out, but he learned and now he has a refined process for choosing and approaching huge stores.
Listen in as he shares why you should be discerning about which stores you market to, how to market to them, and to remember your brand values as you go to market. He gives valuable insights into the inner workings of stores like Whole Foods and Costco as well as the Shark Tank process.
If you’re considering breaking into the big box store market, then you will not want to miss out on this treasure trove of information. Jesse will be back on the show, so listen in and don’t forget your pen and paper. You’ll want to take notes!
In This Episode:
[00:29] Welcome Jesse Wolfe founder of O’Dang Hummus.
[01:39] Jesse is one of the first people on the show who is not an Amazon seller or Amazon-based service provider.
[02:59] Learn more about Jesse’s passion for entrepreneurship and how O’Dang Hummus came about.
[04:58] How his path to Shark Tank came about and his work in the healthy food space.
[06:23] Jesse shares the science behind his product.
[08:01] He started in farmer’s markets… How did he build buzz?
[10:51] Why he wanted to create the “fun” tent at the market.
[13:19] They used farmer’s markets to build their tribe and to beta test their products.
[15:36] Jesse shares his obsession with Jeff Bezos and why he wasn’t able to sell on Amazon.
[17:21] Why they went retail versus direct shipping.
[18:01] The difference between Whole Foods and Costco for retail selling.
[21:05] One of the biggest benefits of selling with Costco is how quickly they pay for product.
[24:26] If you do well at Costco in the food space that’s a very high standard.
[28:12] What did the transition from farmers markets to eComm to retail stores?
[32:16] How to circumvent the gatekeepers… the wrong way!
[36:44] Jesse shares how he connected with his first broker.
[39:23] A broker can make or break you and there’s a huge learning curve there.
[40:55] One more golden nugget to succeed with big box stores…
[44:27] Are you expected to continue to drive sales?
[47:22] Connect with Jesse.
[48:37] Jesse’s favorite book and why.
Links and Resources:
Text “Amazon” to 69922
Wizards of Amazon on Instagram
Jesse on LinkedInJesse on InstagramA Thousand Tribes by Robin Lissak and George Bailey