DES PERES, Mo. – There are thousands of products on the shelves at Schnucks stores. Diversifying the suppliers of those products is the goal of a new partnership between Schnucks and Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council.

“We just want to give these companies a springboard if you will,” Adrian Moore, Schnucks senior director of merchandising enablement and supplier diversity, said.

With a name to match its mission, Moore says “Schnucks Springboard” will provide education, resources, and access to local, diverse-owned businesses.

“There’s always demand from customers for innovative products in our stores. You don’t want to necessarily see the same me-too items everywhere you shop,” he said. “That’s what I think; what our diverse suppliers can bring to our program and to our shelves. Some of those products that you may not see in other places.”

Those accepted into the accelerator program will receive an in-store product trial at select Schnucks stores, $5,000 of equity-free funding and business development classes at Schnucks’ St. Louis headquarters. Applicants cannot have had a product already sold in Schnucks stores.

“They’ll come to these classes and they’ll get, hopefully, some product development, business strategy, business planning, food safety,” Moore said. “Things that are specific to grocery that people who are in grocery stores or companies with products in grocery stores really need to be aware of.”

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“Our overall business model is to work with corporations to help them identify minority-owned businesses and help those minority owned businesses become corporate sourcing partners,” Demetrius Glover, president and CEO of Mid-States MSDC, said. “Has your business grown? Two: have you received larger contracts? Have you hired new people? Have you retained people because of participating in these types of programs? And the answer is always yes.”

Business owners selected for the program will start classes this fall. In-store product trials will begin next spring.

“That is a very unique opportunity. It’s not just graduating from the program and saying, ‘How do I use these skills to improve my business?’” Glover said. “It’s, ‘Once I graduate this program, I now have a direct opportunity to with the corporation.’”

“It’s not just all about Schnucks. It’s really about these companies as well. It’s about the community. It’s about what we can do to support them,” Moore said.

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