THIS WEEK’S PROBLEM WE’RE TACKLING? How does a small food manufacturer get onto shelves across the continent, without paying big company fees? On this episode, I’m talking to Christina Mack and Melanie Merkling. Christina recently bought Kingsway Foods, a legacy brand business that she’s expanding. She’s been using a broker for retail sales, and while her company’s products can be found in major retailers, her broker’s service has been abysmal and she’s ready to grow and expand the business across North America. Lucky for her, Melanie’s the perfect woman to advise her on this! Melanie Merkling is the CEO of Tightrope ventures and a well-known broker and connector in the Retail space and beyond. With a career in business and brand development spanning 19 years, Melanie has a proven track record of generating profits in startups, reviving businesses under financial duress across varying industries and helping companies secure and grow their business with big box and club retailers. Melanie has worked with a diverse mix of clients, both domestic and international, ranging from tech start-ups to food producers to creative agencies seeking to grow their businesses.Christina Mack is a graduate of the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering. Her professional background has focused on lean, quality, and continuous improvement in the oil & gas, tech, and manufacturing sectors. After working as a Process Engineer for Maple Leaf Foods, she left manufacturing to buy a family Financial Investment Business. The opportunity arose in the last quarter of 2020 to purchase a long standing Canadian owned food manufacturing company in Mississauga. Follow Kingsway Food on Social:InstagramFacebookLinkedInLearn more about Tightrope Ventures at http://www.tightropeventures.comFollow Melanie on Social:LinkedInFacebookInstagramFollow Alexis and the Dovetail Community on Instagram http://instagram.com/alexis.dovetail http://instagram.com/dovetailcommunityTo learn more about the podcast or follow us on social, visit https://thinkaboutthis.carrd.co/