Retailing and Distribution

Comment

Comment by Cynthia Powell on October 20, 2010 at 9:36am

I am trying to find packaging solutions for my organic dog treats. There seems to be mystery surrounding packaging???

Comment by Samantha Leach on October 1, 2009 at 11:46pm

Hmmm, you might try contacting Grandma Lucy's. They sell a low-processed lobster treat. They may have a lead on either processing and selling lobster or sell direct. Seriously, not knowing what you need, so I hope that helps...

Comment by Melody McKinnon on October 1, 2009 at 1:18am

I've scored most of the necessitites to launch what I'm doing, although freeze-dried seafood is still a tough one to find variety in. What I'd like to do now is round it out a bit. My kingdom for low-heat processed lobster powder! I also can't very well market test with 10 metric tons of any one ingredient, so that has fetched me up a time or two as well.

At this point I'd like to see what is out there and what I can do with it. I don't like to just sell something, I have to take it and do something unique with it. My brain won't let me do otherwise - it clicks incessently with angles... maybe I just have a short attention span ;-).

Definitly the natural arena is what I'm exploring, generally speaking. I'm not interested in anything I can't honestly and thoroughly represent to a consumer, nor do I have any desire to hype snake oil into something it isn't. If it can't be scientifically supported by independent parties, I want nothing to do with it. That's very limiting in the natural pet sector. It is much easier to source natural supplements and related products though, my broker is well versed in that and I have an exceptional directory published by Nutritional Outlook. My broker also sources any freeze-dried vegetables, fruits and herbs that I need. She's been amazing actually, but nobody can specialize in everything.

The other aspect of the company is already established and has been for quite some time, although the food line is expanding with the online launch. If I can round the product line out a bit and score some more unique, low processed ingredients, I'll be all set. It's an entirely different sector than my family deals in, so it has been a search from square one. I like a challenge, but I have to get this baby launched.

Comment by Samantha Leach on September 30, 2009 at 11:45pm

What products are you looking for? For example, I own a retail pet store that specialized in natural nutrition (and holistic supplements). It was a maze trying to figure it out, but we were able to navigate rather quickly.

Comment by Melody McKinnon on September 30, 2009 at 8:08pm

If you have an offline store that you sell from, mid-October is about the earliest you should bring out the non-perishable Christmas stock. If you sell online, you can start posting items a month earlier. The online shopping seasons start earlier and end earlier due to shipping challenges (delays, expensive faster shipping options, etc).

Comment by Danielle Park on September 30, 2009 at 4:20pm

How far in advance do you feel that we should put out holiday items?

Comment by Melody McKinnon on September 30, 2009 at 10:11am

Excellent sources, thank you. Contacting manufacturers has been hit or miss - some reply, some don't. I can believe that the pet industry isn't hit by the recession because they sure don't seem eager for business. I feel like I'm waving money in the air, hoping someone will notice. Some have been fantastic, however, very professional and helpful. I have found food much more easily than products. The Internet is riddled with pet product wholesalers that aren't wholesalers, so it has eaten many, many hours of both mine and my assistant's time. Researching the Internet is practically a hobby for me, but it gets old after awhile. The directory here has been a tremendous help as ingredients are a main vein in what I'm doing.

The organizations have been somewhat elusive as well so I really appreciate the specifics. I am determined to source everything in North America. Although I'm Canadian, I believe the American economy and the Canadian economy is closely intertwined and we'd be wise to support each other... plus if I want anything other than seafood, I'm pretty much out of luck in this country. There's a tip for you - Canada is a vast, wide-open market to target.

Thanks again, you've all been very helpful.

Comment by Zachary Heskett on September 30, 2009 at 8:00am

Good Morning Melody,
Another great resource for finding pet product manufactures and distributors are through their respective industrry trade sites. You can try the American Pet Products Association site at americanpetproducts.org. There is a consolidated list of their entire membership, but unfortunately there is no cross-reference with the specific products that each produces. The other organization is PIDA (Pet Industry Distributors Association). Their site is pida.org and they have a nice member list on their site that cross-references by location, product-category and the service area of the distributor.

Another resource are the various pet consumer products shows set up around the country. HH Backer does two shows a year, one in Chicago and the other in Baltimore. The other show is the Global Pet Expo which is a joint show between PIDA and APPA. That one is in Orlando each year.

Hopefully this helps you in your search. If I can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Comment by Samantha Leach on September 30, 2009 at 1:23am

Another avenue you might try is to go the manufacturer of what you're trying to buy. They can tell you where to get their product, too. It's slightly more work that way, but you can keep a simple matrix of what you want, where you can get it. And you'll start to see a pattern after awhile.

Comment by Melody McKinnon on September 25, 2009 at 8:42am

Thanks for the info. I can understand there not being pricing available to the general public, that's usually addressed by the supplier asking for a business license number before revealing the information.

It would definitly improve their business to have product information and e-mail contacts on a website. Most people start their search for suppliers online these days, including executives and purchasing departments.. A simple contact form is such a huge source of hot leads. When searchers land on the website, they're looking specifically for your product with the intent to purchase - it doesn't get better targeted than that. It's easy and inexpensive to get your company online... I don't get it. Maybe we need an introduction to e-business so it's not quite so intimidating?

Debbie, that directory appears to be a good place to start, thanks for suggesting it. I'm surprised there isn't a way to purchase online or even an e-mail address to arrange for e-payment by another means, but I suppose I can pick up that horrid thing called the telephone that I avoid like the plague ;-) .

It's entirely possible that I've simply been online for too many years...lol. Thanks again!

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