The energy drink and snack industries are competitive, and there is no shortage of products for consumers to choose from. But Kristen Moffatt, an avid runner, was tired of the overly sugared energy drinks and snacks crowding store shelves, so, she decided to create a healthier alternative out of her love for sports nutrition and beekeeping. Read on to learn how Wasatch Nectar went from a beloved farmer’s market staple to landing in more than 2,500 CVS stores nationwide after signing up on RangeMe.
Passion ignites a business
As a long-distance runner with a dedicated interest in sports nutrition, founder Kristen Moffatt knew the health benefits of honey and had started beekeeping as a hobby. The joining of these two passions was what ultimately ignited Moffatt’s to start her business. Wasatch Nectar produces Utah raw honey enhanced with electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, creating a healthy energy snack for consumers on the go.
Moffatt began selling her honey packets and jars at farmers markets in Salt Lake City. She built a reputation among local consumers and then expanded into smaller grocery stores around the Salt Lake City area. As her products became more popular in retail, she decided to focus her time and energy solely on her honey packets rather than honey jars but she continued selling jars at farmers markets for feedback when experimenting with different flavors.
“It was a great way to provide samples and receive feedback on what consumers liked, didn’t like, and what was most popular so we can introduce new flavors into the product line,” Moffatt says.
From there, Moffatt wanted to continue growing her business and knew her product had the potential to get into big retailers. She decided to sign up for RangeMe Premium and get RangeMe Verified which has allowed her to leverage all of the platform’s capabilities, including submitting directly to retailers.
Buzzing on RangeMe
After joining RangeMe, Moffatt was notified of a CVS category review sourcing bee and honey products that promote the health benefits of honey. She took the chance and submitted a strong, comprehensive package of her original honey and blueberry packets along with samples, and information about her products and business.
The mindful details of her submission caught the attention of the category review manager who decided to bring Wasatch Nectar into 12 CVS stores for a trial period. Quickly after the trial period ended, CVS decided to move forward with Wasatch Nectar and brought them into 2,500 CVS locations nationwide with some stores having dedicated marketing displays featuring Wasatch Nectar packets.
Learning as you go
Going from selling at the farmer’s market to selling at CVS has been a whirlwind for Wasatch Nectar, and Moffatt has learned a lot in a very short amount of time with the help of RangeMe’s Retail Success Guide articles.
“CVS which is such an established retailer and working with them has been a rewarding but challenging experience since I’m having to learn all aspects of running a business,” she says. “For the trial, we were considered a new vendor and would ship directly to individual stores but once we became a distribution center supplier there was much more paperwork, we had to set up EDI, and learn how to ship out large quantities to their distribution center.”
After becoming more confident in being able to handle distribution to so many CVS stores nationwide, Moffatt is now able to focus on optimizing distribution and building her marketing campaigns to attract consumers to their local CVS stores and purchase Wasatch Nectar.
Sharing the buzz with others
Navigating the retail landscape can be tricky and seem overwhelming, but Moffatt encourages suppliers to use the RangeMe platform to its fullest potential, and be open and aware of opportunities.
“Take advantage of category reviews and submit to as many retailers searching for products like yours. Be professional and make sure your presentation looks good, the information you provide is detailed and accurate” Moffatt explains. “Don’t give up, be persistent with submissions and category reviews and be proactive in sending samples and follow-ups. Over time the retailers will end up finding the products they’re looking for, and your product might be that one!”
Wasatch Nectar continues to actively use RangeMe Submissions to make additional retailer connections and has plans to introduce new flavors to its product line.
“Put your best foot forward,” Moffatt says.“It will pay off in the end.”
Inspired by Wasatch Nectar’s story? Check out what submissions are currently live here.