2023 May Board Book

bringing additional complementary partners to the table can make them more successful and stretch everyone’s limited resources. While the year has been lighter than anticipated on shopper marketing activations, we’ve leaned into sampling activations knowing some retailers simply don’t have the bandwidth to roll out a fully integrated promotion. Getting samples into shoppers’ mouths continues to be highly impactful in attracting new buyers and building sustained sales lifts, so it is also positively received from our retailer partners and benefiting our overall relationship with them. Aside from larger market-focused retail consumer promotions, retailer-specific shopper marketing and support vehicles like sampling demonstrations or coupons, there are other ways the Business Development team shows up for retailers in an effort to deepen our relationship and level of influence – this will be our focus for the May presentation. Some retailers need more than a little help figuring out where to start when it comes to an overall category review/overhaul. We worked with Los Angeles-based retailer Stater Bros earlier this year to provide IRI data insights comparing how they are doing within specialty cheese versus the rest of market, identifying clear opportunities for RCM products to be introduced to their historically light representation. We have a commitment from our contact as part of a longer-term project we’re looking forward to supporting over the next 18-24 months. Bringing key retail decision-makers to tour our cheesemakers, processing plants, and surrounding areas is a powerful way to show up for retailers within and outside of California. After a multi-year hiatus with COVID-19, we are now back in full planning mode with some pent-up demand from our contacts. We are selective in who we choose to bring out and rightfully place pressure on those who do to ensure follow through with new distribution. Our first guests of the year were key decision makers from Ahold’s Stop & Shop banner. With just 24 hours to lend us, we put together a compelling agenda with unforgettable highlights. Our next guest is Texas retailer H-E-B, who generously gave us five days with travel to see both Northern and Southern California cheesemakers. Tabletop presentations are something you might remember from pre-pandemic presentations, but these presentations quickly moved to virtual settings 2020-2022. In-person tabletop presentations are now back on the table – though both formats are a highly effective way to get a key decision maker’s attention while spotlighting processors who fit their current needs. Originally, we had Publix scheduled for a tour in February, however a corporate travel policy change prevented the key decision makers from heading to California with short notice. CMAB was able to pivot to a virtual presentation for the same week, getting cheesemakers who were best positioned to take on this giant chain. Bob Constantino is working closely with this account to monitor impact + additional needs.