Houseware and specialty food producers in Nordic countries faced a monumental challenge: introducing their popular products into a coveted US market with huge sales opportunity.

BBF leveraged our relationships and expertise to secure for Engstrom Trading, a company that imports products such as innovative non-stick baking sheets and bulk candy boxes, an account with Whole Foods-- Southern Region. The deal would put products from Sweden and other Nordic countries in as many as 17 stores in four states. 

“BBF is incredible. Not only did they manage to get through all the trade rules and regulations, but they secured us entry into Whole Foods,” says Robert Engstrom, founder of Engstrom Trading.

BBF’s sales and marketing team presented the products in person to key buyers at Whole Foods. Within weeks, the relationship was solidified, with BBF guiding the seller through the process to get their products to Whole Foods customers.

Engstrom Trading found a strategic partner in BBF's team who understood exactly where these high quality products belonged, and worked to get them into independent speciality and housewares stores across the country.

Whole Foods was just the beginning in a ...

TAZA makes fine chocolates with a traditional stone-grinding process and cocoa beans from Mexico. The result is a product that is unique in both flavor and texture. 

The TAZA team was confident that once people tasted their chocolates, the special qualities would come through, but getting that product in front of wholesale buyers and everyday consumers was a challenge. 

TAZA had an internal sales team working the phones, sending emails and handling logistics, and they worked with traditional distributors in major metropolitan areas. However, standing out in the crowded chocolate market and reaching buyers in areas they couldn’t afford to staff presented a unique and costly problem.

 “We joined BBF because it was a new and innovative approach,” says Larry Slotnick, Co-Founder of TAZA Chocolate.  “BBF’s ordering platform makes things easier for buyers and for us. This is the way the world is going.”

In only two years as a BBF premium seller, TAZA reaped a 15x return on investment in sales and saw accounts  from coast to coast.  Additional benefits came in the form of tremendous publicity and exposure. 

Powerful Presence at Key Industry Events

 BBF provided an ...

Years before Ric Kraszewski turned his dream of creating an organic tortilla chip shaped like a whale’s tail into reality, he had shelved the idea because of one word---- “no.”

Today, Whale Tail Chips is on multiple store shelves and making its way to Nordstrom Cafes across the country (as many as 120), thanks in large part to BBF who said “yes you can” when traditional distributors had told Kraszewski “no.”

“In the beginning, I couldn’t get an account without a distributor, but I couldn’t get a distributor to pay attention to me without an account,” recalls Kraszewski. “I had a great product, but I wasn’t a food person. I didn’t know how to do this.”

Kraszewski had thought up his products several years ago as a way to give back to ocean conservation. He secured a co-packer, and then took a big leap of faith going after Whole Foods in southern California and got his foot in the door there.This initial big break gave him high hopes for getting products quickly onto store shelves, but his ambitions were soon stunted by repeated “no’s ...

Lillie Belle Farms produces artisan chocolates using farm-fresh ingredients. From the ingredients to the production, everything about the company’s success is organic. 

Initial sales began through popular local Farmer’s markets which led to word-of-mouth popularity followed by quick sales growth nationally. Owner Jeff Shepherd ran a one-man show going to stores to pass out samples, and talking to people one-on-one about his products.

But differentiating a chocolate product in a saturated market was a big challenge, and selling the Lillie Belle story required Shepherd be face-to-face with prospects. This became increasingly difficult as the company grew.

“I joined BBF because I knew Joyce. I trusted the founders and believed in this vision they had,” says Shepherd.  “It takes someone who understands me to sell my product, and I trusted BBF to represent me.”

BBF featured Lillie Belle in a dynamic online catalog, promoted them through timely email marketing campaigns, and in stores to key buyers. 

BBF displayed seller-approved information, and quickly updated changes or added new information the seller requested. By linking  to Lillie Belle’s home page, BBF connected buyers directly to the seller’s image and voice.

All of ...

Owner Stacey Bruno Migale was ecstatic when she heard the news: her products would soon be available through two mammoth retailers: Nordstrom Espresso Bars across the country (200+ locations), and Hilton Hotels (500+ locations), thanks to the hard work of reps at Buyer’s Best Friend. 

When the first Nordstroms order came in, it was very clear that this was a windwall success for the one-woman company. Orders began coming in daily through BBF’s fully managed sales system, and the transition from being a local favorite to landing two large retail chains across the country came with minimal additional effort for Biscotti Bari. BBF laid the groundwork and followed through every step of the process to ensure that nothing was missed.

“I had no idea how much BBF was doing for me behind the scenes,” says Bruno Migale. “It gives me peace of mind to know that BBF is out there fighting as hard as I do for my success.”

BBF allowed Bruno Migale to concentrate on producing her exceptional products while their sales team met with buyers, constantly championing the Biscotti Bari line. By focusing on reaching only the right kinds ...

P.O.P Candy produces a line of all-natural butter crunch toffees with delicious, innovative flavors. The challenge was getting into the hands and mouths of buyers.

Founders Bill Waiste and Rachel Flores wanted to expand their wholesale channel in an efficient and organic way, and joined BBF as a free listed seller to test the waters. 

They quickly saw BBF was an affordable new way to help them stand out from the competition and attract sales, and upgraded to the guaranteed Premium membership.

Immediately Waiste and Flores gained a host of sales and marketing tools from BBF, including prominent placement in a digital catalog viewed by over 1,000 buyers, active online and offline promotions, and affordable opportunities to exhibit at industry events.

Flores and Waiste joined BBF’s shared booth at the 2012 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, putting them in front of 17,000+ buyers and industry tastemakers -- for a fraction of the cost of their own booth.

BBF organized the logistics, provided robust staffing, and created a dynamic display that attracted the crowds. These efforts saved hours of time ...