MetaBrand co-creating award-winning natural brands; Exhibiting at Expo East
Press Release | September 9, 2013 – Edison, NJ MetaBrand co-creating award-winning natural brands; Exhibiting at Expo East MetaBrand, an ethics-based, turnkey food, beverage and supplement development company, now has even more to offer to natural brand innovators. Founded in 2012, the ‘concept-to-market’ solutions provider has contributed to the growth of more than two dozen natural product brands in various capacities. They are proud to announce that they have expanded their...Press Release | September 9, 2013 – Edison, NJ
MetaBrand co-creating award-winning natural brands;
Exhibiting at Expo East
MetaBrand, an ethics-based, turnkey food, beverage and supplement development company, now has even more to offer to natural brand innovators. Founded in 2012, the ‘concept-to-market’ solutions provider has contributed to the growth of more than two dozen natural product brands in various capacities. They are proud to announce that they have expanded their R&D capabilities with the opening of their new MetaBrand center for co-creation formulation lab.
As part of their newly expanded resources, MetaBrand has welcomed four new management and advisory team members–Jason Mitchell, N.D., Director of Science & Nutrition, Debbie Wildrick, Director of Beverage & Snacks, Elizabeth Parrillo, Brand Manager and Esther Luongo Psarakis, Director of Food Advisory.
Each new team member brings a breadth of knowledge to MetaBrand, with past executive experience at companies like Whole Foods Market, Country Life Vitamins, 7-11 and Tropicana North America. The new team members will be on hand at Natural Products Expo East to showcase MetaBrand’s capabilities and meet with prospective clients.
Working with industry experts like these is largely responsible for MetaBrand’s continued success in cultivating dynamic, award-winning brands. Most recently, two of the brands they’ve co-created with won prestigious 2013 Sofi Gold awards at the Summer Fancy Food show. Runa Tea won Outstanding USDA Organic and Jin Ja won Outstanding Cold Beverage.
MetaBrand is also currently in the process of rebranding their founder’s other company, I AM enlightened creations, In addition to redesigning their soon to launch new website and packaging, MetaBrand has worked with I AM to expand their product line to include herbals mists and flower elixirs.
“Our success in co-creating incredible natural brands has afforded us to expand our capabilities,” says Schnell. “We look forward to providing an innovative experience for our client partners with the launch of our state of the art formulation lab and the retail strategy support of our newest team members.”
MetaBrand will be exhibiting their services at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore, Maryland from September 26-28. Interested attendees should visit Booth #4627. For more information on MetaBrand, visit www.metabrandcorp.com or call 888-611-5573.
MetaBrand Acquires Growing Innovative Brands
By Ray Latif | May 30, 2013 2:21 pm >> bevnet.com MetaBrand Acquires Growing Innovative Brands When Eric Schnell and Debbie Wildrick agreed to present at BevNET’s Beverage School conference in April, little did they know the event would become a sort of first date for a merger. In the two months following the event, Schnell and Wildrick, each a veteran of the beverage industry and both owners of consulting firms specializing in the growth of new and emerging...By Ray Latif | May 30, 2013 2:21 pm >> bevnet.com
MetaBrand Acquires Growing Innovative Brands
When Eric Schnell and Debbie Wildrick agreed to present at BevNET’s Beverage School conference in April, little did they know the event would become a sort of first date for a merger.
In the two months following the event, Schnell and Wildrick, each a veteran of the beverage industry and both owners of consulting firms specializing in the growth of new and emerging companies, found themselves collaborating on the development and incubation of a number of upstart drink brands.
As the weeks progressed, the pair saw growing alignment between Schnell’s Metabrand, which bills itself as a “one-stop shop” for taking new beverage concepts to market, and Wildrick’s Growing Innovative Brands, which works with new brands to develop and enhance retail channel strategies. Although Wildrick had already taken a role with Metabrand as a part of its sales and marketing advisory team, Schnell sought to fully integrate her knowledge and expertise in convenience, drug and mass retail channels, something that his firm, which primarily works with natural brands, had lacked.
Schnell would get his wish.
Metabrand has agreed to acquire Growing Innovative Brands and make Wildrick the centerpiece of a new advisory department focusing on snacks and beverages. The acquisition, which will go into effect on June 1, gives Wildrick an equity stake in Metabrand, and a primary role in advising natural brands on breaking into mainstream channels.
“We’re very excited with the level of shared experience to collaborate,” Schnell told BevNET. “It’s the best of both worlds.”
On the docket for the combined companies: first, putting a seven-figure funding round to use, according to Schnell, who said much of the investment came through a single lead financing source. In addition, Wildrick will lead the development of a new “food and beverage business 101” webinar series designed for new and pre-revenue companies. The series will be a fee-based, 10-part online course streamed live and led by a range of industry professionals with experience in a variety of related fields. The course will feature a new segment once a week and be offered on a quarterly basis.
Schnell also said that Metabrand will also work with Wildrick to publish a new book about her life in beverage industry.
The Importance of Including Women in Your Product Development Decisions
My Texan born husband says, “If Texas could take a bride, it would be Colorado.” Ladies and Gentlemen, “If the consumer economy had a sex, it would be female. If the business world had a sex, it would be male”, Bridget Brennan wrote in her book, Why She Buys. So what’s the big deal? Do states or economies have personalities that make them different? The answer is a big fat “YES”. And, more importantly “gender is the most powerful determinant of how a person views...My Texan born husband says, “If Texas could take a bride, it would be Colorado.” Ladies and Gentlemen, “If the consumer economy had a sex, it would be female. If the business world had a sex, it would be male”, Bridget Brennan wrote in her book, Why She Buys.
So what’s the big deal? Do states or economies have personalities that make them different? The answer is a big fat “YES”. And, more importantly “gender is the most powerful determinant of how a person views the world and everything in it.” (Bridget Brennan).
$20 Trillion, that’s how much spending women control! Women control more than 65% of global spending and more than 80% of U.S. spending. Continum writes in Fast Company Magazine that “Their economic power is truly revolutionary representing the largest market opportunity in the world.”
Let’s call a spade a spade. I mean, okay, you all get the fact that women like to buy. But, does this influence you’re behavior when you’re developing a new product, making a decision about your executive team, or your board of directors? And, why should it, right?
There are three major reasons (and lots of other damn good reasons), why it should:
1) Because women are the primary or final decision makers in most if not ALL categories. That means they buy for themselves, their men, their children. And, they want to understand and be messaged to in a way that speaks to them.
2) Because women think differently than men. Because men and women experience the world differently. Once we know that they make the decisions, we need to understand what drives them to make decisions. And, because women think differently than men, it goes without saying that their ‘drive’ is different. What motivates them is different.
3) Because of #1 and #2, the success of your company, your brand, your product is dependent on the insights and leadership which a woman brings to the table. Harvard Business Review did a study that examined men and women leaders where they examined 16 attributes. “The study found that in measuring the attributes – which included taking initiative, developing strategic perspective, driving for results and developing others – women outperformed men in all but one of the areas and significantly outperformed them in four.”[1]
Want to build your company revenues, consider how you’ve involved women in your business model? And, oh by the way, they tell all their friends about the products they use, the products they buy!
