Amrit Richmond is the Founder of Indie CPG, which supports sustainable indie brands through community, content, and connections. She is also the Founder of Supermercato, where she consults with brands, VCs, and technology companies on CPG insights and market research. Amrit has 15 years of experience in advertising, media, technology, and VC leading marketing, partnerships, co-investor relations, and founder support programs. Before Indie CPG and Supermercato, she was a brand strategist for advertising agencies and media companies, where she collaborated on global marketing campaigns.
Sue Hanson is the Program Manager at Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, a private nonprofit fostering growth and self-sufficiency among Maine’s most promising and innovative startups. In her role, she launches and manages MCE’s Food Accelerator Program by partnering with food, beverage, and agriculture companies to provide the skills, expertise, and resources needed for successful scaling. Sue has over 20 years of experience in the food business, strategic planning, project management, marketing, and product development. Before MCE, she was the Continuous Improvement Director at AdvancePierre.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- Amrit Richmond shares Indie CPG’s origin story and mission
- Recurring CPG trends in 2022 and predictions for the year ahead
- Trends to avoid: functional products with baseless claims
- How brands are pivoting to build awareness
- Advice for building platforms to scale brands
- Sue Hanson talks about Maine Center for Entrepreneurs and her role in the organization
- What financial challenges should brands consider in 2023?
- Sue’s top tips for optimizing production and managing costs
In this episode…
In the aftermath of the pandemic, brands are reclaiming the grocery shelves as consumers begin cooking at home again. Yet, inflation is affecting product pricing and consumer budgets, and brands are struggling to stay afloat. So, how can you pivot to maximize growth in the future?
One strategy Amrit Richmond advocates for is cross-brand collaboration. Partnering with similar brands to launch new products and promote one another boosts customer acquisition and lowers costs. Additionally, market research is a necessity for brand awareness and reach. So, both Amrit and Sue Hanson emphasize analyzing your target consumers’ buying habits to create a product that meets their budget and lifestyle and performs successfully in the market.
In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf hosts Amrit Richmond of Indie CPG and Sue Hanson of Maine Center for Entrepreneurs to talk about optimizing brand growth in 2023. They discuss recurring CPG trends in 2022, how brands are pivoting to build awareness, and the financial challenges brands should prepare for in 2023.