(picture courtesy of Turf Titan Brands)
Two Indiana-based companies are amongst greater than 330 from all through the nation chosen to promote their merchandise on Walmart retailer cabinets. Turf Titan Brands in Fort Wayne and BeeFree Gluten-Free Bakery in Noblesville every obtained a “golden ticket” after pitching their merchandise final week throughout Walmart’s ninth annual Open Call occasion. This yr’s Open Call had greater than 13,000 merchandise registered with 1,110 companies chosen as finalists to make pitches.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Turf Titan Brands President Andrew Saal mentioned being chosen will assist model recognition for the younger firm.
“From a model standpoint, I imply we’re so new; folks simply don’t even know who we’re,” mentioned Saal. “So, once you’re on a Walmart shelf – and we’re unsure what number of shops we’re going to be in but – that’s some fairly stable model publicity for us.”
Your browser doesn’t help the audio aspect.
Turf Titan Brands was created from Biodyne USA and its premier distributor, BW Fusion, each of that are additionally primarily based in Fort Wayne.
The firm produces a line of garden care merchandise. Saal says the thought for Turf Titan got here from using microbials, or helpful bacterial, to wash up brownfields and different websites that want bioremediation.
Since its inception, Turf Titan has relied closely on influencer advertising and marketing to get the phrase out about its merchandise. Saal says the corporate’s pitch in the course of the Open Call checked plenty of containers for Walmart.
“They wish to know that your merchandise are made in the U.S., and with us, just about each element that we use in our merchandise is made in the U.S.,” he mentioned. “The different factor is that they’re very massive on sustainability, and plenty of our microbials really assist the soil, and in case your isn’t doing good, it type of brings life again to your soil. So, they favored that as properly.”
He says the efforts by Turf Titan, BW Fusion and Biodyne to help native farmers additionally appealed to Walmart.
Saal says the corporate solely pitched its Thatch Buster product, which is designed to transform natural waste right into a meals supply that returns vitamins to the soil and grass. But now, the retail big is taking a look at extra.
“We offered that and talked about a pair different merchandise as we had been going by that, and I believe that tweaked their curiosity,” he mentioned. “So, on Tuesday, they despatched us an e-mail and mentioned, ‘Hey, we want you to cite your whole line.’ So, proper now, [we’re] getting all of that ready so we are able to hopefully decide up extra merchandise in the complete line.”
BeeFree Gluten-Free Bakery was based in 2010 by Jennifer Wiese, who was on the lookout for gluten-free and dairy-free treats for her autistic son. The firm’s merchandise, together with the Warrior Mix that was chosen by Walmart in the Open Call, is at present offered in greater than 2,000 shops all through the county, together with Kroger, Target and Whole Foods areas.
In an interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick final July, Wiese attributed the corporate’s development to people paying extra consideration to their weight-reduction plan.
“COVID was actually an enormous instigator in that as properly, too,” she mentioned. “People had been taking a look at how they had been treating their physique, what can they do to deal with their physique higher with higher meals they will eat, in addition to how they’re caring for different folks in their households.”
BeeFree can also be targeted on creating jobs in Noblesville for folks on the autism spectrum.
(Pictured above, left to proper) Morgan Gramlich, affiliate service provider for garden and backyard at Walmart; Josh Pawlak, vice chairman of promoting for BW Fusion; Andrew Saal, president of Turf Titan Brands; and Chelsea Vargas, senior service provider for garden and backyard at Walmart
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/indiana-companies-chosen-in-walmart-open-call
