MINNETRISTA, MN - Golden Sun Marketing (GSM) has spent 10 successful years helping clients across the fresh produce supply chain develop and sell compelling strategies. I spoke with Founder Don Goodwin and Director of Marketing Lisa Friedrich about the company’s strategies for growth and its recipe for success for the past 10 years.
“GSM may be the only produce consulting firm with active clients from seed to retail. Our clients include breeders, seed distributors, grower-shippers, wholesalers, entertainment companies and retailers. This spectrum of clients gives us a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities within our supply chain. We take great pride in helping the various players in the supply chain understand each other,” Goodwin tells me.
Don Goodwin has spent most of his career in produce merchandising, and has the advantage of many key retail relationships in addition to his insider’s knowledge of what key players in retail produce procurement look for when selecting vendors. Marry that with a team of passionate marketing professionals who develop programs that differentiate products to stand out from competitors and you have a recipe for success.
“Our team can support a client in all phases of marketing, and clearly understands the ROI of each element,” Friedrich says. “We constantly evaluate our marketing tactics to assure that we are giving our clients the best return on their investment.”
Golden Sun Marketing has a knack for finding unique products within the produce space and elevating those products from commodities to regional and national brands. Most recently, GSM was behind the launch of Kalettes, which have been named one of the top food trends for 2015 by multiple media outlets.
One of GSM’s strengths is its team’s diversity. Diverse in age, ethnicity, gender, and life stage, this affords a well-rounded point of view when crafting effective consumer marketing strategies.
Another important strategy GSM has used is organically growing its clients base. Don Goodwin’s extensive knowledge of the produce industry often results in interest from companies, GSM says, and some eventually becoming clients. Today, most of the company’s growth has come from referrals.
"In many ways it is very flattering to gain new clients referrals," says Goodwin. "It is a measure of our company values, the talent of our team and our expertise in fresh produce.”
The company’s organic growth means that they can focus on its current clients. It sees itself as an extension of our clients in-house team, helping it provide the best service possible.
