FMI Enlists NewPoint to Mentor Emerging Food Brands

LAFAYETTE, Ind.—In the growth and development of its subscription-based online community for food entrepreneurs and young food brands trying to establish themselves on major retail shelves, the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has recently added NewPoint Marketing to its roster of professional mentors.

The addition of NewPoint to FMI Emerge, as the initiative is called, further enhances the consulting arm of the network that also brings together retailers and investors in a dynamic that capitalizes on today’s seismic movements in the food industry.

“Food at retail is undergoing a transformation right now,” says NewPoint President and CEO, Patrick Nycz (pronounced Nice). “Driven intensely by consumers, the demand for healthier, clean-label foods made locally—in many instances by small-batch or craftsman-style means—is creating unprecedented opportunities for smaller food brands.”

Nonetheless, with these opportunities come unique challenges, which is why FMI launched its Emerge program and sought out partners like NewPoint.

“We’re thrilled to have NewPoint on board,” says Julie Pryor, FMI’s director of emerging brands. “Their passion and expertise in developing and leveraging quantitative and qualitative research to inform a tailored, budget-conscious, go-to-market strategy is a huge asset for emerging brands ready to take their businesses to the next level.”

As a mentor to FMI Emerge members, NewPoint will proactively share its knowledge on industry trends and the full range of variables that impact a food brand’s marketability, specifically through retail channels.

It’s a practice NewPoint has already established with the publication of Nycz’s book, Moving Your Brand Up the Food Chain: Marketing Strategies to Grow Local and Regional Food Brands, and the inception of NewPoint’s annual Emerging Food Brands Conference created precisely for these same food entrepreneurs seeking wisdom on how to break onto the retail playing field.

“Critical to the endeavor is understanding the consumer, of course, but also knowing how to engage and appeal to the retail buyer,” says NewPoint’s VP of Account Services, Stephanie Bossung (pronounced Bossing). “Offering this expertise is what really makes the opportunity to serve these diamond-in-the-rough brands so exciting.”

In its role, NewPoint will be generating and sharing original content, periodically hosting related webinars, and advising and consulting the growth community of food and beverage brands throughout the FMI Emerge program.

About NewPoint Marketing

NewPoint Marketing is a Midwest-based full-service marketing and business-development agency that conceives and implements research-based CPG and B2B strategies for growth-minded brands across the food supply-and-service industry.

For more information, visit www.NewPointMarketing.com, email info@NewPointMarketing.com, or call Patrick Nycz at 877.633.5040.

Inquiring food industry professionals can also engage and learn more about NewPoint by ordering a copy of Nycz’s book, Moving Your Brand Up the Food Chain: Marketing Strategies to Grow Local and Regional Food Brands, or by plugging into the agency’s 2^nd annual Emerging Food Brands Conference presented in partnership with Purdue University and Indiana Grown.

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