"Together Talks" feature # 114: Every Body Eat presented by KLS, freight company
Some Background on Every Body Eat
For today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the opportunity to interview Every Body Eat and VP of Sales, Matt Rink. Their snackable, craveable thins are full of the flavors you want, and free from the stuff you don't. So good, you won't even realize they're missing the top 14 food allergens (EU standard), plus corn, which are associated with more than 90% of food allergies and intolerances. You’ll taste chive and chile pepper, not chalk. Garlic, not grit. So go ahead and share them with everybody at your table.
At Every Body Eat™, they are for the overscheduled families, the hungry teenage hockey practice mob, the last-minute party throwers, the culinary creators, the on-the-move makers, the back-of-the-car snackers, the special diet eaters, the gatherers, and the grazers—those who love to eat and who eat to live well, together. Unfortunately, they have found that sometimes reality gets in the way. One-third of American households struggle daily with food allergies, intolerances, or autoimmune diseases, and that number is only on the rise. Everyone is ordinary people with ordinary problems, and the food we eat shouldn’t be what divides us. The dining and social segregation caused by special diets ends here.
Every Body Eat set out to make it easy to eat with everybody. They create craveable, crunchy crackers—and soon, creamy dip-dressings, flavor blends, and more. They take the time and guesswork out of eating, and put the flavor and joy back into it. Their products and manufacturing facilities are free from wheat/gluten, milk/dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, corn, sesame, eggs, mustard, celery, lupins, sulfites, fish, shellfish, and mollusks. (Yes, you CAN make food that's free from all these things and still tastes great.)
Trish & Nicole at the forefront
The Co-Founders met each other at their children's school. There was an immediate spark and connection, but once they realized they both of their families were impacted from eating limitations they set out to work together. Both driven by the challenge to conquer a new space and create real, sustainable change, they created Every Body Eat.
Trish, a former entrepreneur, was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. Medication was the only remedy provided to try and manage the symptoms. Trish instead decided to research and see if she could get to the root of the problem. In experimenting with different foods she found that there were positive changes when she removed corn, dairy, and gluten from her diet. The progress, albeit small, allowed her to reduce her level of medication, but she knew this wasn't a permanent solution.
Nichole brought into the equation experience within the CPG space. However her family was impacted when two of her children were diagnosed with acid reflux and severe lactose intolerance. Upon discovering this about her children, soon her husband discovered he was lactose intolerant as well and sensitive to eggs and shellfish. Finally Nicole realized she had a sensitivity to dairy and gluten. Dealing with discomfort, pain, and true uncomfortableness within her family, they understood the need to make a change.
When Trish and Nichole met each other, both had the drive to create change within their families, but understood they was a greater calling. Their passion to bring accessible options to anyone and every body is the driving force behind their company. Understanding the hinderance that food limitations can have for an individual or family is the reason they set out to create real change in a healthy way. They are removing the stigmas, the worry, the concern. Every Body Eat is providing a true solution for those in need.
2020 - Matt's entrance
In 2020, Every Body Eat was in 7 retail doors in Chicago. They had no distribution, retail chains. Their primary focus was going through foodservice and educational channels. Matt's first day with the company was March 30th, 2020. Then the world shut down.
They took the opportunity to create their strategy and vision. Their first goal was to create a direct personal connection with their consumers. Their products were created out of need. Matt explained, "We understand we can't be a snack for every body, but we are going to try and be a brand that is a possibility for as many people as possible." Not every person can eat everything either through dietary restrictions or personal choice. The company understood what they could offer as a solution, clean ingredients, non-gmo, gluten free certified, kosher certified, but most important inclusive.
For the industry, not every company can stand behind the oath to create and provide the healthiest of products for those in need. Every Body Eat could. They were providing products that consumers with any limitation could consume with absolute confidence. This is what the company stood for as an organization and why the company was created. They understood their why, next they needed to direct the course of their company and plan where they were going to go.
Matt shared that initially they thought they could co-manufacture, but to maintain the highest level of standards they elected to keep everything in house. They wanted to extend an olive branch to everyone who sat at their table, once again focusing on inclusion. Then the company decided to spark disruption in their category. They put ALL of their ingredients on the FRONT of the bag. Their focus is what is inside the bag. It immediately grabs the attention of consumers, but Matt implored one critical need, "The trick is to get them to say 'Wow, this is delicious!', regardless of who is trying it."
Partner with KLS
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Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.
For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!
Retail Door Growth
March of 2020 the company was in 7 retailer doors.
Today they are in over 2600 doors.
Matt told us that their goal was to build velocity. They focused on going deep locally at first. He shed light on the importance of expansion, "If a company is going to expand they must understand who their real consumer is, whether that be catering geographically, selling online, or a specific region." Every Body Eat utilized a methodical and strategic approach remaining very cognizant of their capacity. They focused on going as deep as they could. Matt credited their growth to a key partner, Green Spoon Sales.
"Without them, we wouldn't be in this position today. They have been an incredible partner for us. They have been advocates, ambassadors, champions for us.", Matt shared. He explained that whether a company can afford a sales team or if they have to go the ambassador or broker route it all comes down to one key metric, alignment. He continued, "Find someone who really understands your vision. When they can pair that with your community and audience it allows the traction to build. Over time the consumers become champions for the brand too because they campaign for your product."
While there have been so many incredible wins for the company Matt, candidly shared a moment that proved to be unfortunate for their trajectory of growth. While not having any partnerships with large retail distributors they made a push to develop those in the Midwest. They hoped to get into locations such as Mariano’s, Jewel, FoxTrot, Whole Foods, Lunds and Byerlys. They got approval from Whole Foods for local stores. Next Lunds gave them approval, stating they loved the product. This preempted Every Body Eat to activate at UNFI. However this small partnership prevented them from being eligible for the UNFI Next Program. "This was a huge missed opportunity for us, we just didn't know and understand what was out there. We had to learn the hard way by missing out on this great opportunity within UNFI.", Matt explained. He continued by explaining how critical it is to have the most updated information and support from all potential and current partners. Matt reiterated the importance of true partnership and being respectful and understand of all retailer agreements. Despite missing out on the Next program, it was a pivotal learning experience for the company. They have also not let it derail them as they are shattering growth with UNFI.
The Why
From Every Body Eat's website:
"Our kitchen is clean. We pride ourselves in creating our food in an environment that is higher than the highest standards and free from the ingredients so many people struggle to avoid. Building our own kitchen from scratch wasn’t easy, but it was the right recipe to meet our standards; many “free from” food companies produce their products using contract manufacturers that may still pose a risk of cross contract from other allergens."
Despite a consumer's limitation they are committed to providing excellence and assurance with each and every product. They understand the importance of building efficiency into their services with manufacturing. Matt said a company needs to always have an eye on what is coming next. One way to be ready for the next phase is to evaluate the current set up and see if there are any additions that could be added to a brand that fit within the scope of production base don raw goods, machinery, supply chain, etc. "Ultimately we are selling a model of tomorrow and trying to survive today, but what is that timeline?", Matt shared.
Unicorns are the companies who can easily gain distribution and stick Matt believes. It is easy for the consumer because it fits their price point and is easy to understand it. There is creativity and uniqueness to the product, placing it ahead of the curve. When a company is on this trajectory it is chasing validation which Matt described as the 3rd purchase. "When a consumer or retailer makes that third order that is the permission for the next step, or the next door. In order to scale, we believe that we need to go deeper first and that starts with growing after we reach that third order.", Matt shared.
During his few years with the company Matt explained that what brings him the most joy is the opportunity to sample. Between stores and tradeshows the company has completed almost 1,000 samplings to date! Matt told us that the ability to talk direct with consumers who have to eat their product because of dietary restrictions and also those who choose to eat it, gives them so much pride and perspective. Another huge milestone for the company was being awarded Midwest Supplier of Whole Foods in 2021. Matt enlightened us on their reception, "We believe Whole Foods sets the bar for delighting consumers and being a good value. For them to say we embody what they want from all of their suppliers, is just a wonderful testament. Gaining that acknowledgement from a retailer just goes to show what we have built. And all of the credit goes to our team."
Matt explained how it is easy to get caught up watching other brands and their success or wins. But also alluded to the fact that there isn't one right way to do things. It is ok to try and emulate what others have done, but ultimately the approach may not align. Instead he suggests finding the north star of yourself and your brand and work off that. Find the purpose, find it quickly, very quickly and ingrain that in every decision that is made. He added how critical it is to surround yourself with people who understand what your purpose is. He concluded with, "It is ok to mirror your company to others for, but in the end you want to be the magnet. Take that mindset into each and every decision you make."
Piece of Advice
The conversation with Matt ended with him sharing his piece of advice:
"Don’t strive for perfection, good enough works. If you made it this far, meaning you took the time to create a business plan and launched into market, then you’ve already done everything. You’re good enough. Remember that. Now focus on what is next. You need to find a community and audience to let your vision and company grow.”
Interested in being featured with "Together Talks"?
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Contact us as we would love to learn your story and share it amongst our audience.
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In Closing
KLS wants to thank Matt Rink, VP of Sales, of Every Body Eat and for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!
Klimson Logistics Solutions - Together Talks with Every Body Eat feature # 114
*Klimson Logistics Solutions is an Industry Leading Customer Service 3PL. Our focus and commitment to our clients has us striving to be the BEST customer service 3PL for LTL, FTL, Reefer, and Drayage in the country. KLS, freight company, is a 3PL providing nationwide logistics solutions. KLS shipping services include: LTL freight, FTL freight, Reefer LTL freight, Reefer FTL freight, and Drayage. Klimson Logistics Solutions thanks you for viewing our marketing campaign, "Together Talks". If you have any interest in being featured or questions regarding your freight operations please contact us today!
Why KLS?
Our precise and reliable effort.
We handle every shipment with the exact same process. It does not matter if you move one shipment a year or ten per day, you will receive the same level of customer service from us. When we started this company, we had one goal in mind, treat every shipment like it was our own. With our vast knowledge of the industry, we understood what a customer would want from a communication standpoint. We applied that process to be the standard here at KLS. Our reliability and being able to depend on our consistency is why we have such long-standing relationships with our clients.
Our Process?
Every shipment in our industry starts with a quote. We are firm believers that time is money, thus we strive to have quotes back in a 5-10 minute reply time for LTL and FTL, any FCL quotes are at the mercy of the carriers getting back to us. For LTL we have the flexibility to quote both off of NMFC and also Density depending on the carrier. Utilizing our services, you’re allowing us to use our expertise to class your freight accordingly to ensure we are providing the best rate we possibly can.
Once a quote has been submitted and a client chooses to proceed with KLS handling the arrangement of the shipment our full process begins. We create the BOL that will be used for the shipment. If it is a new location for our system, we will obtain all the important/special details (reference numbers, contact details, shipping hours, closed for lunch, dock/doors, etc.). We meticulously build every detail into our software for all future shipments involving that location. After we have both locations built and necessary reference numbers have been applied we will tender the shipment to the carrier. We use this method because it provides us a real time pickup number from the carrier to obtain updates prior to pickup. Our staff will either email the BOL directly to you or to the shipper (at your request) the minute after the tender has been accepted by the carrier. LTL carriers require a 2 hour window prior to close time in order to schedule it for a same-day pickup attempt.
The following morning you’ll receive an email from us. It will either provide the reason the pickup was missed (driver’s trailer filled up, driver missed the close time, truck broke down, shipper said no freight, etc.) or if the pickup was successful you will receive the PRO (tracking) number from us, along with the eta for delivery. Our staff will track it throughout the duration of transit and advise if anything happens that will alter the estimated delivery date. The day the shipment delivers we will email you with confirmation and the POD (Proof of Delivery), should you require it.
Your shipment has been quoted, scheduled, picked up, and delivered. The next step is waiting for the carrier to invoice us and make sure the rate matches up. If it does, we close out the invoice from the carrier in our system and automatically your invoice is created and sent to the requested party at your company. In the event the carrier has an additional charge on their invoice “Variance”, we will never send you an invoice with an additional charge without first identifying you of the charge.
Let us repeat, NEVER WILL WE JUST BILL OUT AN EXTRA CHARGE WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED.
You are our customer, we represent you. Should the carrier provide an extra charge on an invoice, “Lift gate, additional weight, reclass, detention, etc.) We notify you of the charge via email first. Second, within that email we identify what is required should you choose to dispute the charge. Again our goal is to honor your request, if you want to dispute, we will dispute. During a dispute we will provide you updates every step along the way. Once a dispute is closed out, whether it is approved or rejected, then we will invoice you as the invoice has been resolved.
For reference, our company only had 6.2% of all shipments go to dispute in 2022 and we successfully won 91% of those disputes on behalf of our customers.
This is our process for every single shipment you move with us. We don’t cut corners, we don’t hide from difficult situations. We believe in being available, honest, and transparent. We don’t ever want to tell you that a shipment is lost, damaged, misrouted, but it is our duty to notify you the second we find out something has gone wrong. We hate to present bad news, but it is part of the job. What you can guarantee is that we will work a shipment all the way through and turn over every stone until we get a resolution for our clients.
Services offered?
Our core business is LTL and FTL. Within these options we have options for both dry and refrigerated/frozen. We also offer FCL/Drayage options. Our company as a 3PL has nationwide options and services clients across the US.
Let’s breakdown our services more in-depth
LTL:
Standard and Guaranteed
CFS (Imports & Exports)
Tradeshows
Hazmat
Anything that is on a pallet can be moved LTL. Typically LTL is up to 10 pallets, but the sweet spot for a carrier is 6-8 pallets at most for an individual shipment. LTL quotes are good between 5-30 days depending on the carrier. LTL can be quoted either via NMFC or density to determine the class (we do this for you).
Volume:
Anything over 10-12’ of space in the truck is the technical rule for a volume shipment. When we run a quote for you we will determine if it qualifies for volume and provide you a rate if available. Volume moves allow you to get a reduced rate for larger shipments. The caveat to volume shipments it the quotes are only valid for 3-7 days and they move on capacity between terminals. If a terminal is backed up they will move their LTL freight first before the volume freight, which can lead to longer transit times for volume moves.
FTL/Dedicated/Expedited: 53’ Dry and Reefer 26’ Box trucks with lift gate Sprinter Van The main difference for FTL vs LTL is space and transit time. For standard pallets you can fit either 26 or 30 pallets in a 53’ dry van. The other main difference is transit time, for FTL each day counts in the transit time, whereas LTL does not count the day of pickup, weekends, or holidays in their transit time.
Reefer/Frozen:
LTL and FTL
We specialize working in the CPG space with food manufacturers. We regularly deliver to
the following locations:
Kehe
UNFI
Core Mark
DPI
Wegmans
Cugini
H.T. Hackney
Netrition
HEB
ALDI
Chambers and Owens
EBY Brown
Nassau Candy
Harris Teeter
Wakefern
NU INC
Long Distribution
What makes KLS different?
There are thousands of freight brokers and 3PL in our industry. Barrier to entry is rather easy and agents or owners will often hire sales people without any intention of properly training them. It results in high turnover for many freight companies and a forgettable experience for the client. We choose to operate differently through our consistency. We truly care about doing right by our clients and prospects too. While we would love to help provide our services to every company we speak with, that just isn’t realistic. We won’t always be the right fit for every company that moves freight and that is ok. Our authenticity as a shipping company sets us apart from the competition and that is backed up by our testimonials. We also run a marketing campaign bi-weekly called “Together Talks”. We interview, highlight, and promote two businesses every week. Our goal is to grow our network, make new connections, and learn something new with each collaboration. Check it out on our website and if you’re interested in being featured reach out.
Our company also runs a year long charity promotion. Book your first shipment through KLS and we donate to the charity of your choice in your name. Our way of thanking you for giving us an opportunity to show you the KLS way and what makes us one of a kind. This entire package is what we offer to every prospect and every client. Our goal is to help provide answers that customers may have when it comes to shipping. We want to always be available as a resource and will always offer a lending hand whenever we can.
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