EDLP vs. High-Low: A Tie on Paper, $82K Apart in Practice
Modeled on the same line, EDLP and high-low net the same $3.97M. Running the promotions costs $82K more. The arithmetic the price sheet leaves out.
Trade Spend Reconciliation: The Ledger Nobody Owns
Cinderhaven's ledger holds $245K a year in contestable trade deductions. The review calendar, not the evidence, decides how much the brand may argue.
Trade Promotion Management: Where the Process Breaks Down
Trade promotion management data lives in three systems with three owners. 40% of small-brand trade spend goes unmeasured because nobody reconciles them.
Trade Spend Benchmarks for Small Food Brands: 15-25% of Revenue, Line by Line
How much trade spend is normal for a specialty food brand, what the money is actually buying, and which components carry no performance link at all.