“I think it’s very hard for a brand to do all of these things [omnichannel] immediately. When we launched the business, my co-founders and I decided that we would focus on brick-and-mortar first … we felt that we needed to build a brand and get the brand out there. There are a lot of brands that go D-to-C first … before they even go into grocery. We felt we could always build a brand through online when we had a larger presence in brick-and-mortar.”

—Robert Jakobi, CEO, BOU Brands

Part 1: The story behind BOU

Highlights:

• In just 18 months BOU has gained national distribution in roughly 6,500 locations, including Whole Foods, Wegmans, Sprouts and Safeway Albertsons.
• BOU has a unique partnership with the only North American manufacturer that can make a BFY cube.
• The consumer is key. We need them to come back again and again, so taste is our primary focus, Jakobi says.
• Instant soup cups are a big focus now with BOU's foodservice strategy.
• From digital amplification to brand ambassadors, discover the five steps of BOU’s omnichannel strategy.

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Part 2: Q&A

Highlights:

• Getting feedback when you can’t afford focus groups.
• Vetting brand ambassadors/influencers.
• Packaging concerns and sustainability.
• Manufacturer scaling and supply chain issues.
• Funding and board strategies.

This session—Fueling Sales in an Omnichannel World: Keynote--Omnichannel from a Brand Perspective—was recorded at Natural Products Expo West 2019. Click "download" for the presentation slides.