Let’s turn your CPG food or beverage idea into a brand hitting retail shelves next

brand strategy is the first step before formulation, branding, or bringing your product to market.

From idea to a brand hitting retail shelves🛒

From idea to a brand hitting retail shelves🛒

Guessing is the most expensive way to build a brand

Too many early-stage, first-time CPG founders jump straight to branding and formulation without a brand strategy, in an industry with a 70% failure rate.

They design packaging that doesn't speak to their target consumer. They hire a formulator before they know who they're selling to. They name the brand before checking whether it can be trademarked. They pitch retailers who were never the right fit.

Brand strategy is your first step to beating the odds.

Is brand strategy your next step?

Brand strategy is the foundation of how you'll turn your CPG food or beverage idea into a brand hitting retail shelves next. This step comes before formulation, branding, or bringing your product to market.

This is for you if:

  • You know you want to be on retail shelves

  • You're ready to invest in the full path, not just this first step

  • You're ready to start now

  • You have a unique CPG food or beverage idea

  • You're in the earliest stages from testing recipes, brainstorming a brand, while working full time

  • You don't have a brand name, formulator, designer, or manufacturer yet

  • You want a real strategy before you spend money on executing your idea

  • You want a brand strategy to use for fundraising later

  • You want to work with industry experts and do this the right way

This is not for you if:

  • You're not sure yet whether you want to be on retail shelves

  • You need to raise money before you can start brand strategy

  • You're still exploring and can't commit to a start date

  • You haven't talked through the investment yet with anyone else who's part of the decision

  • You've already trademarked a brand name

  • You've hired a designer for branding and packaging

  • You've hired a formulator and your formulation is finalized

  • You've started manufacturing

  • You've started selling at local markets or retailers

Trusted by the next generation of CPG food & beverage founders

Hi, I'm Kelly Bennett, a New York City–based brand strategist building CPG food and beverage brands from idea to retail shelves.

Twenty years building emerging brands led me to my niche in CPG food and beverage. I work with some of the hottest emerging brands coming to market, including Cotto and She's the Sauce (humble client brag!). On Emerging Brands Podcast® I've interviewed hundreds of founders now selling in Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Target. And I'm a (newly) angel investor in emerging CPG brands and the operations scaling their retail footprint.

Now, I'll build your brand strategy and connect you with my network of partners so you have the best in the biz behind your brand.

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Join clients hitting retail shelves next🛒

cotto

Whipped Cottage Cheese Dips

Branding & Packaging by House of Wynn

NIDA (coming soon!)

Flash-Frozen Aromatics

Branding & Packaging by If Only Creatives

GLOWSTATE (coming soon!)

Ready-to-eat Chia Pudding

Branding & Packaging by House of Wynn

rabbit hole (coming soon!)

Puffs Made with Real Veggies

Branding & Packaging by House of Wynn

Nomie

Just-Add-Water Kids Meals

Branding, Packaging & Web by Benita Studios

afternoon toast

Roasted Barley & Ginger Tea

Branding & Packaging by JanesHaus

Dear jean (coming soon!)

Marshmallow Crispy Treats

Branding, Packaging & Web by Benita Studios

She’s the sauce

Sauce, With Benefits

Branding & Packaging by House of Wynn

little twists

Allergy Friendly Baking Mixes

Branding & Packaging by House of Wynn

gratta (coming soon!)

Flavored Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Branding, Packaging & Web by Benita Studios

👀 Sappy, Wobble, Pesto Joe, Team Egg, Leapday

👀 Sappy, Wobble, Pesto Joe, Team Egg, Leapday

Clients are saying:

  • Cotto

    I started working with Kelly when I only had a product concept and was testing early recipes in my kitchen, and building my brand strategy with her completely changed how I approached every decision that followed. She helped me dial in my positioning, messaging, and target consumer, and guided me toward a brand name that truly reflects what I’m building after my original name couldn’t be trademarked. Beyond the work itself, Kelly is an incredible supporter and connector, always generous with her time, her network, and her energy, and genuinely someone you want in your corner.  

    Kendall Kransdorf, Founder Cotto

  • She's the Sauce

    'Before She’s the Sauce was even a concept, I met with Kelly, and from day one, she helped me shape this brand into something truly unique. Her strategic mind helped me uncover what made my sauces different, find the key selling points that would resonate, and has helped create the kind of buzz that every founder dreams of..." Nicole Glabman, Founder She’s the Sauce

  • Nomie

    A few months into starting Nomie, I needed someone to help me cut through the noise and see the full picture. Kelly's brand strategy gave Nomie a real foundation that set the direction for brand design, social strategy, and product messaging and positioning. What I didn't expect was how much she'd continue to show up long after our work together wrapped, and I'm so grateful for that.

    Roopa Annadatha, Founder

  • Frankly Good Coffee

    "...Pop Up Grocer slid into our dms and before I knew it we had launched inside one of the most respected entities for up and coming CPG brands - we were on the shelves, standing out among the other coffees that surrounded us. This is just the beginning of our growth and retail journey - grateful I was smart enough to hire Kelly when we did!" Stefanie Frank, Co-founder, Frankly Good Coffee

Now, back to you!

You're here because you have a unique product idea. Maybe you're reimagining a classic pantry staple, bringing a new hero ingredient to the US market, or innovating a better-for-you food or beverage product. You're hitting a consumer trend, but you have a vision that goes beyond it.

Currently you're in the earliest stages. You're testing recipes in your kitchen, brainstorming a brand, learning the CPG industry on the job, and making every dollar count.

You don't have a name, a formulator, or a plan yet for turning your idea into a product people will shop nationwide. But you know you want this on retail shelves, and you want a real strategy before you spend money on execution. And you want to work with industry experts and do this the right way.

You're exactly who I work with.

Here's what makes it work, you come to each call prepared, we work through the must-haves that make your brand stand out, and you're ready to act on the strategy when we're done. The founders who get the most out of it treat it that way.

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Why invest in brand strategy?

I work with you before formulation, branding, or bringing your product to market, because guessing is the most expensive way to build a brand. Now is the most cost-effective time to build it right from the start. This works best when you come prepared, make decisions between calls, and are ready to act on the strategy when we're done.

You'll walk away with:

  • How your brand stands out on shelf and connects with the right consumer, no more guessing how to get their attention (you'll need this before branding, packaging, and content)

  • Understanding of your product differentiation, competitor landscape, ideal ingredients, claims, and flavor direction which shapes how you’ll sell and scale the brand (you'll need this before product development)

  • How you’ll build early buzz and consumer demand before hitting retail shelf and how to start reaching out to early retailers to right way (you'll need this before posting on social, talking to consumers, and reaching out to early retailers) with Nicole Krasnow Smith

  • Direction what retailers to pitch your first year in business and what’s needed to create a scalable product starting now with Danielle Calabrese

  • Personal introductions to my network of vetted partners (best in the biz) to help you execute each step of your strategy

Time: 6 weeks
Cost: Starts at $5,997

best in the biz working alongside you on your brand strategy

direction on the brand and product you're developing

Buzz & demand for your brand before you ever hit retail shelves

sales channel strategy & pitch for your first retailers

strategy for every key decision pre-launch, from formulation to brand name, branding, packaging to building buzz

How You'll use your brand strategy

You start with brand strategy because it's the foundation for every decision that turns your CPG product idea into a brand ready to hit retail shelves.

You'll use your brand strategy for:

  1. Identifying what makes your brand stand out before launch

  2. Finding the best brand name before you file a trademark

  3. Finding production differentiation before commercializing your product idea into a brand that scales in retail.

  4. Briefing your design team before branding, packaging, messaging, selling points, target consumer, and use cases

  5. Building early buzz and demand before you hit retail shelves

  6. Finding the best advisors to bring your product to market

  7. Fundraising and pitching why you're the founder to scale this brand

  8. Landing on your first retail shelves with the foundation to scale

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The industry experts working on your brand strategy

Nicole Krasnow Smith

Nicole will consult on your retail positioning and how to build early buzz, generate demand, and land your first retail shelves. She’s a leading retail consultant for emerging CPG brands.

She helps emerging and established CPG brands launch and grow through thoughtful strategy, differentiated positioning, and high-impact partnerships. From refining a brand's story to identifying the right retail, experiential, and brand partners, she turns big ideas into clear, actionable plans that build awareness, drive trial, and create lasting growth.

Danielle Calabrese

Danielle will build a sales channel strategy for your first year, mapping where to focus your channel opportunities. With 16+ years in CPG, she’s scaled brands from zero to $40M, revived a legacy brand, guided 100+ brands to $100M in sales, and secured dozens of SKUs with top distributors and retailers. She’s the creator of Launch Lab, a program for first-time founders, and hosts the It’s All Happening: Women in CPG podcast.

You’ll also have a 30-minute call with her covering how she advises on execution from market research and pricing to distribution, supply chain, sales forecasting, and financial modeling. So you’re building a scalable product from the start.

kelly bennett

Kelly Bennett (that's me!) will be your brand strategist, building CPG food & beverage brands from idea to hitting retail shelves. After 20 years building emerging brands, Kelly found her niche in CPG food and beverage and currently works with some of the hottest emerging brands hitting retail shelves next, including Cotto and She's the Sauce.

She's also the host of Emerging Brands Podcast®, interviewing founders scaling into retailers like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Target, and a (newly) angel investor backing emerging CPG brands and the operations scaling their retail footprint.

FAQ

  • Brand strategy is the roadmap that turns your product idea into a brand ready for its first retail shelves. Branding is the visual expression of that strategy your logo, packaging, website. Strategy comes first; branding brings it to life.

  • COGS modeling, pricing builds, and margin scenarios are not included in my scope those fall under financial strategy and operational planning.

    I highly recommend Danielle Calabrese of It's All Happening, plus The Good Food CFO's affordable software tool that helps founders model COGS, pricing, and margins.

  • Think about the cost of not having a strategy.

    As your brand strategist, I'll work with you to go from idea to hitting retail shelves next. Together we'll define who your brand is for, the product and flavors you're developing, how to get the attention of your target consumers, how to build buzz and demand before you ever hit shelves, how to pitch your early retailers with confidence, and map a sales channel strategy to get you to your first retail shelves.

    Guessing is the most expensive way to build a brand.

  • All sales are final

  • My brand strategy isn't the right fit if:

    • You've already locked in your branding, packaging, final formulation, and manufacturing

    • You've been selling for a while and want strategic advisement on what you're already doing

    • You want to replicate a brand I've worked on (I only take on brands that complement my current client portfolio)

    • Formulation and product development

    • Finding the best brand name

    • Directing designers on branding and packaging

    • Kicking off organic content

    • Finding the best advisors

    • Starting to fundraise

    • Building buzz

    • Pitching your first retailers

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