Private Label Fast Track
We assess your readiness, build your pitch, and introduce you directly to retail buyers. After the assessment, we only earn when we deliver results.
Meet the team · 12 years in top-tier CPG across every major retail channel.
Only three client spots remaining
The Opportunity
Private label supply contracts with tier-one retailers are some of the most valuable and durable revenue streams in manufacturing. Here is why.
Tier-one retailers include Amazon, Walmart, Target, Costco, CVS, Walgreens, and Kroger. Tier-two and tier-three include regional grocers, dollar stores, specialty retailers, and other channels with private label programs.
Once you are in and performing well, retailers have no incentive to switch suppliers. Replacing you means pulling resources off revenue-generating work to swap in an unproven vendor for no incremental gain. Strong performance and annual cost improvements keep you in the partnership for years.
If products go out of stock consistently, that is when retailers start looking for alternatives. They see an unfilled revenue gap and will consider resourcing to a supplier who can keep shelves full. Performance equals retention.
Buyers rarely bring on a new vendor for a single product. Even when they start with one SKU, they expect the relationship to grow to four or more. They want manufacturing partners who can supply across a product range, not one-off vendors they have to manage individually.
New vendors require social responsibility audits, food safety inspections, factory quality assessments, and compliance documentation. That process takes months. Once you clear those hurdles, winning additional business becomes dramatically easier.
Retail buyers turn over every 6 to 18 months. Cold outreach rarely gets a response. Even a dedicated business development hire at $75,000+ per year may not have the buyer relationships or process knowledge to make progress.
We pre-validate your compliance, capacity, quality standards, and cost structure before approaching any retailer. When we make an introduction, we can show the buyer that your manufacturing capabilities have been vetted, your pricing is competitive, and you can commercialize far faster than any other external vendor. We walk you through every step of the onboarding process because we have managed it from the retailer side. That combination makes it very difficult for a buyer to say no.
The Problem
These are the challenges we hear from every manufacturing company trying to break into tier-one retail private label. Click any to see how we solve it.
Cold emails go nowhere. Trade show conversations don’t convert. Your sales team knows distributors but not retail buying teams.
Are you compliant enough? Is your capacity sufficient? Is your cost structure competitive? Without knowing what retailers actually evaluate, it is impossible to tell.
A dedicated hire costs $75,000 or more per year and still might not have buyer relationships or an understanding of how private label sourcing decisions actually get made.
Private label margins are tight. Price too high and you lose the deal. Price too low and you lose money. Without knowing what the retailer expects, you are guessing.
EDI systems, packaging specifications, labeling compliance, chargeback structures. One mistake on a first order can damage a relationship before it starts.
Brokers work with branded products going to retail shelves. Business development hires lack buyer relationships. There is no established path for manufacturers to get positioned for private label contracts.
The Process
One path. Pay as you go. Each step unlocks the next.
15-minute review of your cost structure. Are you in the competitive range for tier-one private label?
Month 1
Five-domain scorecard, opportunity map, pricing benchmarks, strategy session. Third-party proof point for any retailer conversation.
Month 1-2
If Not Tier-One Ready
We identify exactly what needs to improve for tier-one readiness, with prioritized action items and timelines.
Included in assessment
We build a roadmap of retailers with less stringent requirements that you can pursue immediately. Your assessment serves as a third-party proof point in those conversations.
Included in assessment
If Tier-One Ready
Insider pitch package, then active RFQ pursuit. We introduce you directly to buyers.
Month 2-6
Insider cost model knowledge. Best chance of winning while protecting margin.
Month 3-8 (on success)
If business is awarded, we are retained for six months to help onboard. We committed to the retailer that you would commercialize quickly, and this ensures that promise is kept. Triggers 10% of net sales for three years beginning at product launch, including ramp time.
Month 8-14
15-minute review. Are you in the competitive range? No commitment.
Five-domain scorecard, opportunity map, pricing benchmarks, and strategy session.
Assessment Determines Your Path
We identify gaps to close for tier-one and build a roadmap of retailers you can pursue today. Included in your $5,000 assessment.
Insider pitch package. Active RFQ pursuit. Direct buyer introductions.
Insider cost model knowledge. Paid on success only.
Minimum 6 months guided onboarding. 10% of net sales for 3 years from product launch.
Why Trio
We begin every engagement with the Retail Readiness Assessment.
Retailers sourcing private label suppliers face a difficult challenge. From a large universe of manufacturers, they need to identify who is ready to produce at the right cost, meet compliance and quality requirements, and deliver on time. Most of that validation happens after an RFQ is issued, which means the buyer is taking a risk on every new vendor they evaluate. This is why they tend to prioritize existing vendors.
What we do is pre-work those proof points into the initial pitch. Before a buyer ever sees your name, we have already validated your compliance documentation, confirmed your production capacity, assessed your quality standards, and benchmarked your cost structure. When we make the introduction, we can say: this manufacturer has already cleared the hurdles that typically slow down or disqualify new vendors.
That changes the buyer’s calculus. They are comparing a Trio client who has all the boxes checked and a competitive cost quote against another manufacturer where they only have a price. The Trio client represents less risk, faster commercialization, and fewer surprises. That is the advantage we create, and it is why our approach converts at a higher rate than cold outreach or traditional brokers.
How we compare
One engagement. Multiple retailers. Success-based pricing.
Trio Partnerships
One engagement. Multiple retailers. Success-based pricing.
Pricing Summary
One path forward. Each step is a standalone decision point. You never pay for the next step until we have delivered on the current one.
15-minute review of your cost structure to confirm you are in the competitive range.
Always
Full five-domain scorecard, opportunity map, pricing benchmark, strategy session, board-ready business case, and gap closure plan. Standalone value whether or not you continue.
Always
Insider pitch package, shelf analysis, product-retailer matching. We then actively introduce you to buyers and pursue RFQs on your behalf.
If assessment indicates tier-one readiness
Insider cost model guidance, pricing strategy, and response drafting. Paid only when an RFQ is secured.
On success
Guided onboarding: EDI, packaging, compliance, chargeback avoidance, retailer relationship management. We committed to the retailer that you would commercialize quickly, and this retainer ensures that promise is kept. We strongly recommend maintaining a dedicated contact for each tier-one retailer relationship.
If business is awarded
Aligned incentives. We earn when you earn. Three years beginning at product launch, including ramp time.
While products are selling
We do not accept clients whose capabilities conflict with existing clients. We will take on clients in the same category as long as their capabilities do not overlap.
Book a Free Cost Competitiveness CheckIncluded
Step 1 for every client
Standalone deliverable
$5,000
A complete picture of your private label readiness. Standalone value whether or not you continue with us.
Total value: $11,000+
Book a Discovery CallIf tier-one ready
Everything in the Assessment, plus active buyer pursuit
$5,000
+ success-based fees on milestones
We build your pitch, research opportunities, introduce you to buyers, and pursue RFQs on your behalf. You also get RFQ negotiation support, commercialization help for six months or more, and a dedicated point of contact for your retailer relationships.
On Success
Total value: $22,500+
Book a Discovery CallRetailer relationships span
Risk Sharing
After the assessment, every fee is tied to milestones you can see and measure. RFQ secured, business awarded, products selling. We share the risk because our incentives need to match yours.
Monthly updates on every outreach, every conversation, and every next step. You will always know exactly where things stand and what is happening behind the scenes.
The assessment is a complete deliverable on its own. You walk away with a full picture of your retail readiness, actionable benchmarks, and a clear strategy regardless of what happens next.
We do not accept clients whose capabilities conflict with existing clients.
Category slots are limited.
Several retailers are actively reviewing suppliers for Q2 sourcing. Buyer contacts can rotate within 6 to 9 months, so it is important to move quickly while relationships are warm.
Or email trey@triostrategy.io