Minimart 6/5: How to know when to walk away (ft. Ali Cayne)

Plus: Wakefern's new onsite display, new Instacart CEO, and your retail media to-do list

June 05, 2025

For this week's edition, I’m bringing in a fresh perspective from someone who's been in the trenches.

I reached out to Ali Cayne, founder of Haven's Kitchen - an incredible clean-label, fresh sauce brand that we had the pleasure of working with at Hayden Consultancy. After securing major retail distribution and building real momentum, she made the tough call to cease operations earlier this year.

Ali’s perspective on navigating the highs and lows of CPG is invaluable, especially right now. Here’s what she had to say →

We're seeing some major CPG exits this year... and simultaneously, many brands are closing their doors. In this environment, how should emerging CPG founders manage expectations?

Ali: They say entrepreneurship is staying alive long enough to get lucky - and that's true - BUT I also think we can set up very clear goals and be brutally honest with ourselves if we're just not hitting them. Founders tend to be pretty bad at reading their own data because they're emotionally invested - but you benefit from clear, unemotional metrics that tell the real story. Because if you do wind down, you’ll need at least 8 months of operating in the bank to cover all the costs. It's expensive.

The "know when to hold 'em" signals:

- Your unit economics actually work (not "they'll work at scale")
- You're seeing consistently above average velocity - across channels and regions
- You can point to specific margin improvements and fixes to problems rather than fingers crossed

The "know when to walk away" signals:

- You're constantly moving the goalposts on what "success" means
- For every step forward there's a step (or 3) back
- You're raising money just to keep the lights on, not to accelerate growth
- Your distribution gains aren't getting less expensive, but more costly

For me, it was a 12-month process of deciphering SIGNALS vs. NOISE. I knew our products and brand were great and building momentum in the natural channel, but with the unit economics and trade spend costs we had, we were going to be fundraising for more rounds and the clearing at the end of the storm kept moving further away. I wanted to wind down in an organized, thoughtful way, not be praying for a term sheet in the 11th hour. So I had very clear goals, very clear dates, and I was super clear with my team and our partners.

When working with an agency partner, how and when should you advocate for your brand vs. when to lean on the experts?

Ali: Working with agencies is inherently tricky, especially when you don't know what actually goes into doing what they do. So it's a balance and yes, an art to being a client they genuinely care about and one that's a touch squeaky-wheely when necessary. I challenge service providers to think strategically with me, and I like learning, but I'm careful not to tell them how to do their job or assume I could do it better.

Lean on the experts for:

- Things clearly outside your wheelhouse
- Industry benchmarks and "what's normal" - they see way more data than you do
- Tactical execution once strategy is set

Push back when:

- They're suggesting something that feels fundamentally off-brand
- They're pushing cookie-cutter solutions that worked for someone else
- You have actual customer data that contradicts their assumptions

Founders hear a lot from everyone and will throw a lot of what they hear "out there" to their team and agencies. It's helpful if the agency comes prepared with real data - that trumps the gut feelings of the founder. And founders - don't say "that doesn't feel right" - say "our insights show X, which seems to conflict with this approach."

The best agency relationships are ones where they challenge you AND listen when you push back. If they're just nodding along to everything you say, you're paying for yes-people, not experts.

A special thank you to Alison for sharing her incredible wisdom! We are so grateful to have worked with and learned from such a bright leader in CPG, and cannot wait to see how Alison continues to leave an impact on this industry.

Now, onto this week in retail media and shopper marketing!

— Eleanor

What’s in our cart?

Kindling Protein Pretzels

As a former member of team Kodiak Cakes, I was so excited to see co-founder Cameron Smith launch a new product - and my expectations were exceeded. Kindling Protein Pretzels are everything you love in a salty snack (crunchy, packed with flavor, perfect for dipping) but with a clean nutrition label and added protein.

Vive Organic Wellness Shots

To my fellow parents: welcome to start-of-Summer cold season 🙃 This year, we got ahead of things with some immunity-boosting shots from Vive Organic - fresh-pressed, doctor-crafted wellness shots packed with so much goodness.

The Real Cereal Co.

Let’s be real (pun intended): it’s far past time to clean up the cereal aisle. Brands like Magic Spoon kicked off the trend, and we’ve been loving the continued innovation in this category. A recent fave? The Real Cereal Co., cereal made with literally just two organic ingredients. And yes, it actually tastes great too.

Retail Roundup

Featured retailer marketing updates, deadlines, tips, and more!

🛒 Wakefern Expands Onsite Display with Category & Keyword Targeting

Wakefern (ShopRite) just rolled out Category and Keyword Targeting for its onsite display ads, giving brands more precision in reaching shoppers browsing specific categories or searching for particular terms on their banner websites.

The catch? $15K minimum spend (including both Category and Keyword Targeting and Run of Site placement).

What this means for your strategy: This expansion gives brands operating in Wakefern's network more sophisticated targeting options beyond basic display placement. The keyword targeting component is particularly interesting for competitive scenarios - you can now reach shoppers actively searching for specific terms, including competitor products.

The $15K minimum puts this squarely in mid-to-large brand territory, but the inclusion of multiple targeting methods in one package could make it more cost-effective than running separate campaigns.

💊 Walgreens Transitions Shelf Media Strategy to Vestcom

Walgreens is transitioning its shelf talkers and blades business from Neptune Retail Solutions (formerly News America Marketing) to Vestcom starting September 1. The new solution incorporates QR codes and interactive functionality to bridge physical and digital touchpoints - replacing the long-standing SmartSource advertising program

Why this matters for your strategy: With QR codes and interactive elements, brands can now extend their shelf presence into digital experiences - think personalized content, product demos, or exclusive offers accessible right from the shelf.

For brands already investing in Walgreens Advertising Group, this could open up new creative possibilities beyond traditional shelf talkers - an opportunity to tell a more complete brand story at the point of purchase.

If you're active in the drug channel, keep an eye on how this rollout progresses - it could influence similar moves at other retailers.

🥕 Instacart Names Chris Rogers as New CEO

Instacart promoted Chief Business Officer Chris Rogers to CEO, effective August 15, replacing former CEO Fidji Simo!

Though we're sad to see Simo go (she's been incredible for the platform), there’s been a lot of excitement about Rogers stepping up. He's been at Instacart since 2019, previously spent 11 years at Apple, and has been instrumental in their recent growth - the company just reported its strongest order growth since 2022. Congrats to Rogers, and we’re excited for this next phase of Instacart growth! 🥳 

Your Retail Media To-Do List:

✅ Update your DoorDash Sponsored Brands listings to include video, starting June 9th.
✅ Check your product category in Criteo - sometimes your product can be miscategorized!

Thanks for reading!

— Eleanor