Business rounds for food and beverage companies
A small food and beverage manufacturer usually has a product that sells well where it is known and cannot get out of its region. The craft brewery dominates the bars in town, the cookie factory supplies the neighborhood markets, the sauce brand sells at the street market and online. To grow, it needs a distributor, shelf space in other chains and food service customers, and each of these doors tends to be closed to those without a referral.
An online business round (B2B matchmaking event) opens conversations with buyers, in short video meetings, with companies from any city in Brazil. The B2B matchmaking uses what each company declares it offers and is looking for to suggest the meetings with the best fit. Instead of waiting for the next industry trade show, your brand talks to buyers in the middle of the month, with no booth and no travel.
What the round looks like
- Format
- Online, by video call
- Who you meet
- Customers, suppliers and partners
- Meetings
- Short, suggested by business fit
- First round
- On us, with an active Brazilian CNPJ
Who buys from the sector
The first buyer of a small food manufacturer is the distributor. It has the portfolio of points of sale, the truck and the relationship with the supermarket buyer. A good regional distributor takes the product to cities the factory would never reach on its own. It assesses turnover, margin, shelf life, shipping packaging and whether the brand will help sell with point-of-sale material and tastings.
The second group is retail: regional supermarkets, convenience chains, specialty stores, natural food stores and specialized online shops. The third is food service, made up of restaurants, hotels, bakeries, industrial kitchens and contract catering companies, which buy in volume, in their own packaging and with regular delivery.
There are also those who buy to resell under another brand. Retail chains and food companies look for manufacturers to produce private labels, which can fill idle capacity with scheduled orders.
Who the sector buys from
Food and beverage manufacturers buy agricultural raw materials, ingredients, additives, primary and secondary packaging, labels, equipment, maintenance, refrigerated transport, laboratory testing and consulting on good manufacturing practices and labeling. Changing a packaging or ingredient supplier can change the margin of the entire product.
By also declaring what it is looking for at registration, your company may find a farmer who sells directly, a label printer that handles small runs or a carrier with cold storage on the right route. Before closing with someone new, the CNPJ lookup shows the company's registration status and activity.
What companies in the sector look for in a round
- Find distributors in regions the brand does not yet reach.
- Open conversations with buyers at regional supermarkets and specialty stores.
- Win food service customers with regular delivery.
- Offer private label production to fill idle capacity.
- Meet packaging, label and ingredient suppliers.
How to introduce your company in a short meeting
A food buyer wants to know whether the product sells. Say what you make, in what packaging, with what shelf life and where it already sells. If you have your own turnover or repurchase data, use it, making clear where it comes from. If you do not, describe how the product is received where it already is: the market that restocks every week, the restaurant that took another item off the menu to add yours.
Also talk about what you offer the channel beyond the product: payment terms, point-of-sale material, tastings, support from your representative, an affordable minimum order. Distributors buy partnership, not just an item. To organize all this into a short introduction, use the pitch for food and beverage companies.
Make clear which registrations and licenses your product has, because that defines where it can be sold. And have samples ready to send to whoever marks interest: in food, the decision almost always goes through tasting.
Common mistakes
- Talking only about flavor and recipe, without stating shelf life, packaging and where it already sells.
- Not knowing the selling price to the distributor or the margin it will have.
- Demanding a high minimum order from a buyer who still wants to test the product.
- Forgetting to mention the registrations and licenses that define where the product can be sold.
- Ending the meeting without agreeing to send samples.
Frequently asked questions
How do I show a food product in an online meeting?
The meeting serves to spark interest and qualify the buyer. Show the packaging on camera, say where the product already sells and arrange to send samples to whoever marks interest. Contact details are only shared when both sides want to continue.
Will I meet distributors from other states?
The rounds are open to companies from all over Brazil, but there is no guarantee of sector or city. If you declare that you are looking for distributors in a region, that guides the meeting suggestions. Understand the method in how a business round works.
How much does it cost to take part?
The first round is complimentary, with an active CNPJ (Brazilian company tax ID), once per CNPJ. After that there are paid plans. To compare with the cost of taking the brand to a trade show, use the cost per meeting calculator.
Find customers and suppliers for food and beverage companies in an online round
Short video meetings with companies chosen for their business fit. Your company's first round is on us, with just its CNPJ.