#171 - Buyer Spotlight: Taylor Cathala, Senior Spirits Category Merchant, Whole Foods Market
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 19 November 2024
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Taylor Cathala, Senior Spirits Category Merchant at Whole Foods Market, to explore the intricacies of getting a brand into Whole Foods’ coveted spirits section. Taylor shares his journey from graphic design to category management, where he now oversees an evolving landscape of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including spirits, mocktails, and RTD cocktails. He dives into how Whole Foods makes its product decisions, balancing customer demand with strict quality standards, local sourcing priorities, and the unique regulatory challenges around spirits distribution.
For brands eager to make it onto Whole Foods’ shelves, Taylor offers tips on navigating the Whole Foods supplier portal, creating compelling product pitches, and the importance of local relevance, sustainable ingredients, and strong distribution networks. He also highlights how brands can leverage social media and in-store demos to increase customer engagement and improve sales performance. Whether you’re an emerging local distillery or an established player, this episode is packed with valuable insights for breaking into the Whole Foods Market.
Tune in to learn what it takes to stand out at Whole Foods and how to start the journey to the shelves!
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Listen in as they discuss:
- Whole Foods Market Supplier Portal
- Quality Standards and Compliance
- Distribution and State Regulations
- Consumer Decision-Making Process
- Prioritizing Local and Relevant Brands
- Celebrity-Endorsed Products
- Customer Engagement and Social Media
- What Sets Brands Apart
- Growth Potential and Expansion
- Advice for Submitting Brands
Episode Links:
Website: https://www.wholefoodsmarket.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-cathala-6762917/
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- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In this category in spirits, maybe more specifically in like the area that I work in words, |
| 0:14.2 | non-acoholic mocktails, RTD cocktails spirits, there's a lot of innovation. |
| 0:18.5 | There's a ton. |
| 0:20.2 | And so there's a lot of unique, super |
| 0:21.9 | interesting things that people are producing and suppliers are making that try to stand out. |
| 0:26.4 | And I just think at Whole Foods Market, we have an opportunity to really lean into that and |
| 0:30.5 | facilitate those partnerships and try and grow those fledging brands. So that's been really |
| 0:34.6 | fun as well. |
| 0:36.2 | We've got spirit. How about you? Well, today we've really got spirits because we're joined by Taylor |
| 0:41.4 | Catiloff from Whole Foods Market supporting all U.S. and Canada stores as the senior category |
| 0:47.0 | merchant for Spirits, which also includes non-alc and RTD cocktails. |
| 0:52.0 | He's been an adult beverage retail for over 13 years, but it's not just |
| 0:56.0 | his job. It's a personal passion. And when not reviewing fun and innovative products at work, |
| 1:01.1 | he spends time with his wife and son exploring all Sonoma County has to offer with its beautiful |
| 1:06.3 | parks and running trails. Even if your product isn't a spirit, I think you're going to really |
| 1:10.4 | enjoy learning about this super interesting category with me |
| 1:13.3 | and how Taylor sources brands focusing first on customer needs |
| 1:17.5 | and Whole Foods market standards and also taking into account |
| 1:20.5 | brands distribution capabilities and which ones are local favorites. |
| 1:24.8 | We also had a really interesting discussion around category trends, including what's |
| 1:28.5 | growing in the non-alc sector. Enjoy. Hey friends, your reviews helped us become a top 0.5% world podcast. |
| 1:37.7 | I wanted to shout out some of the reviews here. Grillicious says the podcast has given him |
... |
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