SPINS and Navigator Lighthouse Foundation Announce Partnership

Innovation drives the food retail industry, and minority-owned brands are at the forefront of that innovation. Yet, these brands have historically not received the same attention and opportunities to get products on store shelves. Research consistently shows that the amount of minority- and women-owned businesses do not reflect those groups’ percentage of the population, and both receive a disproportionately small amount of venture capital funding. SPINS and Navigator Lighthouse Foundation want to change that and are partnering together to identify and uplift women- and minority-owned CPG brands that offer unique and best-in-class products.

For more than 20 years, SPINS has helped emerging brands understand the market and take a data-based approach to innovation, strategic growth, and retailer relationships. Subriana Pierce and Allen Pierce, managing partners at Navigator Sales and Marketing, founded the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation to foster that innovation and growth for women- and minority-owned brands and help transform the grocery business through access to retailers and investors, ongoing education, and connecting brands with funding. Together, SPINS and Navigator Lighthouse Foundation have the resources to identify those often-overlooked brands and provide them with the tools they need to get funding and on store shelves.

“The world’s demographics and consumer values are evolving, and it’s time that the grocery industry catches up. Today’s shoppers are deliberate about how and where they spend their money,” says Jay Lovelace, President of SPINS. “Since its beginning, SPINS has taken pride in identifying the best-in-class innovators who understand what shoppers need and value, whether that means personal wellness or social change. Today, much of that innovation is happening in minority- and women-owned businesses and Navigator Lighthouse Foundation has built strong relationships with those entrepreneurs. Our partnership allows these brands to have access to the tools and data that put them put them on a level playing field and put the spotlight on their products.”