Whole Foods Market took to RangeMe to seek out suppliers with a fresh take on canned seafood products when they discovered Pure Sea’s Brisling Sardines. A retailer with a reputation for leading in trend, Whole Foods Market identified canned seafood as a segment ripe for innovation due to opportunities in e-commerce and consumer demand for healthy and easily consumable products. With a compound annual growth rate of five percent, canned sardines have emerged as the fastest growing sub-segment.1Kearns, Madelyn. Global canned seafood market expected to rake in billions by 2025. Seafood Source. October 19, 2017. Find out how this RangeMe Verified™ brand worked backward to reel in Whole Foods Market and land their five flavors of canned sardines nationwide!
Working Backward
Agnes DeLatoni is a product director with a knack for shaking up the natural food space. She manages branding and positioning for Pure Sea’s Brisling Sardines, an all-natural international canned seafood line targeted towards active consumers, with an approach to product development unlike any other. 
The inverted process adopted by DeLatoni adds certainty to the food industry by creating products retailers and consumers are already searching for, rather than pushing products onto consumers.
On the hunt for the best ways to work with retailers, Brisling Sardines adopted RangeMe and went through the process to become a RangeMe Verified™ brand.
“I was impressed by the breadth of information required on the supplier end. As we completed our profile, I realized how beneficial it was for a retailer to have immediate access to that information,” says DeLatoni.
With canned seafood top of mind, a buyer from Whole Foods Market explored RangeMe in search of a supplier to fit the bill and reached out to DeLatoni when they discovered Brisling Sardines.
“RangeMe was very helpful in getting the initial contact with the retailer and connecting us to the right person,” explains DeLatoni, “the buyer had certain criteria on how a product should be and saw that in Brisling Sardines.”
Feedback for Success
As the two parties discussed the scope of work, the buyer communicated the necessity of U.S. non-GMO certification to get Brisling Sardines onto the shelves at Whole Foods Market.
“Many retailers will say that there’s something wrong with your product, but they won’t take the time to share which steps you need to take.”“Throughout the process, the buyer communicated his expectations for the product, manufacturer, and brand. Many retailers will say that there’s something wrong with your product, but they won’t take the time to share which steps you need to take. During our interactions with Whole Foods Market, it was always clear what the next step was to find success in their stores,” DeLatoni explains. The product director was able to act quickly to facilitate the request with their manufacturer in Latvia.
Riding the Wave
Currently, five SKUs of Pure Sea’s Brisling Sardines are available nationally at Whole Foods Market’s 400+ stores. The team behind the healthy bites are eager to stay 
on top of their performance to see how their sales vary across the country and work with Whole Foods Market to experiment with planogram placement for their canned sardines. Delatoni is also collaborating with Whole Foods Market to develop an exclusive flavor offering to add to the existing collection of tastes, which include hot tomato sauce, pure spring water, and sunflower oil. DeLatoni and Pure Sea look forward to connecting with other big-box retailers who just as passionate about consumers who lead healthy and active lifestyles.
Wow! Very impressive!