“We wouldn’t have a product without our partners,” said Teresa Tsou, co-founder of Pipsnacks, a maker of heirloom corn-based snacks located in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2012 by Tsou, her husband, Jeff Martin, and his sister, Jen, the company uses one variety of heirloom corn, which has been around for over 400 years, to produce all of its offerings.
During an SFA Ask the Experts webinar, Thursday, Tsou spoke about how Pipsnacks has fostered strong connections with its partners and offered advice for other specialty food makers who are looking to strengthen their partner relationships, including:
Start a conversation with retailers. Before launching Pipcorn in Whole Foods in 2015, the team had a conversation with the grocer, explaining the desire to eventually create a family of snacks. Pipcorn began with just 3 SKUs in the store, but quickly grew to offer 11 as the brand expanded with new products like cheese balls, corn dippers, and upcycled snack crackers. “What we found is that a lot of these buyers have passion for building emerging brands, and have great ideas as well,” said Tsou. “Engaging in that conversation is always a good idea.”
Be transparent with employees. “When we realized how important it was to share with employees the impact we are making, we saw a huge change in employee motivation and buy-in,” said Tsou. Sharing financial successes and operational details can help employees have a better understanding of the business and, in turn, be better employees.
Build repeat relationships. Pipsnacks has worked with the same family farm to source its heirloom corn since the very beginning. Same with the company's co-manufacturing partners and its raw materials suppliers. These long-standing relationships have benefited Pipsnacks, especially during the pandemic. “Our relationships have made such a difference in our ability to grow, especially during COVD,” noted Tsou. “Our vendors knew us as people and knew that we would treat them right, so they prioritized and communicated with us.”
Remove “third-party” from your vocabulary. Small brands aren’t always able to hire the full time employees they need to get everything up off the ground, so many outsource the work. However, even though they aren’t officially employed by you, you should treat them as part of the family. Pipsnacks involves its partners in the business in many ways, including shipping them product and seeking feedback.
Overcommunicate. “There are always some things that aren’t going to go right,” said Tsou. “So get ahead of them before things go really wrong.” Pipsnacks has weekly update meetings with its investor, focusing not on successes, but potential challenges and barriers. This helps every party to be on the same page and manage problems as they arise.
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