Ask the Collective
The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
Which sampling agencies provide good service and engagement for supermarket product sampling?
Members recommend focusing on agencies that allow you to influence execution quality and staff selection. **Hel's Angels** (now trading as **We Are Hels**, https://www.wearehels.com/) is noted as good value and affordable, with the key advantage that you can conduct staff trainings and choose which samplers you want to use for each activation—giving you control over engagement and energy levels. An alternative contact is **Tag Promo** (Fiona: fiona@tagprom.com). For spirits/premium products specifically, members suggest using **LIXIR** as a sampling partner (contact: Matt).
What agencies can help manage Tesco compliance and conduct stock checks across multiple stores?
Several members have used third-party agencies to manage Tesco compliance and stock audits across store networks. Rather than managing this in-house, outsourcing to a specialist firm allows you to be selective about which stores to monitor and get quick visibility on stock position. **Key agencies members recommend:** - **Red Wigwam** — multiple members currently using them. Praised for being quick to get live, reasonable costs, and granular store selection (you can choose exactly which stores to audit). Simple reporting. Contact: catherine@redwigwam.com - **Prime Field Marketing** — used by members for Tesco compliance work in the past. Reported to do good work and be reasonably priced. - **Double Dutch** — recently got their own Tesco listing; mentioned as an option. **Approach:** Members suggested asking within Kindred first to see if anyone has direct recommendations or can split a larger national project (cost-sharing across multiple brands can reduce per-brand fees). One member noted that while their previous contact at one agency no longer works there, the firm remained reasonable to work with.