How do I get my product into CEFCO?
CEFCO is a convenience store and fuel retailer that was established in 1952. Today they operate over 200 stores across 7 states, employ thousands of staff and have a never ending commitment to fundamental good values and honest living. This reliable chain store does a lot of work in the community and makes a real effort with charity, further promoting their ‘good will’ attitude. Could your product be an ideal fit for this wholesome bunch?
CEFCO tend to deal in the honest, regular foods and drinks that you find at gas stations. They deal in multi packs and snack foods, in fresh foods and in foods cooked on site (at certain locations). They provide fuel through a self service pump and pride themselves on clean, neat spaces where you can find everything you need for your average short journey. They also sell tobacco, fresh sandwiches at selected locations and frozen yogurt/ice creams. They entertain a whole host of named brands in their stores, but they do also make private label, own brand type goods. This is where there is an opening for your product, should it be snack foods or raw ingredients.
CEFCO have a wholesome, family driven vibe that leaves a lasting good impression on customers. Customer satisfaction is their top priority, and they want products that make their customers lives easier – so if your product has difficult-to-open packaging you may want to reconsider that. Whatever your product it must be clean and hygienic, as well as attention grabbing and as unique as possible. Interesting new snack foods have the potential to do very well with CEFCO – just be sure you can manage the upper-mid level demand volume of their 200+ stores!
Good character is just as important to CEFCO as good value is, so you better make sure that you put your best foot forward in any B2B relations. If you want to submit your product to CEFCO for review, here are some things to consider:
- They want top quality products for as little cost as possible.
- Visit their stores and compare your product to similar items you find there. Is you product as good? Is it better? Be honest, because these are your competitors.
- You must have the legal right to production and all the relevant paperwork needed.
- You should have full public liability insurance before you submit.
- Don’t send an unsolicited price list, establish contact first!
- Only approach if you are part of a registered business if you expect to be taken seriously.
- Remember you need to be able to supply a potential 200 stores, if you don’t have the production capacity – don’t do it!
- If you have a criminal history then perhaps have someone else make your pitch…
If you would like to submit your product to CEFCO (and if you think it can stand up to their tests and reviews) then you can establish contact with the company by following this link.
Submit Your Product to Cefco Foods
Skip the cold outreach. Mr. Checkout presents products to corporate chain buyers and also works a network of thousands of independent retailers that build real reorder proof. Tell us about your product below and a real person will read it.
How to get your product into CEFCO
- 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 CEFCO 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 CEFCO
There are several ways to get a product placed in CEFCO. 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 CEFCO, 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 CEFCO.
1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to CEFCO, 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 CEFCO would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with CEFCO, can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to CEFCO, 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 CEFCO? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check CEFCO 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 CEFCO 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 CEFCO is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and CEFCO starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If CEFCO already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local CEFCO 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 CEFCO.
If your company is minority or women owned, check CEFCO website and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.
4. Pitch your product to CEFCO.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to CEFCO. 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 CEFCO, 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 CEFCO. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to CEFCO.
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 CEFCO 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 CEFCO paperwork.) Often CEFCO will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by CEFCO, you should contact a buyer at CEFCO 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 CEFCO 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, CEFCO 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 CEFCO, 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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