AMERICAN LOGISTICS ASSOCIATION FOOD SHOW
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Deb Hopkins of Deb's Ribs and Soul Food pitched her products yesterday at the American Logistics Show.
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The big pitch
Isle vendors compete for coveted spots on military store shelves
FOR Deb Hopkins the food business has long been a labor of love, something she did while working full-time jobs, working in hospitals by day and serving up home-style soul food by night.
Now, having quit her day job and closed down her restaurant in Kailua, Hopkins is focusing on her line of barbecue sauce, hush puppy mix, pies and cakes. And she is pushing for her big break by trying to tap into an unlikely market: the U.S. military.
Hopkins joined dozens of local food companies yesterday at the American Logistics Association's food show at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina. The vendors' goal: to sell their products to military exchanges and convenience stores on military bases, as well as the Defense Commissary Agency.
With 268 commissaries in 14 countries doing $5.4 billion in sales annually, the commissary system is No. 1 among military grocers. The system's purpose, said Chief Executive Pat Nixon, is to provide a benefit to military families. To that end, the commissaries sell merchandise at cost, so the $5.4 billion in sales would be more like $7 billion for a traditional grocer.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Steven Mulgrew was "Kimo Wonka" yesterday at the American Logistics Show at the Ihilani Resort. Mulgrew was promoting the Mulvadi line of chocolates and coffee marketed under the Hula Girl Brand.
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The Defense Commissary Agency bought $97 million in goods from local companies last year, presenting mammoth opportunities for local firms. Jim Wayman, president of Hawaii Coffee Co., said his company did about $5 million in sales through commissaries last year. Wayman said those sales could double in the next few years.
"It's a super channel to do business with," he said.
For fledglings like Deb's Ribs & Soul Food, cracking the system would be monumental, said Hopkins, who already sells some of her products through Sam's Club and Wal-Mart locations and some smaller military stores.
"If I could get a national contract with the commissaries, it could far surpass even a national contract with Sam's Club," said Hopkins, who explained that such a contract could give her a steady base on which to grow. "I love shaking hands and kissing babies, and the demonstrations and the presentations, and this could definitely allow me to focus on that."
Hopkins was hardly the only vendor with such ambitions.
Hamakua Heritage Farms Inc., a Big Island mushroom grower, was serving up sautéed mushrooms on mixed greens at the association's show, with hopes of getting picked up. Family Food Co. Inc., a distributor for chef Sam Choy's products, was dishing out samples of shrimp and beef sautéed with Choy's bottled sauces. Ocean Rich LLC offered a table laden with cookies and cakes. And Roselani Tropics Ice Cream was serving tiny scoops of its mango and macadamia nut ice creams.
The vendors have vastly varying degrees of experience working with the military stores.
KTM Services Inc. has already gotten its Enjoy-brand arare snack products into some military exchanges, and has a deal through its distributor to sell to the Hawaii commissaries, said Robert Moon, an account manager for the company. KTM was out mostly to make contact with military folks and introduce new products, Moon said.
Cheryl To, on the other hand, had never been to a commissary show and was hoping to learn more about the commissary system and how she could sell her PacifiKool Island Ginger Syrup through the military's robust pipeline.
Diane Lee, a brand manager for Roselani, said there is much to be gained by neophytes attending the show. When Roselani first attended the show last year, the company was not skilled at dealing with the military, she said. Although Roselani had been accepted into the commissary system, she said that its distribution to them was "very sporadic."
"We didn't know what we were doing," she said bluntly.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Mike Irish of Diamond Head Seafood, right, explained his wares yesterday.
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But after gaining pointers from people at last year's show, Roselani has increased its sales to the commissaries by 150 percent, she said.
Hopkins is also trying to learn from a previous foray. Hopkins attended her first logistics association show several years ago when it was held at Turtle Bay Resort. She now laughs when recalling how naive she was about selling her products. Her pitch, she said, was, "I've got some food, y'all; come on and eat."
Since then, Hopkins has streamlined her business plan, with guidance from a number of allies, including Allan Landon, Bank of Hawaii's chairman and chief executive, who Hopkins said has been a mentor and supporter. Now, Hopkins says, she is ready.
Nixon said his staff offers constructive critiques to help vendors who are not chosen. And he said staff will help those who are picked deal with the sometimes difficult paperwork.
"We don't want someone losing an opportunity because they can't understand the forms," he said.
For her part, Hopkins hopes the system will give her the boost she needs.
"My goal is to simplify my life, to definitely let my company work for me," she said. "I've worked hard for the company for a long, long time."