Part 2 · The market
Chapter 9 of 14
Distributors
The question
Plantd is already in Lotus Light. Why hasn't it sold, and what about other distributors?
The answer
A distributor fills orders; it doesn't create them. With no broker and no US demand, the listing sits still.
Key number
~0
units moved through Lotus Light so far
What we found swipe
- Plantd isn't even findable on Lotus Light's public catalog. Searches for "plantd" return nothing, so a store that wanted it couldn't look it up.
- A broker would call on stores, for 5–15% commission or a retainer. There is no budget for one, so Plantd has to do that work itself, in a small area.
- Through Threshold, Plantd would keep about $9.88 of a $28.99 jar. That works only if a jar lands at about $4.50 or less.
What it means for Plantd
Make the existing listing sell before adding any distributor: get findable, pick about 120 stores in three areas, send gift and spa shops to Faire Direct, and point ads at the stores that stock Plantd. Threshold waits for proof.
The evidence
↑ That works if a jar costs Plantd about $4.50 or less to land (59% gross margin). At $8 it falls to 19% through Threshold and 5% through UNFI or KeHE.
Assumptions, not quotes: Threshold's margin is not public (25–35% typical). Replace with its vendor packet.
Data as a table
| Step | $ |
|---|---|
| Shelf price | 28.99 |
| Retailer, 42% | -12.18 |
| Threshold, 30% | -5.04 |
| Trade and deductions | -1.29 |
| Freight | -0.60 |
| Plantd keeps | 9.88 |
Do this first
In this chapter
Getting Lotus Light to sell without a broker
The plan in five lines
- Get findable. Plantd is not on Lotus Light's public catalog, so a store that wanted it couldn't look it up. Fix this first.
- A distributor fills orders; it doesn't create them. The store calls a broker would make, Plantd makes itself, in a small area.
- Go narrow and dense. About 120 stores in three areas: Milwaukee and Madison, the Twin Cities, and Seattle to Bellingham (a drive from Vancouver). The 98 co-ops, the scripts and the tracking sheet are in US retail: direct outreach.
- Pull-through is the plan. Ads within 5–15 miles of each stocking store, a store finder on the site, "now at your co-op" emails, founder visits. Judge reorders, not opening orders.
- No flat fees, no broker yet. Pay only per order: testers, one free jar per opening order, a discount on units that actually ship. Add commission-only reps when 40–50 stores reorder.
Weeks 1–2: fix Lotus Light
One email and a call to Lotus Light vendor relations, asking for:
- Plantd's item numbers, and a proper listing with photos under Body Care
- A monthly report of which stores ordered what
- A new-item discount, paid only on units shipped to stores (about 15% for 60 days, estimate)
- A lower free-freight minimum for Plantd alone ($100–150; other small brands have one)
- A tester line that ships with a store's first order, and whether the order desk will mention Plantd for 60 days
- Whether the signed terms include advertising Plantd never used
Weeks 2–13: the store plan
- Who: co-ops and health-food stores order through Lotus Light; gift, spa and boutique shops order through Plantd's Faire Direct link, where Faire pays the store's opening discount.
- What they get: a sell sheet with Lotus Light item numbers, a tester kit (a 2 oz Nude, a 2 oz Calm, a shelf card), and an opening deal: order 6 jars, get one free, swap anything unsold after 90 days.
- How: email or vendor form, then a call to the body-care buyer, then Instagram, then founder visits in the Seattle area.
- Expected (estimate): of 120 stores, 30–40 reply and 12–24 place an opening order in 45 days, plus 8–15 gift and spa shops through Faire.
Budget and targets
90-day cost (estimate)
$3.8k–8.3k
Tester kits, free jars and swaps, print, the store finder, a $99 RangeMe plan, and $10–20 a day of local ads per area (which still sell online). A broker would cost about $6–18k a year before promotion money.
Day-90 targets (estimate)
- 30–40 stores open in the US
- 40% or more have reordered
- 1 jar per store per week on average (0.5 for Nude alone)
- A restock order from Lotus Light to Plantd
At a store cost of $15.94 and a shelf price of $28.99, each jar earns the store $13.05. One jar a week is about $680 a year from one shelf spot: the number to show a buyer.
When a broker is worth paying
Any two of these: 40–50 stores reordering in two or more states at about one jar per store per week for three months; US wholesale of $10–15k a month; or a multi-store yes from a co-op group or a regional chain. Start with commission-only reps for gift and spa shops, then a commission-based regional broker for the Upper Midwest only.
Go deeper
Full detail: Distributor profiles, terms and the price waterfall
The operator layer behind this chapter. Inside:
- Threshold Enterprises and Lotus Light: terms, fit and contacts
- UNFI, KeHE, Faire, Thrive Market and spa distribution compared
- The full price waterfall, with every assumption
