Cracking the Whole Foods code

"Buying will spike in the weeks before the holidays," Langshur advises. "Don't miss that opportunity." Regular Web updates, such as new recipes or holiday menus featuring smoked fish, will help boost the site's visibility. Axler should also create bright, well-written content about his fish, including details that make his products sound tastier than those of his competitors.

Last, FSB tapped Herb Heller, 39, finance manager of Hot Mama's Foods, a Northampton, Mass. maker of gourmet dips and salsas, which the company sells mostly through retailer Trader Joe's. A food industry veteran, Heller previously ran a specialty-food incubator that helped entrepreneurs launch food-related startups.

"For a small specialty shop like yours, Whole Foods is the Holy Grail," Heller says.

Whole Foods Market (WFMI, Fortune 500) is the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods and specializes in local and regional products. Axler tells Heller he recently made a pitch to a buyer in the company's corporate offices, but the buyer was subsequently transferred to Europe and the matter was dropped.

Seek out the managers of local stores and make your pitch, Heller urges the trio. Whole Foods managers have wide discretion in choosing which local products to feature. The stores will also help promote newly discovered products to shoppers with in-store tastings, which are proven boosters.

"Once you've established that your smoked fish is popular in local stores," Heller says, "the regional buyers will be more eager to carry your products."

Weeks after the Makeover, Axler has updated his Web site. His home page now features a smoked-salmon gift basket. He plans to update his packaging in the next few weeks; he has chosen a small black-and-gold crown logo to reinforce the concept of a premium product. FSB will keep tabs on Springfield Smoked Fish and report back on how the company fares.  

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