Resources for
Guides · for brandsWritten for The Shelf Signal. Guides marked as from the book are adapted from The Truth Behind Premium Grocery by Michael Penner (2027).
Getting ready, priced, placed and growing.
Short reads in the order you'll need them, each with one thing to do at the end. What a premium buyer needs to see before a first order, and what keeps you on the shelf after it.
15 chapters · about 19 minChapter 1 and Chapter 5 and Chapter 8 and Chapter 12 free · the rest for membersUpdated Nov 12, 2026The path
Get readyUPC and barcodes1 minCase pack and minimums1 minShelf life at delivery1 minInsurance and paperwork1 min
Price itWholesale and retail pricing1 minFreight terms a store accepts1 minYour first promo calendar2 min
The numbers that matter
From the chapters. Modeled where marked.$30 eachFee to license individual GTINs through GS1 US01 · UPC and barcodes$100 to $150Suggested opening minimum for packaged snacks and RTD beverages.02 · Case pack and minimumstwo weeksExample short-dated delivery length03 · Shelf life at delivery$200 to $300Starting range for free freight cutoff06 · Freight terms a store accepts
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01UPC and barcodesNo scan, no sale. Get this right before you send a sample.1 min read · 4-point self-checkFree02Case pack and minimumsA small store buys small. Make it easy to say yes to a first order.1 min read · 4-point self-checkMembers03Shelf life at deliveryThe store does not care how long it lasts from your line. It cares how long it lasts from their dock.1 min read · 5-point self-checkMembers04Insurance and paperworkThe boring folder that decides whether a yes turns into a purchase order.1 min readMembersGet ready
UPC, case pack, shelf life and paperwork: what has to be true before a buyer looks.
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05Wholesale and retail pricingThis is where most emerging brands lose the deal without knowing it.1 min readFree06Freight terms a store acceptsFreight is part of your price whether you list it or not.1 min read · 5-point self-checkMembers07Your first promo calendarA brand that keeps asking for discounts is telling the buyer its sales depend on them.2 min readMembersPrice it
Wholesale, retail and freight, so the store's math works.
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08What a premium buyer asksFive questions, in this order. The names differ from store to store. The questions do not.1 min readFree09The first meetingThe pitch that gets a yes answers the questions before the buyer asks them.1 min readMembers10Samples and the follow-upMost first orders are lost in the two weeks after the meeting, not in it.2 min readMembers11Planning your first 20 doorsA premium door is a small number of units and a very large signal. Plan for both.1 min readMembersGet the first doors
What a premium buyer asks, the first meeting and the first twenty stores.
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12Direct, Faire, distributor, nationalFour ways a store can buy from you. Each one changes your price.2 min readFree13When a broker earns the feeA broker multiplies what is already working. A broker does not make a slow product move.2 min readMembers14Demos that pay backBe the newness the store needs anyway.1 min readMembers15The 90-day review and reordersGetting in is the easy part. The first review is where most brands are lost.1 min readMembersGrow
From direct to distribution, demos that pay back and the review that keeps you in.