It’s Shark Tank meets Walmart. The retail is holding its annual “Open Call” event Wednesday, where business owners can showcase and pitch their products for a chance to get them on Walmart store shelves.
“For entrepreneurs, this is like the Super Bowl,” Skinny Latina founder Ana Quincoces said.
And Quincoces knows. She created Skinny Latina, a line of Latin-inspired cooking sauces. She pitched her brand to Walmart, getting a no the first two times.
“I really thought they were just going to — I was going to wow them and they were going to put my products in all 3,000 stores, and it didn’t work out like that,” she said.
But Quincoces didn’t give up.
Instead, she used the feedback she received from the rejection to revamp her product.
“The third time around they gave me the OK, and now, I have 5 SKUs (stock-keeping units) on Walmart shelves alongside brands like Heinz and Hellmann’s,” Quincoces explained. “Working with Walmart has really been a game-changer to my little business.”
It was a golden ticket that changed her world
The annual contest is Walmart’s largest sourcing event held at its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. It’s an opportunity for the retail giant to connect with smaller, American-owned businesses. More than 4,500 companies applied for the chance to pitch this year.
500 business owners arrived in person Wednesday to pitch their products, while another 700 entrepreneurs would give it a shot virtually for a chance to work with the world’s largest retailer.
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Article URL : https://www.newsnationnow.com/business/walmart-open-call-super-bowl-entrepreneurs/