Entrant: Sherrelle Smith Consulting + Contracting
City: Auckland
About My Business
Sherrelle Smith Consulting + Contracting helps New Zealand food and beverage businesses successfully navigate the complex world of retail and supermarkets. Many suppliers have fantastic products but struggle to understand the retailer, their processes and ways of working. My business exists to bridge that gap, by sharing knowledge and providing clarity about how to get good engagement and results with their retail customers. I measure success by the success of my clients. Since launching the business, I have supported 112 food and beverage suppliers, helping businesses of all sizes develop the confidence, knowledge, and commercial understanding needed to grow. At the core of it, my business is about helping people turn great products into sustainable retail success. I am passionate about championing small and medium-sized businesses, sharing knowledge that is often difficult to access, and helping suppliers avoid costly mistakes. Every day I have the opportunity to support New Zealand entrepreneurs, strengthen local businesses, and contribute to the growth of some of the country's most innovative and new food and beverage brands. Drawing on more than 20 years of FMCG experience plus nine years as a Senior Category Manager at Foodstuffs North Island, I provide practical, real world support that helps businesses make better decisions and achieve stronger retail results. I work alongside businesses to help them understand how the industry operates, what retailers are looking for, and how to position their products for success. My clients range from start-up businesses entering retail for the first time through to established suppliers looking to strengthen retailer relationships, improve profitability, launch new products, or develop their teams. Support is tailored to each business and it's needs. That includes retail readiness assessments and training, pricing and cost reviews, category and range reviews, commercial negotiations, retailer engagement strategies, training workshops, webinars, and one-on-one coaching. A key point of difference is my focus on educating and empowering businesses. I help businesses understand not just what to do, but why. By sharing industry knowledge in plain language, I build confidence, capability, and long-term success, giving suppliers the clarity they need to move forward and succeed independently. I have worked across a wide range of retail channels, including Foodstuffs North Island, Foodstuffs South Island, Woolworths New Zealand, Fresh Choice, pharmacy, petrol, and Convenience. My goal is simple: to make retail more accessible, less intimidating, and more successful for the businesses I support.
Why We Should Win The Peoples Choice Award
Every product on a supermarket shelf has a story behind it. Behind that product is usually a business owner who has poured their heart, savings, time, and energy into bringing an idea to life. They have taken risks, worked long hours, and invested everything they can into making their business successful. My business exists to support those people. After more than 20 years working in the FMCG industry, including 9 years as a Senior Category Manager at Foodstuffs North Island, I saw first-hand how complicated the retail world can be. Too often, businesses were held back not because their products weren't good enough, but because they didn't understand how retailers work or what was required to succeed. I started Sherrelle Smith Consulting + Contracting because I wanted to share my knowledge and help make retail less intimidating and more accessible. Helping suppliers to build stronger business partnerships. Since then, I have worked with 112 food and beverage businesses, helping suppliers build confidence, strengthen retailer relationships, launch products, improve commercial understanding, and achieve better outcomes for their businesses. What I love most about what I do is seeing other people succeed. Whether it's helping a supplier prepare for their first retailer meeting, supporting them through a difficult commercial challenge, or celebrating a new ranging opportunity, I genuinely care about the people behind the products. Every business I work with has a story, a dream, and a goal they are working towards. Being trusted to be part of that journey is a privilege I never take for granted. Through training programmes, mentoring, webinars, advisory sessions, and one-on-one support, my focus has always been on helping people build capability and confidence. I don't believe in creating dependency. I believe in giving clients the clarity and confidence through knowledge and skills to continue long after our work together has finished. I am proud to be a small New Zealand business helping other small businesses grow. If you choose to vote for Sherrelle Smith Consulting + Contracting, you are supporting a business that is passionate about sharing knowledge, building confidence, and helping others achieve their goals. You are supporting the idea that when we help small businesses grow, we strengthen communities, create opportunities, and contribute to a stronger New Zealand food and beverage sector. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and for supporting small businesses that are working hard to make a difference.
