From Farmer’s Markets to 3000+ Grocery Stores with Sheena Russell

The Road to Seven

“If I have resistance to this business growing as it wanted to, I was stifling the growth opportunities, not only for my own business, but because of all of these really beautiful relationships we have with our farmers and food producers.”

-Sheena Russell

If you are building a product-based business, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. I’m interviewing Sheena Russell, the founder of Made with Local, a company on a mission to create delicious, nourishing snacks that connect people with the planet and those who grow our food.

Sheena and I discuss how important it is to develop strategic local partnerships, and when to exit partnerships when they no longer serve your business. Sheena also takes us through what it’s like to start out at farmer’s markets, and scale into over 3000 grocery stores across North America – no small feat!

We also discuss the process of scaling and raising capital, and what that means for the growth of Made Local. So if you’re ready for some actionable steps to grow your product business, you’ll want to tune into this episode.

In‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode of the Road to Seven podcast,‌ ‌you’ll discover:‌ ‌

• How to go from the idea of hand making a product to having it available on the shelves of over 3000 grocery stores
• Selecting strategic partnerships that are in alignment with your values and vision
• What running a Series A funding round looks like

Sheena Russell, is the founder of Made with Local, a company on a mission to create delicious, nourishing snacks that connect people with the planet and those who grow our food. Sheena has created a line of Real Food Bars and Granola Bar Mixes that are not only nourishing and made with transparently and ethically sourced ingredients, they also create social impact through their partnership with local farmers and food producers. Starting at a humble farmer's market in Halifax in 2012, Made with Local’s foods are now available at over 3000 grocery stores across Canada.

Highlights:‌ ‌

00:01 Intro

02:18 Meet Sheena

03:05 Sheena’s journey

06:52 Choosing snack bar flavours

09:11 Strategic local partnerships

12:21 From farmer’s markets to big stores

14:27 Getting into the first store

17:55 The growth of Made Local

21:08 The challenges of the business

25:31 What Sheena knows now

28:54 What’s next

Links:‌

To work with me and make your next power move, visit:

https://theroadtoseven.com

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