Is your product shelf-ready or just ready to be rejected?
Getting into DACH retail isn't just about having a great product. Field to Shelf identifies exactly what's standing between you and the shelf: across market fit, compliance, and retail readiness. Before distributors or retailers do.
About us
Why we built the Retail-Ready Check
At Field to Shelf, we combine retail compliance expertise with demand strategy to give food producers something they rarely get: A clear, honest picture of where they stand before they enter the DACH market. We've sat on three sides of the table: auditing for retailers, working inside food production, and building brands for producers. That's why we know what's really assessed when a buyer looks at your product. And it's rarely just the product itself.
Avoid costly market-entry mistakes
Identify critical gaps before you spend money on packaging, listings, retail outreach or distributor conversations.
Understand what retailers really expect
Get clarity on the hidden requirements behind a successful listing — from product data and supplier documents to labelling, logistics and retail infrastructure.
Choose the right route to market
Understand whether your brand is better suited for specialty distributors, premium retail, organic channels or larger supermarket chains — before approaching the wrong buyer too early.
Enter buyer conversations with confidence
Receive a clear readiness evaluation, gap analysis and priority action plan so you know what to fix first and where to invest next.
Most brands do not lose money because retail entry is expensive, but because they enter before they know which costs are necessary, which are avoidable, and which are dealbreakers.
Avoid wasting your budget on the wrong things:
What we assess
Four assessment modules based on our 4-Pillar Field to Shelf Methodology.
01
Retail & Market Fit
Positioning, packaging assessment, pricing strategy, and differentiation against what's already on shelf.
02
Operational Readiness
Capacity, scalability, supply chain readiness, and traceability. Can you actually deliver what you promise?
03
Compliance & ESG
Food safety requirements, initial label review, certifications, and sustainability standards that German retailers now expect as baseline.
04
Retail Infrastructure
Product data readiness, GS1 standards, retail systems compatibility, and the supporting infrastructure buyers check before they say yes.
How it works
Four steps. Your market entry roadmap in 6-8 weeks.
Phase 01
1-2 weeks
Kick-off &
Onboarding
We gather what we need: product data, existing materials, target market, and ambitions. No long questionnaires — we keep it focused.
Phase 02
2-3 weeks
Gap Analysis & Assessment
We work through all four pillars systematically, identifying where you're strong and where the gaps are hiding.
Phase 03
1-2 weeks
Analysis & Roadmap Development
We turn findings into prioritised actions and a structured market entry roadmap — sequenced by urgency and impact.
Phase 04
1 week
Final Presentation & Next Steps
We walk you through the full report together and answer every question. No PDF-and-disappear.
Free Self-Assessment
Curious if you are Retail-Ready?
Retailers look at more than product quality. Take this free 10-minute self-assessment to get a first impression of your retail readiness and uncover potential gaps before approaching buyers or distributors.
Who we are
The team behind Field To Shelf.
Riccarda Chiappani
Retail Compliance & Sustainability
With a background spanning compliance, ESG, and hands-on food industry experience, Riccarda helps food brands build structures that are both audit-proof and genuinely sustainable. She worked inside complex supply chains - including audit roles within the Aldi South-East group and knows what retailers and certification bodies actually look for.
“Sustainability isn't a checkbox. It's a competitive advantage for the retail sector and I help you build it that way.” — Riccarda
Where Riccarda adds value:
Compliance & ESG consulting
Quality management & food safety
Certifications
Food production expertise
Retail audit experience
Maria Britze
Digital Demand Architecture & Brand
Maria is a brand and marketing strategist who helps businesses communicate with clarity and convert that clarity into growth. From shaping how a brand sounds to building the systems that reach the right people, she covers the full journey from positioning to pipeline.
“The right message, in the right language, to the right people - that's where brands begin to scale.” — Maria
Where Maria adds value:
Messaging & brand positioning
Translation & localisation
LinkedIn executive branding
E-commerce & lifecycle marketing
B2B outreach strategy
Entering a new market is a calculated risk. Let's calculate it together.
Ready for Retail? Here’s the path.
Kind words
Trusted by producers who are serious about getting it right.
I was looking for some good tips on how to increase my lead generation on Linkedn. I was getting about 3 or 4 leads a month and I was stuck. So l decided to ask Maria for help and the amount of tips she shared with me was damn helpful. Simple and useful tips. No rocket science and straight-to-the-point suggestions. A few days later, I keep opening the Google Doc she shared with me, and I keep applying the tips and tricks she gave me. Today, I have already seen different and more qualified profile visitors on my Linkedin profile.
Riccarda combines strong diligence, reliability and professional judgement with a deep understanding of values-driven food businesses. She handled complex tasks with care and flexibility and built trusted relationships with external partners in the organic sector. We trusted her completely in every situation.
I asked Maria to work on the rebrand of my community for multilingual writers, and I'm thrilled with the results. Maria understands so many aspects of the marketing and design game, as well as being an excellent multilingual writer herself. We went through a clear and detailed process to ensure the visuals and assets provided represented exactly what the community stands for. Maria kept me in the loop every step of the way, and I was able to provide feedback and input to help shape the rebrand. The results have been hugely positive. Community members feel well represented, and the new look is generating lots more interest on my socials and landing pages. If you are looking for a well-rounded and vibrant branding consultant, get in touch with Maria!
Maria did a great job. She always delivered quickly and reliably. She was critical and pointed out discrepancies to us, actively helping to improve the project. The collaboration was great. :)
Any questions?
Frequently asked Questions.
Still unsure? Find out more here.
Who is the Retail-Ready Check for?
Food and beverage producers looking to enter the DACH market — whether you're approaching your first German distributor or preparing for a retail listing and want to know where the real barriers are.
What do we need to provide?
Existing product documentation, packaging materials, certifications you hold, and a brief overview of your distribution ambitions. We'll tell you exactly what to prepare at kick-off.
What happens after the Check?
You receive a written report with your readiness evaluation, key gaps, priority actions and a clear market entry roadmap. We show you what should be addressed first, what can wait, and which topics may become critical before approaching distributors or retailers.
If you want support with implementation, we can continue with the Retail-Ready Launch phase, for example with packaging preparation, supplier documentation, ESG readiness, buyer materials or coordination of external specialists.
Is this a legal or certification service?
Legal approvals, importer services and legal contract review are outside our scope. The check is a strategic and compliance readiness assessment. We'll always flag where you need a specialist.
Let's get your brand retail-ready.
Got questions? Book a free meeting with us.
Market Fit · Operations · Compliance · Infrastructure. All in one team.
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