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Channel map

Mainstream grocery

Shelf-stable, refrigerated or frozen food headed for a regional or national supermarket.

01

Who actually controls the yes

Aim at the seat, not the seniority. The most senior person is rarely the decision.

Category manager

Your actual yes or no. Owns assortment for one category.

Category director

Sets the category strategy the manager buys against.

Replenishment planner

Case pack, order minimums, whether your logistics work.

Private brand lead

A separate door entirely. Different economics, different pitch.

02

The way in

  1. 01Find your category review window. Most run once or twice a year.
  2. 02Get a broker or distributor who already sits in that review.
  3. 03Submit through the retailer supplier portal, not a cold email.
  4. 04Bring velocity proof from a smaller banner before asking for a national one.

03

Firms that cover this channel

Brokers exist to be found by brands. These are the ones who work this channel.

Acosta

National grocery coverage across most major banners.

  • Ashley Roehm · President

OSMG America

Five superregional brokers combined. Grocery, drug, mass, club.

  • Jill Blanchard · President, National Services

JOH

Northeast strength, deep grocery and HBC.

  • Matt O’Hare

Schraad Sales & Marketing

Regional grocery.

  • Bill Schraad Jr.

MYA

Regional grocery accounts.

  • Jeff Yurgae

04

Rooms you cannot walk into

These are invitation-led by design. Knowing they exist is why cold outreach reads badly.

  • FMI Strategic Executive Exchange
  • Private supplier suites
  • Prescheduled retailer and supplier meetings
  • Retailer supplier summits
  • Joint business planning meetings

05

Where you can actually show up

06

Who sets category strategy

Public leadership, for context only. These are not submission targets. Aiming here skips every seat that owns your decision.

  • Craig BoyanH-E-B
  • Jason BuechelAmazon and Whole Foods
  • Susan MorrisAlbertsons
  • Kevin MurphyPublix
  • Jeremy GoschHy-Vee

Knowing the map is not the same as being ready.

Ask Shelf Help to read your brand against this channel. It tells you which gaps would fail a review here, in the order they cost you.

Get your read

Titles verified August 2026. Retail roles move often, so confirm before you act. Nothing here implies access, endorsement, or influence. All channels