Meet the Buyer x UPFRONT

Our Meet the Buyer sessions are designed to connect passionate food entrepreneurs with potential customers, buyers, and/or category managers. Monthly, we invite buyers from all different categories of the food scene, like supermarkets, online retailers, hotel chains, wholesale, restaurant owners, etc. These sessions offer exclusive sales opportunities, feedback, and/or professional connections that you won’t get anywhere else. In this session, we welcome UPFRONT!

About UPFRONT
Last year, they opened their first UPFRONT Foodstore, and they now operate 2 locations in Rotterdam. They offer a curated assortment of approximately 200 products, covering all daily grocery needs. A core principle of ours is that we don’t carry any ultra-processed foods — UPFRONT’s mission is to reconnect consumers with what they eat and the impact it has on their overall health. This year, they’re scaling up to more than 5 stores.

They have concrete plans to grow their range to 250 products, and despite currently operating just 2 stores, they are able to offer producers meaningful volumes quickly — because with UPFRONT, you’re the producer, not one of many. This makes a private label collaboration with UPFRONT an interesting opportunity to grow volume in your business.

Requirements UPFRONT
– Looking to expand their assortment across all categories.
– All products must be free from refined oils, preservatives, and artificial additives (E-numbers).
– They work exclusively with private label products.

Who will you meet during this session?
Jelle Otter – Buyer
Karlijn van der Staaij – Category Manager
Lars Brandwijk – Category Manager

KR’s requirements:
– Be a member of the KR Community
– Arrive on time, assets prepared (tasting materials/presentation documents prepped) and ready to pitch
– As space is limited and time precious, please understand that KR and the guest buyer will select the most relevant food companies to see during each session as it relates to the buyer/companies focus.
– You can also leave your product(s) behind for the buyer, Kitchen Republic will collect your feedback.
– If you’re unable to attend, please let us know at least 12 hours in advance. If you do not cancel in time, you will not be included in the next selection round for an upcoming session.

How does it work?
– We offer time slots of 10 minutes per company. This might sound short, but it’s definitely long enough to make a lasting impression.
– Application for this MTB session closes on June 16. If selected, we will contact you the week prior with time slot details.