Building CPG food & bev brands from idea to hitting retail shelves.

It starts with brand strategy.

Shop clients @ Pop Up Grocer, Meadow Lane, Foxtrot, Butterfield Market, Happier Grocery, Fairway

Build your brand right from the start

I I work with people who have a cool CPG food & beverage idea and want to turn it into a brand that hits retail shelves. I meet clients while they're testing a product idea in their kitchen, brainstorming how to bring it to market. Usually without a brand name yet, they're looking to work with an expert on a real strategy to take their idea from concept to hitting retail shelves.

Before formulation, finding a brand name, posting content, and stressing about marketing, you start with brand strategy. You've seen the white space in the market. You've done your homework on the industry. You've started testing products in your kitchen. Now you're ready to make it happen. I'm your next call.

book a call

Trusted by the next generation of food & beverage brands

Hi, I'm Kelly Bennett, brand strategist building CPG food & beverage brands from idea to hitting retail shelves, host of Emerging Brands Podcast® discovering the CPG brands hitting retail shelves next, angel investor backing emerging CPG food & beverage brands and the operations that scale their retail footprint, and writer of a weekly Substack about the brands I love from my NYC home.

I'm the first call for founders who want a real strategy to turn the product idea they're testing in their kitchen into a brand ready to hit retail shelves.

With 20 years of experience building emerging brands across multiple industries, I've found my niche in emerging CPG food and beverage. I bring industry insight, market knowledge, and a trusted network to help founders bring what's next in food and beverage to shelf.

What clients are saying:

Cotto

‘I started working with Kelly when I only had a product concept and was testing early recipes in my kitchen, and building my brand strategy with her completely changed how I approached every decision that followed. She helped me dial in my positioning, messaging, and target consumer, and guided me toward a brand name that truly reflects what I’m building after my original name couldn’t be trademarked. Beyond the work itself, Kelly is an incredible supporter and connector, always generous with her time, her network, and her energy, and genuinely someone you want in your corner’.
Kendall Kransdorf, Founder
She's the Sauce

'Before She’s the Sauce was even a concept, I met with Kelly, and from day one, she helped me shape this brand into something truly unique. Her strategic mind helped me uncover what made my sauces different, find the key selling points that would resonate, and has helped create the kind of buzz that every founder dreams of...’
Nicole Glabman, Founder
Nomie

A few months into starting Nomie, I needed someone to help me cut through the noise and see the full picture. Kelly's brand strategy gave Nomie a real foundation that set the direction for brand design, social strategy, and product messaging and positioning. What I didn't expect was how much she'd continue to show up long after our work together wrapped, and I'm so grateful for that.
Roopa Annadatha, Founder
Frankly Good Coffee

‘...Pop Up Grocer slid into our dms and before I knew it we had launched inside one of the most respected entities for up and coming CPG brands - we were on the shelves, standing out among the other coffees that surrounded us. This is just the beginning of our growth and retail journey - grateful I was smart enough to hire Kelly when we did!’
Stefanie Frank, Co-founder