Grocery buyers and category managers look at the details: the brand, the bottom line, the available shelf space, but no matter what a store’s requirements for margin, placement, merchandising and innovation, there’s something larger going on within the mind of the gatekeeper. Trends, timeliness, assortments and branding play leading roles, but what informs the instinct? In short, what defines the deciders?
Attendees of BevNET Live in Manhattan will have an opportunity to understand the macro-environment affecting the decision-making of one of the buyers for leading supermarket chain Kroger when Mathis Martines, Kroger’s senior category manager for innovation and snacks, gives a special talk about the broad cultural forces that he believes define a growing contemporary consumer base.
Martines is a data-driven retail innovator with deep experience in helping debut and develop brands with organizations like Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, and Kroger, and is well-known in entrepreneurial circles for his passion for natural, organic and fresh ideas that can initiate new category development or accretion.
During his talk, Martines will dig into the contemporary past to explore some of the broad concepts that he believes direct that passion and that also drive the audience for whom he ultimately green-lights products.
As a look into the mind of a young leader with a long-range grasp of the implications of the business decisions made by food and beverage companies, as well as the consumer base with which he has a strong dialogue, Martines’ talk will provide inspiration to entrepreneurs as well as illuminate the inspirations and concerns of the next generation.
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About Mathis Martines
Mathis Martines is the senior category manager for innovation and snacks at Kroger, the country’s largest supermarket company. Martines began his career at Kroger in March, 2013, after working as the Grocery Marketing Coordinator at The Fresh Market for three years. He has previously worked with Whole Foods Market as a Regional Grocery Buyer, Category Manager, and Global Grocery Product Analyst, and as a consultant with Greenslate Consulting LLC and Third Coast Produce, among other positions.
About BevNET Live
BevNET Live Manhattan will be held on May 14 and 15 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. It is a two-day conference for beverage entrepreneurs, suppliers, distributors, retailers and investors to gather, speak, exchange ideas through interactive panels and lectures, and enhance their marketing and product development strategies through our Beverage School. Attendees can tap the expertise of investment professionals who can help groom them to attract money, business owners with inspiring success stories, and the BevNET.com community, which has spent a decade dedicating itself to careful reporting on the fast-moving beverage industry. More than just a conference, BevNET Live includes numerous networking options: the BevNET Live Expo, beverage breaks, cocktail receptions and more.