How To Get Into Calandros
Founded in 1941 by Brazil and Vennera Calandros, the Baton Rouge supermarket started as a small corner grocery store on Government Street. The original Calandro’s grocery was also known as the Plee-zing Food Store. When it comes to the grocery business in Baton Rouge, the Calandro name is a household name. The grocery store has since grown into a big supermarket with lots of varieties and established customer base.
The supermarket business in the United States is one that tries to connect with the individual customer. This means, the supermarkets try to address the needs and interests of individual customers. This is by offering local, international, and metropolitan products. You can get spices, meat, wine, food, and so many other food products from this type of store.
In Calandros, their wine section is quite fantastic. It would take a wine connoisseur little time to give the supermarket a pass mark in the varieties and quantities they have on display and in their cellars. Wine is something that many Americans resonate with and it is a tool of social cohesion among people. Having varieties such as beer, whisky, brandy, vodka, and other varieties on display which comprise those locally produced and those shipped in from different parts of Europe, gives the supermarket high ratings in that regard.
If any supermarket can boast of fresh, gourmet, and hard-to-find products, it is Calandro’s supermarket. Arguably, it can be stated that they have the best selection of Gourmet, fresh and quite scarce food items. Talk about staples – you’ve got them here too. Products in this line are sourced from regions where they are in abundance. For instance, there are some spices that are unique to Arabian cultures. Tahini is a condiment from parts of the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, and the South Caucasus. It is made from toasted ground hulled sesame. This is shipped into the United States from this region.
For a distributor, this is an established store that can get your products to move as fast as possible. With the awesome varieties they offer and the established customer base, it can be easily deduced that there are customers already dedicated to what they sell. However, this is a big retailer and there is a high standard for the products they take and thus, it may not be that easy to push your products in there. This is why networking can be very useful.
On the local sourcing of food products, Calandros has been on the forefront of selling locally sourced food products and this has given their customers a sense of connection to the products. With 78 years experience in the Baton Rouge community, getting locally produced items has been less of a problem.
The innovativeness put into business by the supermarket is to be applauded. A visit to the supermarket’s blog would give one a window to a lot of exciting products. The Game of Thrones TV series was used to advertising and branding wine and this is quite an innovation.
How to get your product into Calandras
- Understand you client: Before you spend a lot of time and money creating a product, you should know if anyone will want to buy it. Learn more about Market Research
- Learn if it’s protectable: Know if you can defend your product against cheap copies if it gets knocked off. Learn more about Copyright and Patent your product
- Test your product: Make sure that there’s a demand for your product and the customer understands what you are selling when it’s on the shelf and nobody is there to explain it. Learn more about Product Testing
- Perfect your pitch: Before you speak to decision makers, know your numbers, know your retailer and know your logistics in and out. Learn more about Pitching Your Product
- Don’t do it alone: If you haven’t been successful in retail before, a secret of success is that you can’t do it alone. Having great sales staff, customer support and marketing partners can take you from zero to success faster than if you tried on your own. Learn more about Retail Partnerships
Contact Calandras Buyer
Do not trust any “list” of buyers.
Typically retail buyers change either companies or positions every few years. This strategy helps retailers know that their buyers are not taking “kick-backs” and are selecting the very best product for the very best position each time.
Buyers are typically held to a very rigorous standard of sell-through volume that they must hit and because of this they are risk averse. Your job as a supplier or vendor is to convince them that the buyers going into the stores not only know about what you’re selling but are actively seeking the product in the store currently.
How to Submit a Product to Calandras
There are several ways to get a product placed in Calandras. However, most entrepreneurs only dream about getting their product distributed to major retailers, few actually do it. We have experienced a significant rise in interest since the show Shark Tank started airing on NBC. Mr. Checkout has had the pleasure of working with a few Shark Tank success stories such as KISStixx and 180 Party Cups which are now currently being distributed around the country to stores like Walmart, Target, Kroger, 7-Eleven and more.
If you envision your product would be a good fit for Calandras, we have a few steps to help you get your product on their shelves.
Here are the 6 steps you need to take to have your product placed in Calandras.
1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to Calandras, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions. Do you need to build demand for your product, or is there already a demand for it? Do you know that Calandras would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with Calandras, can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to Calandras, or do you want to license your product to a manufacturer that will handle distribution?
2. Be prepared to profit.) Does your product offer enough of a profit margin for Calandras? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check Calandras guidelines for other fees that you will have to build into the cost of your product in order for you to be able to turn enough of a profit to make the effort worth your while. If you work with a discount retailer, they will try to strip your profits down to zero in order to keep their prices as low as possible.
The typical breakdown of margins are: If a products costs $1 to produce, that product will retail for $4. That product that retails for $4 will wholesale for $2 to distributors and stores that purchase direct. Big box retailers like Calandras may offer to pay $1.25 to the manufacturer if the product costs $1 to produce. That is the typical profit margin.
3. Determine if Calandras is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and Calandras starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If Calandras already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local Calandras to see what kind of products they are selling, speak to the manager and see if he thinks your product will sell well in their store. Picture in which zone your product would best fit on the shelf and keep in mind that the most precious asset that these big box stores value are their shelf space. Keep this information in mind when you are preparing your presentation to Calandras.
If your company is minority or women owned, check Calandras website and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.
4. Pitch your product to Calandras.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to Calandras. Your presentation depends heavily on your strengths as a businessperson as they will most likely ask financial questions and logistics questions.
It’s common for companies to hire a broker to pitch their product to Calandras, as it will be more likely that your product will make it to the next stage if the individual pitching your product has industry knowledge or a personal relationship with Calandras. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to Calandras.
We at Mr. Checkout have experience dealing with brokers and know that there are several retail brokers that have poor business practices that can potentially damage your brand. If you are seeking a legitimate Calandras broker, please give us a call for a recommendation. It could save you a huge headache and a lot of money.
5. Complete the required Calandras paperwork.) Often Calandras will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by Calandras, you should contact a buyer at Calandras and let them know your intentions. Having a contact inside of the company will potentially move your application more smoothly through the process.
6. Anticipate the need for increased volume.) Having Calandras agree to stock your product will most likely mean a significant increase in volume. You should be prepared to ramp up your production and informing your manufacturer of this opportunity.
Having production, logistics and distribution to sync is not only difficult, it requires a significant amount of time invested in customer relations. Also, Calandras may have stipulations in the contract that may penalize you for delays in shipping and production. Have an attorney explain all contracts to you if you don’t understand the terms.
If you’re looking to sell your product to Calandras, be sure to thoroughly assess the marketplace, carefully prepare for production growth, and take full advantage of resources available to help you grow your business.
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