Grocery & Distributor Ready Consulting
Meet the Minds Behind Your Retail Success
About Teresa Holman
Grocery & Distributor Ready Consulting
With more than 30 years in the grocery and food retail industry, I have worked across nearly every stage of bringing food brands to market. For the past 18 years, I have owned and operated a food brokerage company representing emerging brands and helping them navigate the complex realities of retail distribution. My work has focused primarily on early-stage brands and entrepreneurs entering the grocery industry.
Industry Experience
Throughout my career, I have worked directly with:
- National distributors, including UNFI, KeHE, C&S, and others
- Regional and national grocery retailers
- Category managers across multiple departments
- International brands entering the U.S. market
Inside Grocery Decision-Making
This experience has given me insight into how decisions are actually made within the grocery industry.
About Greg Durst
Certifications & Compliance Specialist
I spent 15 years farming and brought innovative grain and fresh produce products to the retail market. Farming led to over 25 years in food processing and packaging. Industry with plant design, equipment design, and product innovation, both domestically and internationally.
Opening Doors Through Compliance & Safety
I now help emerging companies with plant setup, government compliance, product claim certification, food safety, and audit-ready preparedness. In today’s food industry, as a small emerging brand, being prepared with proper compliance and food safety programs will open doors to retailers and distributors that will be closed to less prepared brands.
Industry Experience
Helps brands navigate food safety certifications and regulatory compliance requirements often expected by distributors and retailers, including HACCP, BRC, MSC, ISO, BAP, and other industry standards.
- Implemented farm-direct-to-retail programs
- Director of Operations for an international food processing company
- Licensing of European products for production in the US market
- Packaged retail products for Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Walmart for over 25 years.
- Brought the Private Label brand to the US market for national distribution
What We Understand From the Inside
- How retail buyers evaluate products
- How category resets and timelines work
- Pricing architecture and margin expectations
- Distributor economics, including OIs and MCBs
- Promotional structures and trade spend requirements
- How distributors evaluate and prioritize SKUs
Our Approach
Straightforward. Honest. Practical.
The grocery industry has a steep learning curve, and many new entrepreneurs invest heavily before fully understanding the financial structure behind retail. Our role is to help translate the industry so aspiring founders can make informed decisions.