Taste Radio

If Expo West and Whole Foods had a baby, it might look something like Pop Up Grocer. A non-traditional retailer in which brand discovery, not sales, is paramount, Pop Up Grocer is the brainchild of veteran CPG marketing executive Emily Schildt. Founded in 2019, the company has built nine limited-run stores in cities across the U.S., each designed to showcase trendy natural and organic brands, particularly those with limited retail distribution or sold primarily direct-to-consumer.  In March, Pop Up Grocer opened its first permanent location in New York City’s Soho neighborhood. The flagship store features a selection of 130 emerging brands that will be rotated on a quarterly basis. The shop also serves as a homebase for Pop Up Grocer, which will continue to open new short-term stores. In this episode, Schildt spoke about the inspiration behind Pop Up Grocer, its role as an “influencer retailer” and advertiser-first business model, how the company evaluates brand performance and why you might be surprised by i