San Francisco Grocery Run with Gus’s Community Market – July 2025 at 144 2nd St – San Francisco, CA

Join us at Grocery Run to meet Gus’s Community Market buyers this summer! We’re bringing buyers to you, and brands — you’re bringing the samples!

What do you get when you combine brand founders, retail buyers, and Startup CPG? Grocery Run – a U.S. tour to get inside the mind of local retail buyers – all tailored to Startup CPG’s community. Join us for a panel and an evening of mixing and mingling while enjoying brand samples. Even if you aren’t sampling, bring product with you to show the buyers!

Founders, have you ever wondered:

• What does it take to get onto the shelves at Gus’s Community Market?
• Once your brand is in Gus’s, what can you do as a founder to support your new retail partner and help keep it there?
• How does Gus’s identify new brands for their selection?

Join for answers to these questions and more!

Come meet these members of the Gus’s Community Market team:

• Hugh Rosen, Grocery Director
• Luciana Villanueva, Cheese Director
• Bobby Vardakastanis , Gus’s Community Market
• Dimitri Vardakastanis, General Manager
• Brian Keeffe, Director of Service

These featured guests will also be in attendance:

• Erik Muller – President @ Fruit Guys
• Daria Jackson – Snack Category Manager @ Fruit Guys
• Ahmed Chehade – COO @ Good Stuff Distributor, Inc
• Malik Chehade – CFO @ Good Stuff Distributor, Inc
• Benjamin Herrmann – Purchasing Manager @ Good Stuff Distributor, Inc
• Miguel Lucatero – Store Manager @ Oceana Market
• Rob Evans – Deli Manager @ Piedmont Grocery
• Patrick Wyman – Local Purchasing Coordinator @ Whole Foods Market
• Roger Hechema, Operations & Purchasing Manager @ Snackwise
• Steve Toves, Owner @ Snackwise
• Steve Buhagiar – Experienced Grocery Buyer @ Woodland’s Market
• Alexander Suess – Account Manager @ UNFI

Here are the amazing brands sampling at this event:

Anoma Beauty: Anoma is an inclusive beauty brand redefining skincare and makeup for melanin-rich skin through multi-functional, clean products like Skinsplash—designed to simplify routines, celebrate diversity, and challenge outdated beauty norms.

Ayurvedist: Organic and fairtrade Ayurvedic teas.

Bawi: Bawi is a healthy twist on authentic Mexican agua fresca: made with real fruit juice, a little organic sugar and the perfect amount of carbonation.

Benni Pops: Benni Pops are organic, dairy-free pops handcrafted in small batches with adaptogens and complementary superfoods.

Dr A’s Lo-Fi Kava: Dr. A’s Lo-Fi Kava – tasty islander non-alcoholic sparkling kava beverages that truly tantalize the taste buds and satiate desires for alcohol.

Ikenga Wines: Ikenga Wines crafts unique beverages like our sparkling palm wine, perfect to pair with rich cultural foods.

KACE Tea: KACE is a fruit tea brand inspired by Asian flavors.

Nokki Farm: At Nokki Farm, we’re on a mission to share the bold, vibrant flavors of tropical fruits we grew up loving—crafted into clean, crunchy freeze-dried snacks made with 100% real fruit and no added sugar or low sugar, so families can enjoy a healthy, delicious taste of the tropics wherever they are.

Oyna Natural Foods: We make the best Eggbite in the market, and more!

Sauvé Beverages: Sauvé sparkling elixirs are tastefully designed to refresh and make you feel good any time of the day

Son Mat: Son Mat makes small-batch Korean beverages, starting with sikhye—a refreshing, non-alcoholic rice drink—using traditional fermentation and California-grown ingredients for bold, soulful flavor.

Tezza: Greek yogurt made from soymilk.

Interested in sampling? Apply here!

This is another unreal opportunity for CPG founders to meet each other, buyers specific to their region, and have the opportunity to showcase products for one of the most sought after natural retailers in New York.

About Gus’s Community Market:

Gus’s Market has been a local neighborhood staple for more than 40 years. In all that time, we’ve worked out how to serve best: you like to find the highest quality version of what you’re looking for, at great prices. Our family still heads out on the floor to make sure you’ve got everything you need, because we don’t just call ourselves mom n’ pop – we strive to make you part of our family.

About Startup CPG

Startup CPG is the biggest community in the world for emerging brands. We have 25k+ Slack members, produce the #1 podcast in CPG, host 100+ events per year, and are the #1 education hub for brands trying to improve our CPG ecosystem. It’s free — join today!

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