Grocery Run with Fresh Thyme Market - Powered by Advantage Solutions

Join us for a special Grocery Run and Pitch Slam with Fresh Thyme Market this October! This event is your chance to get to know Fresh Thyme as they look to fill their innovation pipeline with exciting brands from our Startup CPG community and foster vendor partnerships. The two-day event features a store tour, intimate networking sessions, educational panels, buyer roundtables, and an exciting pitch competition. You'll get to meet the entire Fresh Thyme Merchandising team, representing fresh department(s) categories and center store department(s) categories.

Key activities include:

• Store Tour: Explore Fresh Thyme stores to inspire product innovation – separate invitation on October 14th.
• Sampling: Showcase your products to attending buyers and VIPs to get face-to-face and realtime feedback on your products while making connections.
• Networking Events: Connect with merchants and buyers in one-on-one and small group meetings.
• Pitch Slam: A competition where 5 pre-selected finalists pitch their brands to a panel of category managers for real-time feedback.

The Pitch Slam winner receives a sponsor prize and guaranteed shelf placement in Fresh Thyme’s “Try Something New” program, showcasing innovative products in-store and via digital marketing.

To apply for the Pitch Slam, fill out this application form here.

Brands Pitching (and sampling) to Fresh Thyme Market:

• Nakee Butter is a line of delicious, plant-based Spreads With Benefits™ packed with protein, nootropics, and adaptogens for function.
• O’Kra is the world’s first sparkling okra water, crafted to support skin health, hormonal balance, and hydration from the inside out.
• Rif Care is a first of its kind period care brand that makes products out of hemp fiber.
• Tamarind Heads is the Sofi Award-winning superfood BBQ made with tamarind and five whole foods for bold, clean, globally inspired flavor.
• Todo Verde is Latina-owned with a mission to amplify the true-to-culture flavors of Latin America through chef-curated products.

Agenda:

• 9:00 AM–9:50 AM: Vendor Coffee & Sampling Session
• 10:00 AM–10:30 AM: State of the Day Address
• 10:45 AM–12:00 PM: Buyer Round Tables
• 12:15 PM–1:00 PM: Lunch (provided)
• 1:15 PM–2:30 PM: Pitch Slam
• 2:30 PM–4:30 PM: Closing Remarks & Mocktail Networking

Come meet the Fresh Thyme team:

• Scott Caro, GVP: Merchandising, Marketing, & Merchandising Services
• Sergio Garcia, Director of Deli & Bakery
• Bri Chin, Category Manager: Bakery
• Jared Anderson, Category Manager: Deli
• Joe Sánchez, Category Manager: Speciality Cheese
• Chris Mannel, Category Manager: Meat
• Celena Ruiz, Category Manager: Seafood
• Kristen Ready , Director of Grocery
• Don Minnick, Category Manager: Dry Grocery
• Ellen Brucher, Category Manager: Dry Grocery
• Kasey Mrkvicka, Category Manager: Frozen
• Robert Abdee, Category Manager: Dry Grocery & Bulk Foods
• Sarah Parker, Category Manager: Alcohol
• Tracy Pernatozzi, Category Manager: Dairy
• Katrina Tecmire, Director of Marketing, Loyalty, & E-Comm
• Christine Monitcelli, Senior Manager, Loyalty & Marketing Campaign Strategy
• Erika Polus, Manager, Digital, Marketing, & Merchandising
• Ryan Jarrard, Director of Merchandising Services
• Kenneth Hausmann, Director: Natural Living
• Ellie Moline, Category Manager: Supplements
• Isabel Quinn, Category Manager: Body Care
• Kayla Pinto, Category Manager: Vitamins
• Savia Gordon, Category Manager: GM & Non-Foods
• Don Robinson, Category Manager: Fruit
• Jason LaRocca, Category Manager: Floral & Dry Goods
• Thomas Hanyzewski, Category Manager: Vegetables
• Tom Hartman, Director of Operations Mid-West
• Allison Ervanian, Space Planning Manager
• Liz Robb, Sr Manager of Supply Chain
• Lauren Andresen, Pricing Manager
• Soni Ninan, Social Media Specialist

And come meet these members of the KeHE team:

• Jeremy Adams – Executive Director, Category Management
• Tim Dornfeld – Director, Category Management
• Christina Schmidt – Sr. Manager, CM – Beverage
• Lynda Glass – Sr. Manager, CM – International
• Tyler Averett – Manager, CM – Snacks
• Shawna Collins – Manager, CM – GM, Pet
• Ryan Bar – ACM – Bars
• Jack Tischler – ACM – Confections
• Rebecca Ondrus – CM Bakery
• Richelle Kutchik – ACM Bakery
• Rukshana Shamsuddin – KeHE Vice President, Sales Fresh Thyme
• Nick Tokarz – KeHE Director, Sales Fresh Thyme
• Michelle MacLennan – KeHE Sr. Manager, Sales Fresh Thyme
• Jeff Lawrence – GS Manager, Fresh Thyme

Brands Sampling:

• Ava’s Pet Palace delivers limited-ingredient pet treats with real ingredients, real purpose, and a founder story retailers and customers connect with.
• Baobest™ Baobab Superfruit Bites are on a mission to share the wonders of baobab fruit, from the Tree of Life in Africa, with the world.
• Corpse Reviver provides hydration (and more) to bring you back to life.
• Dar Baklava makes the world a better place by bringing community and Middle Eastern food culture in snackable formats for everyday use.
• Droosh spices and hot sauces deliver an unexpected fusion of bold, authentic Indian flavors with creative, sustainable recipes that make cooking both healthier and more accessible.
• Evie's Snacks are crunchy, sweet-roasted Texas pecans with only 1/3 the total sugar of leading brands, and sourced from my family's farm in South TX.
• Freedom Run Farm Lamb is USDA-certified, chef-driven, and American-raised — delivering bold flavor, ethical sourcing, and a fresher alternative to imported lamb.
• Honey Child Pops are plant based superfood Ice Cream Pops powered by Omega-3s.
• Hummus Goodness makes authentic Lebanese style hummus with ingredients your shoppers want like olive oil and lemon juice in bold, fun flavors.
• Keya’s Snacks is built on flavor backed by culture! Leveraging Indian flavors on beloved American snacks!
• Like Air is a delicious puffcorn; it's better than popcorn, no hulls or kernels!
• LOUMI Skincare is a female-founded, vegan, cruelty-free brand designed for sensitive skin, offering clean, effective, and affordable products that are all under $25.
• The NA Beverage Company is redefining the way we drink, connect, and celebrate with functional alternatives to alcohol - we are the first non-alcoholic social sonic with targeted functional benefits - powered by adaptogens and nootropics - for winding down, turning up, and everything in between.
• OKO is like a friend in your fridge - they make it easy to eat well, whether you cook a lot, a little or not at all. They can be used as dips, spreads, or sauces, and are free from anything that isn't good for you - certified organic and full of health.
• Philosopher Foods promotes the flourishing of all Life through delicious, nutritious, ethical, and ecological food products from regenerative agriculture: our sprouted almond butters and Gut Nuts™ fermented snack nuts are organic plant-based proteins that support gut health and soil health.
• PuraSoda isn’t about being perfect all day everyday, it’s about Living A Little Pura.
• Pure Mitti is a sustainable brand crafting Ayurvedic essentials for skin, hair, home, and daily living.
• SpaceTime makes caffeinated drinks jitter-free, designed for focus. We take your favorite pantry fruits, add a sprinkle of adaptogens and nootropics, and can it up for a smooth, refreshing boost.
• Simply Sheep: Nothing beats Sheep's milk yogurt for taste and silky texture. Try one, get addicted.
• Stimmie is a modern take on the toothpick, redefining how we pick our teeth on-the-go.
• Tezza makes greek yogurt, minus the cow drama. We culture the world’s creamiest organic soymilk with gut-friendly probiotics. For 12g+ complete protein, 4g fiber, and billions of live and active cultures all in one little cup.
• Todo Verde offers Latina-owned creating chef-curated products that amplify the true-to-culture flavors of Latin America.
• Wild Noni is nature’s new superdrink featuring a lightly sparkling blend of natural fruit flavors infused with the health benefits of pure noni juice.

Want an opportunity to sample at the event? APPLY HERE.

(Opportunities are limited, but as always, all brands are encouraged to bring samples in their backpack to share).

About Fresh Thyme Market

We have a simple mission at Fresh Thyme: to improve the way our communities eat by offering fresh and healthy food at amazing values.

We pride ourselves on our wide selection of fresh, local, and organic produce and meat alongside a variety of trusted, national brands and local favorites.

Sponsors:

About Advantage Solutions

Advantage Solutions leads from the heart of commerce as the unifying force connecting brands, retailers, and people - shaping every way people shop. As the strategic advisors for brands and retailers, they deliver the best returns and create momentum in the marketplace by leading with a people-first, purpose driven, performance-focused approach to grow sales, transform businesses, and enrich lives.

FDM, an Advantage Solutions company, is the leading brokerage agency providing headquarter sales representation for emerging, insurgent, and mid-sized clients for conventional, natural/specialty and independent brands. As experts in the industry, their unique service structure provides clients with a single point of contact allowing for their team to provide dedicated one to one connection that drives distribution growth across channels. They are a people-first, performance-focused organization with a passion for preparing emerging brands for successful retail entry.

About Belmark

Belmark is a packaging supplier that partners with small- to medium-sized CPGs, from your first package to major retail shelves. They solve business problems with labels, flexible packaging, cartons, and prototypes—guiding you every step of the way.

About Opply

Opply is the end-to-end operations autopilot for F&B manufacturers - you focus on growth, they handle the order management, extended payment terms, and ingredient savings. Opply streamlines operations through consolidating all supplier invoices into 1 easy-to-pay monthly invoice, improves cash flow with 60-90 day extended payment terms on your existing ingredient & packaging suppliers, and reduces costs through cost effective ingredients via access to their group procurement organisation.

About Cin7

Cin7 is the industry leader in inventory management software for food and beverage companies. Designed for SMBs, Cin7 Core provides inventory, warehouse, and order management as well as integrations to ecommerce platforms, retailers, Quickbooks, and more. Plus, with new advanced features such as forecasting and access to financing through Cin7 Capital, Cin7 aims to provide food and beverage companies with the competitive advantage they need to thrive.

About NielsenIQ

NIQ is a global leader in retail data solutions and has the most comprehensive and up-to-date retail and shopper panel data on the market. The data used by Fortune 500 brands can now be used by small or emerging brands to grow market share thanks to the Byzzer™ platform.

Byzzer™ levels the playing field by making reliable data and insights accessible to emerging brands that don’t have the personnel or resources to match larger competitors. From actionable smart reports to weekly data alerts to an AI-power presentation creator, we have everything you need to succeed at a price you can afford.

About Startup CPG

Startup CPG is the biggest community in the world for emerging brands. We have 28k+ Slack members, produce the #1 podcast in CPG, host 100+ events per year, and are the #1 education hub for brands trying to improve our CPG ecosystem. It’s free — join today!