Two Minnesota companies will sell products in Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) stores after competing in the mega retailer's Open Call pitch contest earlier this week.
Arden Hills-based Cubles, a 3-D paper children's toy assembled by the user, and Minneapolis-based Smackin' Sunflower Seeds, a flavored, jumbo sunflower seed producer, will both have their products available in some Walmart stores in the United States. (Smackin' Sunflower's goods will also be available in Canadian Walmarts.) Both companies' products are already available on Walmart.com.
Smackin' recently opened a headquarters in North Loop in the historic Warehouse District. The company creates uniquely flavored sunflower seeds that are larger and have less sodium. University of Minnesota college roommates Cole Schaefer and Brian Waddick started the company in 2019, gaining popularity through social media channels by featuring Major League baseball players.
Their revenue has grown from $10,000 in the first year to eight figures after starting solely through online retail sales, the now 25-year-old founders said.
Joel Morris founded Cubles in 2015 and began distributing the product in Minneapolis in 2019. The toy features popular children's characters that users assemble from recycled paper into 3-D cube creatures. As of 2022, the company has licensed to use more than 40 characters including Spongebob, Dog Man, Transformers and G.I. Joe.
The annual Walmart Open Call contest invites small to medium-sized businesses to pitch for an opportunity to sell their products in Walmart or Sam's Club's stores or on Walmart.com. Finalists from across the nation representing 48 states competed in this year's pitch contest. At this year's Walmart Open Call, entrepreneurs in 24 states received deals, while Walmart is considering deals with entrepreneurs from more than 42 states.
During the two-day event, all of the finalists had an opportunity to receive business and pitching advice from entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" star Daymond John. Finalists also heard from last year's Open Call winners Athletic Brewing and Fire Department Coffee, whose products have launched in thousands of Walmart stores since their successful pitches in 2023.
