We utilize over 100 years of collective emerging brand CPG engineering and scaling experience to transform mission-driven new companies into successful organizations and established successful organizations into global category leaders.
Jeff Lichtenstein launches NYC’s first All-Natural and Organic Retail-focused Consulting, Sales, Marketing, and Distribution Company. Humble bootstrap beginnings on the mean streets of Bronx NY as the sole proprietor applying the Kaizen approach to all tasks from driving the truck to accounting, sales, and marketing, with an earnest mission to help make the world a better place, naturally!
Jeff advised Founder Stephen McDonnell and his team on Go-to-market strategies. First and exclusive USA Distributor, later largest regional distributor. Guru forms cornerstone along with Whole Foods to help scale them to 350M. Applegate became category leader, exit $775 million to Hormel (HRL).
Jeff and his team at Gourmet Guru launched first USA Greek Yogurt company Fage, writing and activating their USA Go-to-market strategy and ongoing Sales and Marketing Strategies. Launched at Whole Foods and other key retailers overcoming difficult start of high shrink, short shelf life and USDA hold ups due to product being imported. Consulted on opening up USA plant. Category now close to $4 billion.
Worked with Founder Seth Goldman as his first distributor on Go-to-market strategy. Learned, adapted, and overcame intense competition in the space and realized the need for major sales and marketing budget to fight and win in the space which Guru later adapted.
Consulted Founder Hamdi Ulukaya two years prior to launch on Business Plan and Go-to-market strategies. First Natural Specialty Distributor and launched at two regions of Whole Foods, then other key accounts. Became category leader with valuation exceeding $5+-billion.
Consulted Founders on Business Plan and Go-to-market strategies and launched cold brew coffee category in USA (later LaColombe and Blue Bottle as well) via Gourmet Guru as first and exclusive distributor.
Consulted Sales leadership on Go-to-market strategies and launched the product at Whole Foods via Gourmet Guru as exclusive distributor. 2019 IPO valuation at $1.46 billion, the most successful IPO since great recession.
Consulted Co-founder Jordan Brown on Business Plan and go-to-market strategies.
Steve Spinner UNFI CEO and Jeff merge Gourmet Guru, with sales in excess of $60 million, with UNFI as a strategic acquisition to create UNFI Next. Wrote Business Plan for UNFI Next, a division dedicated to sourcing and nurturing emerging brands. UNFI today is the largest publicly traded food distributor in the USA with sales in excess of $25 billion
Jeff launch's Next In Natural born from Organic Opportunities – a Boutique, Strategic Brand Development, Sales, Marketing and Operations trading firm founded in 2017. We are dedicated to crafting, executing, and leading winning Go-to-Market strategies and long-range sustainable Business Plans for emerging and high potential natural, organic & mission-driven Organizations