Product Development · Sales · Distribution
Get your product on 350,000 retail shelves.
You built the product. We open the doors. 104 Sales Group is the consulting firm consumer brands hire when they are done guessing how retail works, and ready to ship.
If This Sounds Familiar
Most great products never make it to the shelf. Not because they aren't good. Because nobody knew how to get them there.
You're burning cash and runway
Every month your product sits in a warehouse is a month a competitor's product sits on the shelf. Storage fees, expired inventory, payroll: the bleed is real.
You're tired of being ghosted by buyers
Cold emails to category managers. Trade shows that lead nowhere. You're not bad at sales: you don't have the relationships. We do.
You don't want to die unknown
You believe in this product. So do we. The difference between a brand that scales and a brand that disappears is rarely the product. It's the plan, the people, and the pipeline.
What We Do
Six services. One outcome: your product, in the consumer's hand.
Brand Assessment
An honest, retail-eyed audit of your brand, packaging, pricing, and pitch. We find what a buyer will reject before they reject it.
Product Development
Formulation, sourcing, manufacturing partners, packaging, fulfillment, logistics. We've built the supply chain a hundred times. Yours benefits.
Business Planning
The financial model, channel strategy, and launch sequence that actually survives contact with a buyer's calendar.
Retailer Presentation
Sell sheets, decks, sample programs, planograms. The exact materials buyers expect, built the way they want to receive them.
Distributor Planning
DSD vs warehouse. Regional vs national. Margin stack, broker network, freight model. We design the route to shelf.
Sales & Distribution
We pick up the phone, work the relationships, and close the orders. National retailers, regional chains, distributors, the works.
The Plan
Three steps from where you are to where the buyers live.
Talk to a founder
30 minutes on the phone with Doug or Chuck. No deck. Just your product and your goal.
Get a real plan
We map your route to shelf: services you need, retailers we'll target, timeline, and budget. No fluff.
Ship to retail
We execute. You see purchase orders, not slide decks.
Track Record
We've placed beverages, food, and novelty brands in every major US channel.
Beverages
- Canada Dry
- 7-UP
- Sunkist
- Snapple
- SOBE
- Nantucket Nectars
- Vitamin Water
Food
- Protein Poppers (national launch)
- Healthy snack categories
- All-natural, gluten-free, kosher, vegan formulations
- Co-manufacturing partners across the US
Novelty
- Spearheaded development and execution of a complete novelty brand division
- Cross-channel placement
- Impulse merchandising programs
"In one year, Doug drove a brand from a handful of accounts to over 35,000 national retailers."
Documented case from Doug's tenure
Brands Our Leadership Has Built, Sold, or Distributed
Meet The Founders
When you call 104 Sales Group, a founder answers.
Doug Stuart
CEO & Founder
Over 30 years building distribution systems and brand recognition for some of the largest beverage names in America. Former Pepsi-Cola General Manager and Director for Southeast Atlantic Beverage. Doug supported the sales and distribution of Canada Dry, 7-UP, Sunkist, Snapple, SOBE Beverage, Nantucket Nectars, and Vitamin Water.
He has built relationships with contract manufacturers across the US and internationally, traveled the US and Caribbean negotiating with distributors, and spearheaded the development and execution of a novelty brand division.
Chuck Yeiser
CFO & Founder
18 years at McDonald's Corporation in Chicago, working marketing and advertising across markets in the eastern half of the United States. He left as a Vice President for the Florida markets, then acquired 10 Arthur Treacher's restaurants in Florida, eventually selling them to a German investment group.
Chuck built a consulting practice serving medical, heavy truck manufacturing, and food service industries before partnering with Doug in 2013 to launch what became 104 Sales Group.
Featured Success
A healthy snack with national reach.
Protein Poppers
All-natural, gluten-free, non-GMO, kosher and vegan. Four flavors. The kind of healthy snack alternative that lives or dies on shelf placement. We built the retailer plan, sold the program, and put it on the shelf.
Visit Protein PoppersField Notes
Plain-English answers to the questions every founder asks us first.
Retail Strategy
How Do I Get My Product Into Retail Stores?
The honest five-step path from finished product to a national retailer purchase order, written by the people who actually do this every week.
Industry Basics
What Does a Retail Sales Broker Actually Do?
Brokers, consultants, manufacturers' reps: the titles overlap and the fees vary. Here is exactly what each one does and which one your brand needs.
Distribution
DSD vs Warehouse Distribution: Which Is Right For Your Brand?
Choose the wrong distribution model and your product dies on the wrong shelf. Here is the practical framework we use with every new brand.
Financial Planning
How Much Does It Cost To Launch A Beverage Brand Nationally?
Founders ask us this every week. Here is a realistic budget for taking a beverage from prototype to coast-to-coast retail.
Sales
What Retailers Look For In A New Product Pitch
Buyers see hundreds of pitches a quarter. Yours has 90 seconds to land. Here is exactly what they are scanning for.
Distribution
How To Find The Right Distributor For Your Beverage
Sign with the wrong distributor and your brand sits in their warehouse for a year. Here is the framework we use to choose the right one.
Frequently Asked
The questions you're already wondering.
How do you actually get my product into retail stores?+
We assess your brand, fix anything that won't pass a buyer review, build the retailer presentation and sell sheet, then leverage 30 plus years of relationships with national retailers and distributors to get your product in front of decision makers and into purchase orders.
What categories do you specialize in?+
Beverages, food, and novelty products. We have sold across grocery, mass, club, c-store, drug, and specialty channels. If your product fits a retail shelf, we have likely placed something next to it.
Do you work with brand new brands or only established companies?+
Both. We have taken concepts from kitchen-table to over 35,000 doors and we have scaled established brands into new distribution channels. The earlier you bring us in, the more costly mistakes we prevent.
What is the difference between DSD and warehouse distribution?+
DSD (Direct Store Delivery) means a distributor truck delivers to each individual store, common for beverages and perishables. Warehouse distribution ships pallets to a retailer's distribution center. The right model depends on your category, margins, and turn rate. We help you choose and build the network.
How long does it take to get into a national chain?+
From first introduction to first purchase order, plan on 6 to 18 months for a national chain. Regional retailers move faster. We compress that timeline by knowing each buyer's category reset calendar and presenting only when they are listening.
How are your fees structured?+
We tailor engagements to the stage of your brand: project-based for assessments and launch plans, retainer plus commission for ongoing sales and distribution. Book a free consultation and we will quote based on what you actually need.
Your Next Move
Let's get your product on the shelf.
Tell us what you're building. We'll tell you, honestly, whether retail is the right play, and what it will take to win. No obligation. No pitch deck required.
Book your free strategy call
A founder will reply within one business day.