How to Get Into the New at KeHE Program as a Startup

The New at KeHE program is the closest thing to a fast lane into national specialty distribution for an emerging CPG brand. It is KeHE's curated pipeline for new and innovative brands, designed to give startups streamlined onboarding, exposure to retail buyers, and a path to scale without needing to have already landed Whole Foods or Sprouts. For founders who have been told they need anchor accounts before any distributor will take them seriously, New at KeHE is one of the few legitimate exceptions.

This guide breaks down what the program actually is, what KeHE looks for in applicants, how to position your brand for acceptance, what the program costs, and what to do once you are accepted to actually drive velocity.

What the New at KeHE Program Is

KeHE Distributors is one of the two dominant specialty and natural distributors in North America (alongside UNFI). KeHE distributes to thousands of natural, specialty, and conventional retailers, from Whole Foods to independent natural grocers to Sprouts to ShopRite. Getting into KeHE traditionally required either pre-existing retailer authorization (a buyer at one of KeHE's retailers tells KeHE to bring you in) or a competitive application process for new brands.

The New at KeHE program is KeHE's structured pathway for brands that do not yet have major retailer authorization. It is designed to identify innovative, well-positioned emerging brands and give them a streamlined route into KeHE's distribution network. The program includes curated buyer exposure (KeHE actively pitches your brand to their retailer accounts), introductions at KeHE Selling Shows (their major buyer trade events), and a more forgiving onboarding process than the traditional pathway.

KeHE has also operated programs like KeHE Elevate and various diversity-focused emerging brand initiatives. New at KeHE is the broad emerging brand pipeline that most startup CPG brands aim for first.

Why it matters. For a brand without an existing retail footprint, getting into KeHE through the traditional path is hard. You typically need a retailer to call KeHE and ask for you. The New at KeHE program inverts that, letting KeHE present your brand to retailers actively. For the right brand, this can compress months or years of retail prospecting into a single program.

Program Requirements and Benefits

Understanding what KeHE expects (and what you get in return) is essential before applying.

No anchor accounts required. This is the headline benefit. Traditional distributor onboarding requires authorization from a major retailer before KeHE will set you up. The New at KeHE program waives this. You can apply with zero existing distribution and still be considered. KeHE evaluates brand strength, differentiation, and category fit rather than requiring proof of retail traction.

KeHE-led pitch to buyers. Once accepted, KeHE category managers actively position your brand to their retailer buyers. This means you get conversations and authorizations you would have had to chase yourself, often through buyers who would not have taken your cold email. KeHE has relationships and credibility that take years for an emerging brand to build alone.

Shorter slotting commitments. Traditional distribution often requires multi-year commitments and large upfront slotting payments. New at KeHE typically offers shorter initial commitments and more flexible slotting structures, recognizing that emerging brands have limited cash flow.

Selling Show exposure. KeHE runs major buyer trade events (the KeHE Selling Shows) where retailers from across the country attend to evaluate new and existing brands. New at KeHE brands get curated placement and visibility at these shows that they could not buy on their own.

Streamlined onboarding documentation. New at KeHE brands work with a dedicated team that walks them through the considerable paperwork (insurance, product specs, hi-res images, GS1 barcodes, etc.). The traditional KeHE onboarding process can take months. The New at KeHE pathway is designed to compress this.

Category manager support. You are assigned a KeHE category manager who can advise on pricing, promotional planning, and how to position with specific retailers. This relationship, when leveraged correctly, is one of the most valuable parts of the program.

How to Get Accepted Without Established Anchor Accounts

Getting into New at KeHE without retail traction comes down to brand positioning, differentiation, and the right kind of social proof.

Lead with a compelling brand story. KeHE's category managers see thousands of pitches. The ones that stand out have a clear, founder-driven story that connects to a meaningful consumer need. Why does your brand exist? What problem does it solve? Why are you the right team to build it? A two-minute pitch deck or video that nails this gets remembered. A spec sheet does not.

Demonstrate clear category differentiation. "Better-for-you" is not enough. KeHE needs to understand specifically what makes your product different from the dozens of brands already in your category. Is it a novel ingredient? A different format? A better margin structure for retailers? A demographic the category is underserving? Be specific and back it up with data when possible.

Show social proof that is not retail. If you do not have anchor accounts, show the proof points you do have. DTC revenue and growth rate, strong subscription rates, Amazon Best Seller rankings, press coverage, influencer adoption, repeat purchase rate, and customer reviews are all credible signals. Even strong farmer's market sales or pop-up activations show consumer demand.

Use velocity proxies. If you have any retail presence, even regional independents, present the velocity data. Units per store per week, sell-through rates, and reorder cadence are all proxies for what velocity could look like in a KeHE retailer. Honest small-scale velocity data is more persuasive than aspirational projections.

Demonstrate operational readiness. KeHE wants to know you can actually ship product. Show your manufacturing capacity, your insurance coverage, your case configurations, and your ability to handle KeHE's order volume without stockouts. Brands that get accepted but cannot fulfill orders damage their relationship with KeHE permanently.

Apply through the right channel. KeHE has a formal application process on their website (kehe.com) for the New at KeHE program. Submit through the official application but also work to get introductions to KeHE category managers through industry events, broker relationships, and CPG networks. Both pathways together work better than either alone.

Time your application around their cycles. KeHE evaluates new brands in cycles tied to their Selling Shows (typically twice a year). Apply with enough lead time to be considered for the next cycle. Last-minute applications get less attention than ones submitted with time to evaluate.

The strongest applications also arrive with a real demand signal, which is exactly the kind of retail traction you can start building before you ever submit the form.

Costs and Expectations Once You Are In

Acceptance into the New at KeHE program is the start, not the finish. Understanding the real costs and commitments protects you from cash flow surprises.

Slotting commitments. Even the streamlined New at KeHE slotting structures involve real money. Slotting fees vary by category and SKU but typically run from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars per SKU per region. Plan for slotting as a real line item in your cash flow forecast.

Free fills. Many KeHE programs require free-fill commitments, where you provide product at no cost for the first order into a new retailer to get initial shelf placement. Free fills can run 1 to 4 cases per store, depending on the deal. For a 100-store rollout, this can mean significant unbilled inventory.

Sample requirements. KeHE buyers and category managers want samples. So do retailers who are evaluating your brand. Budget for a sample program that covers KeHE staff, retailer buyer meetings, and Selling Show attendees. A meaningful sample program can run several thousand dollars in the first six months.

Distribution margin. KeHE takes a distribution margin off your wholesale price (typically in the 15 to 25 percent range, depending on category and program). This is on top of any retailer margin. Make sure your pricing math works with both KeHE's margin and the retailer's margin built in.

Promotional commitments. KeHE often expects new brands to participate in promotional events (TPRs, scan-based promotions, demo programs). These are deducted from your remittance, not paid upfront, but they still hit your margin meaningfully. Budget 4 to 8 percent of distributor revenue for promotional spend in your first year.

Operational overhead. KeHE requires accurate forecasting, on-time shipments, EDI integration (eventually), and responsive customer service. The operational lift of being a KeHE brand is real. Either dedicate a team member or hire a fractional CPG operations consultant to manage it.

How to Maximize Success After Acceptance

The brands that thrive in KeHE after getting in do specific things that the brands that fade do not.

Work your KeHE category manager actively. Your category manager is your single most important contact at KeHE. Schedule regular check-ins. Share velocity data, promotional plans, and new product launches. Ask for their advice on pricing and positioning. Bring them samples of new SKUs before you launch them. Category managers who feel ownership over your success will go to bat for you with retailers.

Execute the sample program religiously. When KeHE asks for samples for a buyer meeting, ship them next-day. When a retailer asks for samples after a Selling Show conversation, follow up within 24 hours. The brands that respond fast win the authorizations. The brands that take a week to ship samples lose to faster competitors.

Follow through with the retailers KeHE introduces you to. When KeHE positions you with a retailer and that retailer takes the meeting, do not assume KeHE will close the deal for you. You still need to send the pitch deck, follow up, negotiate pricing, and support the launch. KeHE creates the opportunity. You close it.

Drive velocity in your first stores. Velocity is the single metric that determines whether KeHE expands your distribution or quietly drops you. Once you are on shelf, support the launch with demos, social media activation, in-store promotional pricing, and any other tactic that drives sell-through. The first 90 days of velocity data sets the trajectory for everything that follows.

Build relationships at KeHE Selling Shows. Attend every show you possibly can. Spend time in conversation with category managers, regional buyers, and other emerging brands. Some of the best retailer leads come from informal Selling Show conversations, not from formal pitches.

Manage forecasting and inventory carefully. Stockouts at KeHE damage your standing with retailers and category managers fast. Forecast conservatively, build buffer inventory, and communicate proactively with KeHE if any supply issue is on the horizon.

The brands that hold their KeHE slots keep building demand outside the program too, so retailers come to KeHE asking for them by name.

When New at KeHE Is and Is Not the Right Move

The program is not a fit for every brand at every stage. Honest self-evaluation matters.

It is the right move when your brand is differentiated and ready for national specialty distribution, you have the cash to support slotting and free fills, you have manufacturing capacity to handle multi-region demand, you have a story that translates beyond your home market, and you are prepared to invest in the relationships and execution that turn acceptance into growth.

It is the wrong move when you are still figuring out product-market fit, you cannot afford the slotting and promotional commitments, your supply chain cannot handle volume above a few hundred stores, or you are looking for distribution as a substitute for marketing rather than a complement to it. Distribution without demand is a recipe for being delisted, not for growth.

Brands that thrive in KeHE typically come in with momentum and use the program to scale it. Brands that hope KeHE will create momentum from scratch tend to struggle.

The New at KeHE program is one of the best-structured emerging brand pathways in the CPG distribution world. For brands that are ready, it can compress years of retail prospecting into a single program. The acceptance is the easy part. The execution after acceptance is what separates the brands that grow from the brands that fade.