Startup CPG’s Grocery Run San Francisco 2025 Recap
On April 10th, our team flew out to San Francisco to host an intimate SF-based Founder Dinner and to meet up with our friends at Good Stuff Distributors to debut our first-ever distribution-style Grocery Run, sponsored by Specialty Food Association. The event took place in Good Stuff’s warehouse — the perfect place to really bring down the house with ~300 people and 47 brands sampling!
The VIP list for Grocery Run was RIDICULOUS and jammed with as many Bay Area buyers as we could get, the sampling brands really brought the energy, and the place was packed. Brands and buyers alike left with bellies full of samples and new, meaningful connections.
“We got to meet everyone we wanted. This was the best CPG event I’ve ever been to, and by far the best format of any event we’ve come to.” – Jesse Barruch, Co-Founder, WHIMS
“This is Like a Startup CPG Tradeshow”
As soon as the demoing brands started setting up and guests were flowing in, we kept hearing different versions of “this is like a Startup CPG trade show”. And you know what? We kinda have to agree. We’ve never done it like this before, and we are so grateful to this wonderful community of brands, experts, and retailers for making our SF Grocery Run debut a smash hit
“Grocery Run is way more personable than your typical tradeshow — you get the chance to talk 1:1 without the chaos rather than just exchanging business cards.” – John Lane, Product Innovation Manager, Raley’s
“Grocery Run felt like sitting around the dinner table with friends. It’s wonderful to see so many emerging purveyors who aren’t on shelves yet — we love to give them exposure and brand recognition in our market and help them as they continue to grow.” – Daria Jackson, Snack Category Manager, Fruit Guys
“I feel like there is a support system here with Startup CPG. Grocery Run is making finding the right regional partners possible at each event, and that is so crucial for us as CPG brands.” – Amna Mettmann, Founder, Brause
HUGE thank you to our sponsors, Specialty Food Association and Vori, for helping us make this event a reality. Want to sponsor the next Grocery Run? Let’s talk – email us at partnerships@startupcpg.com.
Grocery Run: Coming Soon to a City Near You!
- Town & Country in Seattle, WA | April 24th
- Gelson’s in Los Angeles, CA | April 28th
- Cambridge Naturals in Boston, MA | May 8th
- Fairway Market in NYC | June 29th
Make the Most Out of Your Startup CPG Experience
Founders, take advantage of the resources we offer to our community – this is why we’re here! Reminder of our resources:
- Slack – we are the largest CPG community on the planet, with 25k founders and industry experts in our Slack community – it’s completely free to join. Join here.
- Databases – our lists of grocery chains, CPG brokers, 3PLs, distributors, and more!
- Newswire – submit your brand news as a press release (for free!).
- Webinar Recordings – learn from the best & subscribe to our YouTube channel.
- Startup CPG Podcast – the world’s top CPG podcast – buyer, brand & expert interviews.
- NIQ Data Drops – free data on your category & competitors.
- Exclusive Discounts – special offers for our community- NIQ, Grassroots and more.
- Events – we host 100+ in person and online events throughout the year – join us!
- Shelfie Awards – currently in full swing, our annual Shelfie Awards offer brands an opportunity to submit up to 3 SKUs to the largest free awards program exclusively for emerging CPG brands.
Have questions about our community? Reach out to community@startupcpg.com.
About Startup CPG
Startup CPG is the biggest community in the world for emerging brands. We have a reach of 135K+, over 25k members in our Startup CPG Slack, and create millions of impressions per month. We host the #1 world podcast in CPG, 100+ events per year, the industry’s largest free award program, and will do anything to help brands grow and shine. It’s free — join today!
