Let me tell you something I’ve learned after decades in the food and beverage industry. “No one—and I mean no one—has ever walked into my office, sat across the desk, looked me dead in the eye and said: ‘Hey Bill, I’ve got this new product. It’s ugly, overpriced, tastes like regret, and honestly, no one needs it. Want to help me launch it?”

Never happened.

Instead, I hear things like:

• “This is the next [insert billion-dollar brand here].”
• “Everyone who tries it loves it.”
• “We sold out at a farmer’s market once.”
• “My cousin is in Whole Foods corporate. I think.”
• “We just need help with sales and marketing and operations and logistics and finance and distribution and compliance and co-packing and fundraising. But the product’s ready!”

They come in clutching jars, bottles, pouches, boxes, shrink sleeves, and dreams.

But here’s the hard truth:

Everyone Thinks They Have a Tiger by the Tail

That phrase—”tiger by the tail”—gets thrown around like free samples at a Costco demo. Everyone thinks they’ve caught lightning in a bottle. That they’ve nailed a category. That they’ve disrupted something.

But here’s what having a real tiger by the tail looks like in the food and beverage world:

• Retailers are calling you because customers are asking for it.
• Distributors are begging to carry it because velocity is real.
• You have a point of difference that’s obvious in 3 seconds.
• Repeat purchases are growing faster than your ad spend.
• And you’ve got a USP (unique selling proposition) that actually matters.

If you’re not seeing any of that, then maybe—just maybe—you’re wrestling a kitten in a tiger costume.

The Fancy Food Show Reality Check

I just spent the last few days walking the Fancy Food Show in NYC, and here’s what I saw:

• 22 brands of popcorn
• 15 brands of pretzels
• 35 puffed snack brands
• 75 chocolate companies
• 60+ brands of BBQ sauce
• 85 brands of hot sauce
• 70+ salsa and dip makers
• 144 beverage brands
• 54 soda and carbonated soft drink brands
• 61 RTD iced teas and coffees
• 38 bottled water brands
• 55+ plant-based protein companies

Please tell me some of these are meaningfully unique. Because I can almost guarantee you this:

At least one-third of those brands won’t be there next year. And next year? There’ll be one-third more new entries in those same categories.

A Word from the Distributor Trenches

A famous Budweiser distributor once told me, “If I hear a new product is ‘flying off the shelves,’ or ‘selling like crazy,’ or ‘the best thing since Arizona Tea,’ I want to end the meeting right there on the spot.”

Why? Because everyone says that. And most of them are wrong.

Distributors and retailers hear hype all day. What they want is reality. Velocity. Something with legs, not lip service.

What’s Your USP? (And No, “It’s Organic” Doesn’t Count)

You need a brutally specific reason to exist. A USP that punches someone in the face in three seconds.

Examples:

• “We’re the only protein bar made from salmon skin, for pescatarians who hate whey.”
• “We’re the first oat milk kefir with adaptogens that actually tastes good.”
• “We’re beef jerky made from American brisket that’s so tender your grandma could chew it with no teeth.”

Your Mom and your Friends Are Not Your Focus Group

You need feedback from people who don’t care about you. Who judge products for a living. Who don’t owe you politeness. If a stranger picks it off the shelf and comes back for more? Now you’re onto something.

Should You Even Be in the Food and Beverage Industry?

This business is:

• Unforgiving
• Capital-intensive
• Margin-killing
• Hyper-competitive
• Crowded with smart people and dumb ideas

So, before you print your next run, before you book a booth, ask yourself:

• What truly makes this product irreplaceable?
• What makes someone pick it over 75 others in the same category?
• What’s your evidence that this brand deserves to survive?

If you can answer that without flinching, you’re ahead of 80% of the market. And if you can’t—don’t worry. You can still pivot, refine, improve, and evolve.