Walmart seeking new products at 11th annual Open Call 

Walmart opened its doors to more than 500 entrepreneurs on Tuesday (Sept.24) at the retail giant’s 11th annual Open Call. Jason Fremstad, Walmart head of supplier development and sourcing, said merchants will hold 800 meetings on Wednesday with the supplier hopefuls.

“Open Call has been a game-changing event for some suppliers over the years. … For the first time this year we have invited our export buyers from Canada and Mexico to meet some of the potential suppliers who might want to export their products,”’ Fremsted said during an interview.

He said Walmart continues to source products made or assembled in the U.S. but also wanted to stretch the focus by inviting export buyers from Canada and Mexico. Framsted said Walmart is ahead of its goal to purchase an additional $350 billion in U.S. goods by 2030. It was part of a pledge the retailer made in 2021.

Also this year, Walmart held a series of pre-Open Call webinars events for the attendees so they would know what to expect and to ensure they have all the information they need to have the best possible meeting. Each company gets a 30-minute meeting with category buyers on Wednesday to make their pitch and see if there is a golden ticket waiting for them at the conclusion.

Luke Schneider, CEO and founder of Fire Dept. Coffee, said the first meeting at Walmart can be scary, but there is much to learn. He pitched his coffee at last year’s event and got a golden ticket for a commitment to 2,400 stores. He started the Rockford, Ill.-based coffee company in 2016 and had managed to get into several grocery chains before pitching to Walmart. Fire Dept. Coffee sold 2 million cups of its brew through Walmart during the past year and is just getting started. In June, the coffee brand reached a total of 3,000 stores, and Schneider was back in Bentonville as a mentor to attendees.

“My advice to those attending today is to listen and take the feedback given and then learn from it. Make the most of this opportunity,” he said.

Shark Tank investor and entrepreneur Daymond John was a special guest at the event. John told the attendees that they have been told by others not to bother, but persistence and determination can pay off. He said Dude Wipes, Scrub Daddy and Bombas socks each secured funding from Shark Tank because of persistence. He said it took one entrepreneur 16 tries to get on Shark Tank. She was told no 15 times before but she got on the show this year and secured a $10 million deal.

“Products either need to solve a problem or create joy. There is not another reason for an item to exist,” he said. “Use this opportunity to make connections that be invaluable in the future.”

Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said many of projects often talked about in the media are large manufacturing sites, but the retailer is focused on the smaller business community,

“You should know we have always had a heart for small business. This business started as a small business just up the road. This platform gives us a chance to get to know you and the hearts of small businesses and inventors and the dream chasers. You get to chase your dreams here with us today,” Furner said during the meeting.

Mike Fountain of Natural State Beef in Harrison was eager to pitch his ground beef product to buyers at two meetings slated for Wednesday. The fourth-generation cattle rancher  procures cattle from livestock auctions around the state and uses federally-inspected packing plants to make the ground chuck sold under the Natural State Beef brand. He is pitching a 1-pound 85% lean package and a 2-pound package.

“I have seen the Arkansas hog business disappear over the years and it’s the same for the local dairy business. I don’t want this to happen to our cattle business. We have a great product to sell. … I go to auctions and bid against Cargill and others in the butcher cow business, which is the last frontier of meatpacking. We are selling at Arkansas retailers like Harp’s and in foodservice. It’s another market for our local cattle,” Fountain said.

Bill Shufelt, founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing, based in Milford, Conn., is another Open Call success story. He sought out a non-alcoholic beer to drink several years ago because he loved the taste of craft brew but not the sluggish effects of alcohol.

“I was only finding dusty old bottles on the shelf and so we sought out to change that. Our dream was to get our craft non-beer into Walmart because 98% of the U.S. population shops there. We had been in business for six years when we pitched to Walmart in 2020. We turned the category on its head and today we are one of the top 20 beer suppliers in the U.S.,” he said.

Shufelt said the business has grown 40 times since it started, has created 200 jobs, and the brew is in 2,700 Walmart stores. He said the business has a capacity to produce 1 million barrels a year.