KeHE Delivers Golden Tickets to Trendy Brands
KeHE Distributors LLC has revealed the winners of its recent Trend Finder event by delivering “Golden Tickets” to each supplier. More than 100 brands were given the chance to join one-on-one pitch meetings with KeHE’s category management team, and a dozen were selected to be added to the distributor’s robust assortment.
“Innovation is one of our core principles, and KeHE is always looking to partner with up-and-coming brands that are pioneering their category,” said Rachelle Radcliffe, director of brand development at KeHE. “We know how much this opportunity means to a small business, which makes the selection process extremely difficult; however, we are excited to work with each of these deserving brands to help them reach their maximum potential in the marketplace.”
Selecting brands based on ingredients, innovation, taste, scalability, packaging, purpose and passion, KeHE awarded the following brands with Golden Tickets:
- Walker Brothers
- MāKā superfood
- NuRange Coffee
- Kanda Chocolates
- Ree Ree Dee’s Dough
- Vegobears
- Saratoga Garlic
- Steve’s Family Foods
- Cloud & Joy
- Little Green Cyclo
- Gwell
- Eat to Live
By joining KeHE’s product portfolio, these brands will gain exposure to more than 30,000 retail locations and support the distributor’s retail partners in bringing innovation and new products to their customers. Along with assisting the selected brands with navigating distribution, KeHE is offering supplier promotional programs free of charge to the 12 winners.
KeHE has forecasted that it will double its sales within the next five years. To keep up with its accelerated growth, it's expanding its workforce by hiring for more than 200 positions at its Chino and Stockton, Calif., distribution centers.
Based in Naperville, Ill., KeHE serves more than 30,000 natural food stores, chain and independent grocery stores, e-commerce retailers, and other specialty product retailers throughout North America. The employee-owned B Corporation has more than 6,000 employees.
