Even as suppliers rush to produce hard seltzers, ready-to-drink canned cocktails and other so-called “fourth category” offerings, traditional beer remains a priority for Whole Foods Markets, according to Mary Guiver, the natural food chain’s global senior category merchant for beer and spirits.
“We have that customer,” she stressed during Brewbound Frontlines. “They come to us for that. It’s important to us. We just need our partners to be very focused. Instead of just throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall, help us understand what is going to work for both of us.”
During a special “Retail Pulse” edition of Brewbound Frontlines, Guiver discussed balancing the influx of new products with core offerings. She also provided insights into the bev-alc industry’s foray into the “better-for-you” space and what it means for Whole Foods, the importance of meeting the company’s quality standards, and tips for pitching her team.
Guiver also cautioned companies that are considering entering the beyond beer space.
“You enter into the fourth category, you’re entering into a battle ground, especially in hard seltzer,” she said.
Still, Guiver maintains that beer remains a much-desired commodity within Whole Foods’ stores.
“The truth is there is still a big chunk of the population that wants just craft beer, or they want imports,” she said. “They’re beer drinkers. So sometimes it’s refreshing to sit down and have a meeting with a supplier who is like, ‘Beer is what we do. We’re really good at it. Here’s some more beer that we’re making.’”
Brewbound Frontlines is exclusively available to subscribers of Brewbound.com. Retail Pulse editions of Frontlines provide subscribers an opportunity to get inside the heads of beverage alcohol buyers from various classes of trade to understand the products they’re interested in purchasing and the trends in the marketplace, with a goal of helping suppliers feel more confident in crafting their sales pitches.
If you are an adult beverage buyer for an on- or off-premise retailer and want to be considered for a future edition of Brewbound Frontlines, please email podcast@brewbound.com.
About Brewbound Frontlines
Brewbound Frontlines is an ongoing discussion series with beer industry leaders and watchers on the business adjustments they’re making and the future of the industry. Frontlines is an extension of Brewbound’s leading B2B industry reporting.
About Brewbound
Published by BevNET.com Inc., Brewbound is a leading multi-media industry trade publication providing comprehensive information about the beer space, analysis of industry trends and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. In addition to providing daily news coverage, Brewbound also gathers entrepreneurs and executives to exchange ideas, discuss the state of the industry and hear strategies for succeeding in the beverage alcohol space via a series of nationwide meetups, multi-day business conferences, live-streamed shows and podcasts.