Bonus - Startup CPG's New Innovation Section @ UNFI Selling Shows
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 7 June 2025
⏱️ 5 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Daniel Scharff shares an exciting new opportunity for emerging CPG brands: the Startup CPG Innovation Section at the upcoming UNFI Selling Shows. For the first time ever, Startup CPG is partnering with UNFI to showcase innovative brands not yet working with the distributor — offering 10 free tabletop spots at their July shows in Las Vegas (July 15–17) and Mohegan Sun (July 29–31).
Daniel explains why this opportunity is a game-changer, highlighting the exclusive access to top retailers and UNFI team members, and how distributor account managers can play a critical role in brand success. He also shares personal insights from his own experience exhibiting at these shows and building vital industry connections.
🗓️ Application deadline: June 10 at 8:00 AM
👉 If you're a CPG brand not currently in UNFI’s distribution centers, don’t miss this chance to get in front of key industry decision-makers.
To learn more and apply, check out details in the Startup CPG slack (sign up at startupcpg.com)
Listen in as they share about:
- Partnership Announcement
- Event Details
- West/Central Show (Las Vegas)
- East Show (Mohegan Sun)
- Opportunity for New Brands
- Free Tabletop Spaces
- Retailer Exposure
- Strategic Advantage
- How to Apply
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
- Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
- Join the Startup CPG Slack community (20K+ members and growing!)
- Follow @startupcpg
- Visit host Daniel's Linkedin
- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, everybody. I'm just popping in to tell you about an incredible opportunity that we have just posted today in our startup CBG Slack. |
| 0:16.0 | If you're not already in there, this is going to make you want to get in there. So we are for the first time ever |
| 0:20.9 | this year launching a startup CPG innovation section at the UNFI selling show. So they have |
| 0:26.9 | these two epic shows. There is the central and west one, which is also known as Las Vegas, |
| 0:31.7 | that happens July 15th to 17th. And then there's the East one, also known as Mohegan Sun, |
| 0:36.5 | which is July 29th to 31st. |
| 0:38.9 | We are partnering with UNFI to bring some new brands to the show that are not yet working with UNFI, meaning not in any of their DCs. |
| 0:46.5 | So we're going to have this innovation section showing some of the coolest new brands to all of these epic tastemaker retailers who are browsing these selling shows |
| 0:55.9 | to show them some of the coolest stuff out there and let them actually vote on who they |
| 1:00.5 | would like to see stock in the UNFI DCs. This is really what we are all about. These are free |
| 1:06.8 | tabletops that we're actually going to give out to these brands and bring them to the show. |
| 1:28.5 | So the price is right, but also this is actually the only way if you're a brand not working with UNFI that you can get to the show because it's not like one of these major trade shows where anyone can buy a ticket. Nope, you have to be working with them to get into the show. So in the startup CPG innovation section, that is the only place where you can see brands not actually working with them. |
| 1:30.0 | And these are some of the most incredible retailers around the country. |
| 1:33.6 | I have exhibited at both of these shows. |
| 1:35.7 | And it was just a great way to build relationships with some of the top accounts that I was |
| 1:39.3 | trying to get into, as well as the UNFI team. |
| 1:42.4 | Probably a lot of the sales pros and founders out there know that sometimes the distributor |
| 1:46.6 | account managers can be as important or maybe even more important than the buyer. |
| 1:51.0 | In a lot of instances, the buyers look at them as their right hand help a lot of the time |
| 1:55.2 | to recommend assortments or sometimes even just kind of make it happen and get it out there |
| 1:59.8 | into the store. |
| 2:01.0 | I remember, for example, once upon a time I had been trying to talk to the Wegman's team for a while and really hadn't made a contact. |
... |
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