07/22/2026
Chains, Distributors, or Operators: Where Should Food Brands Actually
Focus?
It’s the million-dollar question for food manufacturers: Where should you focus
your sales energy? Do you go after the big chains, build relationships with
distributors, or target the individual operators?
The short answer: It depends entirely on your brand and your go-to-market
strategy. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Here is how we see different manufacturers tackling this, and how you should
think about your own strategy.
1. How Manufacturers Structuring Their Teams
We see two primary trends in how brands align their sales forces:
• The Specialized Route: Many manufacturers are hiring dedicated
experts or teams for each specific segment—having designated people for
non-commercial, corporate distribution, and national accounts.
• The Lean Route: Other brands prefer to keep their direct sales teams
small, relying instead on regional managers (covering the West, Midwest,
and East) who oversee broader territories and leverage broker
partnerships.
2. The Distribution Playbook: Where Do You Fit?
As a broker, our job is to help manufacturers identify where their immediate needs
are. If you are trying to figure out your next move, look at your current footprint:
• If you are already widely accepted and distributed: Your focus
shouldn't necessarily be on chasing new distribution. Instead, focus on
unlocking and open-coding more items within your existing distributors
so your sales team can actively sell them to operators.
• If you have very little distribution: Your play is to target large, local
operators first. Landing these key accounts will "force" the distribution,
giving you the leverage you need to get your products stocked.
The Bottom Line: Your focus shouldn't be determined by what’s popular; it
should be determined by where your brand currently sits on the distribution
spectrum.
What has been your brand's biggest challenge when balancing chains,
distributors, and operators?
Let’s discuss in the comments!
