Walmart's 11th Open Call to draw suppliers from 48 states
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Suppliers receive a "Golden Ticket," like this one from 2022, if Walmart decides to buy their product. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios
Harrison cattle farmer Mike Fountain hopes to get his ground beef to more customers after he meets with Walmart buyers at its 11th "Open Call" Sept. 24-25.
- He'll be pitching taste and sustainability as qualities of Natural State Beef, a company he founded in 2020 to take advantage of an overlooked middle market and the then-disrupted food supply chain.
Why it matters: Walmart said in 2021 it plans to spend an additional $350 billion by 2030 on items made, grown or assembled in the U.S. Many of those products are found during the Open Call.
- It's estimated the spend will help generate 750,000 jobs nationwide, many within small businesses like Fountain's.
State of play: Natural State Beef is one of more than 500 potential suppliers to the world's largest retailer that will convene next week to pitch their wares.
- More than 800 meetings between buyers and would-be suppliers are scheduled, Jason Fremstad, SVP of supplier development and sourcing with Walmart, told Axios.
- Businesses from all but North Dakota and Mississippi will be represented along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The latest: New this year will be the relaunch of an overhauled Supplier Academy, a sort of MasterClass available to those who get products on Walmart shelves.
- The academy is broken into modules so suppliers can start wherever their Walmart acumen drops off, or begin with 101-type learning.
Also new this year will be the inclusion of buyers from Walmart Canada and Walmart de México. They'll meet with suppliers who have products that could potentially be exported.
- "That's something we've never done before," Fremstad said.
Between the lines: Food makers, especially with a regional flair, are always well represented at Open Call, Fremstad said.
- "I was actually surprised, going through the list, that there were quite a few general merchandise suppliers," he said. "That's been really interesting to see more general merchandise coming from the U.S. and being produced in the U.S."
- General merchandise includes everything from sporting goods to apparel, Fremstad said.
Stunning stat: Of Walmart's annual purchase of goods, nearly two-thirds are products made, sold or assembled in the U.S., Fremstad said, a point he thinks most shoppers don't realize.
What we're watching: The kickoff session for Open Call will be streamed online at 8:15am on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
- Last year's event featured Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Mike Rowe, star of reality TV show "Dirty Jobs."
- Company spokespeople were mum on any special guests planned for this year's event.