Misfits Market's Private Label Prowess
Morgan Drummond, senior director of private label at e-grocer Misfits Market, recently joined the Top Women in Grocery podcast from Store Brands sister brand Progressive Grocer to discuss starting an own brand from scratch, being the leader in upcycled certified products, thinking of sustainability as a “diamond,” collaborative supplier partnerships and much more.
Misfits Market is dedicated to making affordable, high-quality food more accessible while helping break the cycle of food waste. It finds inefficiencies in the food system by working directly with farmers and makers to rescue organic produce and other grocery items that might otherwise go to waste.
With a background in food science, Morgan joined the better-for-you-grocer to help build its own Odds & Ends line. But as private label brands continue to perform well in the industry, how does Misfits Market differentiate itself from other private labels?
“We're [retailers are] all on this quest to put our own spin on it because we're past the ‘me-too generic era,’" explains Morgan. “We see the opportunity at Misfits to really lean in where we authentically can to find and prioritize those new product development concepts that allow us to feature rescued ingredients or rescued product. And then being an online-only retailer, we have all this amazing virtual real estate and capability to then tell those stories and leverage reels on Instagram or TikTok to peel back the curtain into what happens in the manufacturing of certain products and how we can step in and rescue that.”
Furthermore, Morgan thinks of sustainability as a diamond with a lot of facets. “It's not just a coin because there's so many facets, there's not two sides,” she says. “Organic, non-GMO, region ag, fair trade, social responsibility are all aspects that support sustainability. Those are all part of the equation. But nobody else is really leaning into upcycling when it comes to cosmetic imperfections … [and] educating the customer that there's no difference in quality. You're actually helping support a better food system. And that's where we really lean into because nobody else is doing that.”
Misfits Market is indeed the retailer leader when it comes to the most upcycled certified products in its private label. “Even more than the bigger guys,” comments Morgan. “So that's where we're able to leverage our flexibility and our nimbleness to partner with suppliers from all over to support that.”
Morgan also talks about how Misfits Market chooses its partners. “Being very value-centric is always really appealing to us and we love those supplier partners that are very open to being partners with some of our other suppliers too,” she explains. “I think that's also indicative of the shift in the private label industry; it used to be very secretive. You didn't talk about who you were doing business with. It’s very important that we are open to those conversations. And it's really those types of collaborative partnerships that aren't just one way where we've seen some of our biggest impact come from."
Watch the complete episode for entire conservation that includes sage career advice, like leaning into your own superpower (Morgan’s is being an extra-virgin olive oil savant!), and mentor/mentee relationships.
This article was originally covered by sister publication Progressive Grocer. Also check out episodes of the Store Brands Spotlight podcast here.
