Grovara Slashes Activation Fees to Make It Easier for American Wellness Brands to Export, Mitigating Fallout from Expo West 2020

(Grovara Press Release)

PHILADELPHIA (March 12) — As governments, industries and citizens alike scramble to stay ahead of the global pandemic posed by the Coronavirus, it is increasingly apparent that now is the time for companies and industry leaders to re-think how we do business.

That’s why Grovara is announcing a major initiative to support the hundreds of brands that were negatively impacted by the cancellation of Natural Foods Expo West last week. Starting this week, Grovara will change its policy on how it activates brands on its B2B international marketplace, slashing the activation fee 80% to $5,000 and deferring it until the first order has been placed.

“Industry needs to be creative because of losses realized and identify ways we can decrease the cost of doing business with each other,” says Grovara CEO Peter Groverman, an outspoken voice since the Coronavirus first became a global threat on how the global shipping industry, food industry and trade shows must take the global pandemic and other similar potential threats more seriously.

“Nothing can make up for lost time at Expo West. By practically eliminating the barrier to entry for exporting, Grovara can and will help change the course of these American wellness brands’ fortunes.”

Grovara can take brands global in 120 days with its B2B e-commerce marketplace, a first in the wellness industry and powered by data partner and industry leader SPINS. Grovara’s platform eliminates the traditional headaches of exporting, streamlining marketing, ordering, logistics, document management, and payment.

“True Citrus simply wouldn’t sell internationally without a service like Grovara,” says True Citrus Vice President – Sales Operations Kerri McLaughlin, whose company experienced tremendous growth soon after going global with Grovara in 2015.

“More than anything, Grovara is our customer/partner and is an extension of us who handles all the vetting, logistics and paperwork. It makes for a much smoother transaction. They are transparent about your business and keep the integrity of your company and brand at the forefront.”

The global wellness market is exploding, growing 12.1% to over $4.1 trillion in 2018 according to the Global Wellness Institute, with Healthy Eating, Nutrition and Weight Loss accounting for more than $700 billion, and growing. American-made natural food and beverage products are the most in-demand, with some $47.2 billion in sales expected this year, with growth outpacing all food and beverage products sold in the U.S. by nearly 300%, according to the most recent State of the Natural Industry report by SPINS, the leading provider of wellness industry insights in North America.

“This is exactly the kind of innovative thinking needed to bolster American wellness brands when they need a lift the most,” says tech founder and Grovara investor Steven Finn.

“Every natural and organic food and beverage maker in the U.S. should be looking at this opportunity.”

While B2C e-commerce has been broadly adopted, B2B global online sales have outpaced B2C by nearly 400%. What’s more, the next generation of international buyers has come to expect the innovation and security that has come with B2C e-commerce, where exporting has long been dominated by the same old players and rife with fraud and risk.

ABOUT GROVARA: Grovara is the leading international exporter of organic, natural and specialty food and beverage products. Founded in 2010, Philadelphia-based Grovara’s B2B e-commerce marketplace utilizes data and proprietary technology to connect American wellness manufacturers with worldwide retailers. Grovara’s experts on international sales trends and distribution channels create dynamic growth potential for American manufacturers and value for global retailers. More information on Grovara’s market-leading process and partners can be found at www.grovara.com.