Ghost Tree Sales (GTS) - Sales Incubator Program

What is the Sales Incubator Program (SIP)?

We give your brand a start while at the same time providing local Northern California independent retailers with a unique competitive advantage by being the first to carry new and innovative products before big chains can.

New brands and products lacking traditional retail distribution and traditional distributor support can win both with the SIP. GTS will act as both your broker and your distributor in Northern California. We buy products from you that we then sell to retailers. This is a short term buy-sell program whereby GTS incubates your business by building store distribution, velocity and cashflow. Once SIP has generated enough doors and enough sales, we pass the distribution to a traditional distributor and continue on building your business as your broker. We guaranteed a minimum of 50 doors and presentations to select regional Northern California grocery distributors. Once a traditional distributor is in place, GTS can start moving your brand up the retail food chain by presenting to larger Northern California chains and also start building in Southern California with immediate distribution support.

Who Qualifies?

Brands: New-to-the-world or emerging natural and specialty CPG products that would like to secure fast retail placement at independent natural & specialty retailers in Northern California.

Retailers: Independent privately owned Northern California based retailers. Retailers that understand shopping should be a unique and fun experience and are not interested in competing solely on price. They support communities by bringing in the latest, newest and coolest brands that large chains are not able to sell because of bureaucracy and complex distribution channels. These independent retailers allow Ghost Tree Sales to distribute direct to their store(s) products participating in SIP. In return, GTS and our partner brands work hard to drive sales using a combination of in-store marketing tools and strong promotion support. We believe and invest behind in-store demo’s because they work. Demos drive consumer awareness, trial and repeat sales for both brand and retailer - brands are required to support demo programs as part of SIP.

Where is the program run?

Northern California. Northern California is unlike any other market in North America because it has a lengthy list of strong independent grocery stores. These grocery stores are leaders when it comes to finding and selling new and innovative products that are not available at large chain stores like Whole Foods Market or Walmart. These stores support entrepreneurs who in return can develop their business by supporting local community stores. Lastly, the Northern California shopper is interested in natural/specialty products, is generally more affluent and likes to try new things.

GTS segments Northern California into the following territories:

  1. Monterey Bay: Big Sur - Santa Cruz

  2. Silicon Valley: San Jose to South San Francisco

  3. San Francisco Proper

  4. The East Bay: Oakland & Berkeley

  5. Eastern California: Sacramento Area/Central Corridor

  6. North: Wine Country to Smith River

Why should I consider SIP?

Brands. There are plenty of brokers both large and small that claim to have incubator programs. They are usually expensive (large retainers) and the broker will not buy your product and sell it. Often these brokers pitch and wait for a large “anchor” account to activate a distributor. SIP will give you an immediate start without delays and frustrating retainers that return no sales. For our retail partners, we make your store different by giving you access to the latest emerging brands long before the big retail chains like Whole Foods, Safeway or Walmart. By giving consumers an interesting shopping experience with a unique assortment of amazing new products you will no longer have to compete only on price and you will by word of mouth alone drive feet into your stores and keep them there. Be the first, be different and win with GTS.

When should I enroll in SIP?

If you have experienced the frustration of retailers not buying your product because you need a distributor and distributors telling you they will not distribute your product until you have retail sales…you need SIP. Contact us as soon as you have inventory to sell in a traditional retail store. You will need products that can scan at checkout and the proper liability insurance in place.

So how does SIP work exactly?

  1. Contact GTS through our website or email info@GhostTreeSales.com

  2. After an initial Teams call evaluation we will request samples to our Monterey facility

  3. We will evaluate your product, review the category and talk to our lead stores

  4. If selected, we will again ask for samples and sales material for a preliminary 30 day sell in period

  5. You will ship up to one mixed pallet to our Monterey facility on 90 day terms. GTS starts placing your product as soon as inventory arrives.

  6. We will pay you for the first order (less 5% commission) and either place a second order or transition your distribution to one of several traditional Northern California distributors

  7. GTS carries on as a standard broker at 5% commission building your business in Northern California. We can also start Southern California and other Western US markets as needed.