for brands
Bring Your Food and Beverage Brand To New Markets
Connecting Brands With Opportunities
Is Your Brand Ready for Cruise and Hospitality Buyers?
True Grade helps food and beverage brands, producers and suppliers prepare for opportunities with cruise lines, hotels and resorts. Whether you’re entering the U.S. or expanding your business, we review your product range, pricing and supply capacity.
From there, we identify opportunities that fit your brand and help you navigate buyer requirements. Our culinary relationships and logistics expertise help you present your products, understand buyer requirements and plan for distribution.
PROGRAM FIT
Who Is This Program For?
Food and beverage brands seeking new distribution opportunities
International producers entering the U.S. foodservice market
Specialty brands offering sustainable or dietary-focused products
Manufacturers interested in supplying private-label products
Why Partner with True Grade?
True Grade Advantage
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Relationships with cruise line buyers
Direct connections to the right decision makers. -
Support with buyer requirements
Guidance to meet specifications, documentation, and compliance needs. -
Product onboarding support
Help throughout the sampling and approval process. -
Cold storage and food distribution
Reliable temperature-controlled storage and distribution through our FTZ network.
What It Means for You
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Connections with culinary and purchasing teams
Get your products in front of the right culinary and purchasing professionals. -
Preparation for food quality, delivery, and sustainability reviews
Understand what cruise lines look for and how to be ready. -
Guidance from product sampling to delivery planning
A clear process from first sample to final selection. -
Coordinated storage and delivery without external complexity
We handle the logistics so you can focus on your products.
Success Metrics
Success Stories
Every success begins with the first step
Market Entry + Strategic Positioning
Turning a differentiated product story into cruise-market growth
Introduction
Coleman Natural Foods had an established presence in retail and foodservice, but cruise was a new market for the brand.
True Grade brought Coleman into the cruise industry in 2022. Coleman entered the channel with a highly differentiated pork portfolio centered around animal care, responsible sourcing and product quality. Pasted markdown
The Opportunity
Coleman was not looking to compete as a conventional pork supplier.
Its quality standards and approach to animal care created value, but that value needed to be communicated in a way that made sense within cruise procurement.
The commercial strategy also needed to account for cruise pricing expectations without losing the premium positioning of the product.
True Grade's Role
True Grade worked with Coleman to translate the qualities behind its pork into a commercial proposition cruise lines could understand.
Our team educated Coleman on how the cruise market evaluates products, what purchasing teams prioritize and how pricing could be structured to remain competitive while still reflecting the quality behind the product. Pasted markdown
True Grade then communicated Coleman’s responsible sourcing standards, animal-care practices and product quality to cruise decision-makers as opportunities developed.
The Outcome
Coleman entered the cruise market in 2022 and established business in a channel where it previously had no cruise presence.
Today, its gestation crate-free pork is served on multiple major cruise lines.
Market Entry + Brand Readiness
Preparing a product portfolio for the requirements of the cruise market.
Introduction
Nonnina Mia entered the cruise industry with a diverse portfolio of canned and shelf-stable foodservice products.
Before those products could be considered commercially, the brand needed to make sure its product information, packaging and documentation met the expectations of cruise procurement and culinary teams. Pasted markdown
The Opportunity
The opportunity was to prepare Nonnina Mia’s portfolio for a purchasing environment with detailed foodservice requirements.
Specifications needed to be clear. Documentation needed to be complete. Packaging and case configurations needed to work for cruise operations. The brand also needed to be ready for samples and product evaluation.
True Grade's Role
True Grade reviewed Nonnina Mia’s product information and identified what needed to be completed or clarified before products could move forward.
Our team worked with the brand on specifications, supporting documents, packaging requirements and case configurations, creating a more complete package for procurement review.
Once the products were ready, True Grade coordinated samples, product presentations and culinary evaluations so cruise teams could assess the products directly. Pasted markdown
The Outcome
Multiple Nonnina Mia canned products entered the cruise market.
The relationship demonstrates the preparation that often happens before a product reaches a cruise buyer, from documentation and packaging readiness through samples and product evaluation. Pasted markdown
Market Entry + Foodservice Readiness
Preparing a specialized product for the requirements of the cruise channel
Introduction
UJZ Foods produces high-quality smoked sausage from its Florida operation, using small-batch production and natural hickory smoking across multiple brands.
Its Florida location created an additional advantage for the cruise market: products could be sourced closer to major cruise operations. Pasted markdown
The Opportunity
UJZ Foods offered two things that aligned well with the channel: distinctive products and local production.
For cruise lines working toward more responsible supply chains, sourcing closer to major ports can reduce transportation distances while improving supply chain efficiency.
True Grade's Role
True Grade recognized the value of UJZ Foods’ Florida production and positioned that advantage alongside the quality and flavor of its products.
Rather than presenting UJZ Foods as simply another sausage supplier, we focused on what its Florida plant could offer cruise customers: strong manufacturing capabilities, differentiated products and a supply source located close to major cruise operations.
As an exclusive partner, True Grade represents UJZ Foods within the cruise channel and connects its portfolio and production capabilities with relevant opportunities across our cruise network. Pasted markdown
The Outcome
UJZ Foods established a route into cruise built around product quality and the strategic advantage of Florida-based production.
The relationship allows True Grade to offer cruise customers a more localized supply option while showcasing the capabilities of UJZ Foods’ Florida operation.
Market Entry + Portfolio Expansion
Turning an initial cruise opportunity into broader product growth
Introduction
J.H. Routh Packing Company, through its Daisyfield brand, is a vertically integrated, family-owned pork packer offering fresh pork, ham and bacon.
Daisyfield entered the cruise market in 2022. Since the original opportunity, multiple products from the company’s portfolio have entered the channel. Pasted markdown
The Opportunity
For Routh, the opportunity was not limited to introducing one product.
True Grade saw the potential to expand the relationship across the company’s portfolio while also creating a simpler way for Routh to serve cruise customers across different ports.
True Grade's Role
True Grade continuously evaluates the Routh portfolio against cruise purchasing needs, identifying additional products that fit specific opportunities.
As more products entered the channel, True Grade also created the logistics structure needed to support that growth.
Routh can ship inventory into our Miami warehouse, where True Grade receives and consolidates products for cruise orders. From one centralized location, we coordinate distribution across multiple cruise ports.
This removes the need for Routh to independently manage individual cruise deliveries, consolidation requirements and multiple port destinations.
The Outcome
What began as an initial cruise opportunity developed into a broader portfolio presence.
Multiple Daisyfield products now have opportunities within the channel, supported by a centralized logistics model that allows Routh to expand its cruise business without building its own multi-port distribution operation.
Market Entry + Portfolio Expansion
Creating opportunities for a specialized meat portfolio within the cruise channel
Introduction
Henry J. Meats brings a specialized meat portfolio to foodservice, including corned beef hash, cooked corned beef, brisket and other products. Pasted markdown
For a supplier with specialized products, continued exposure to the people developing menus and making purchasing decisions is critical to creating new opportunities.
The Opportunity
Henry J. needed repeated opportunities to put its products and capabilities in front of cruise buyers, culinary teams and procurement leaders.
The objective was not simply one introduction. It was to maintain visibility and create conversations around where its products could fit across different cruise food programs.
True Grade's Role
True Grade creates that exposure throughout the relationship.
A key example is MHA. Henry J. participates through the True Grade booth, placing the brand directly in an environment with representatives from multiple cruise lines. Pasted markdown
Those conversations allow Henry J. to present products, discuss applications, understand upcoming needs and receive direct market feedback.
After the event, True Grade carries those conversations forward by connecting relevant opportunities with the appropriate cruise contacts and coordinating commercial follow-up. Pasted markdown
The Outcome
Henry J. maintains ongoing visibility within the cruise industry instead of relying on isolated sales outreach.
Through MHA and continued follow-up, True Grade gives the brand repeated access to the people and opportunities that can drive future cruise business.
The Process
How to Get Started
Meet With Our Team
Contact us to schedule a meeting. We’ll explain how the service works, learn about your goals and answer your questions.
Tell Us About Your Brand
After the meeting, we’ll send you a questionnaire covering your products, pricing, supply capacity and other relevant business details.
Review the Market Opportunity
Our team will assess your offering to identify potential opportunities with cruise lines, hotels and resorts.
Agree on the Next Steps
If there’s a fit, we’ll discuss how to move forward, including product presentations, samples and preparation for buyer requirements.
Ready to Onboard Your Brand?
Introduce Your Brand
Interested in reaching cruise lines, hotels, and resorts? Tell us about your brand and products so we can explore the right next step.