Driving Supplier Success: The Work of a KeHE Category Manager
At KeHE Distributors®, Category Managers are at the center of everything we do to support our supplier community and drive partner success. They play a critical role in connecting suppliers with retailers, keeping pace with shifting consumer trends, and ensuring that innovative and trusted products make their way onto store shelves.
The Category Manager is a dual role, acting both as a strategist for category growth and a connector linking key partnerships in the supply chain. Their work is part trendspotting, part relationship-building, and part data-driven decision-making. To highlight what this looks like in action, we sat down with Lynda Glass, a KeHE Senior Category Manager, to learn more about her role day-to-day and passion for helping brands succeed.
Q: How would you describe the role of a Category Manager at KeHE?
A: Alongside our Supplier Manager partners, we are also the hub or center of operations. We have supplier-facing responsibilities while also serving as the first point of contact for other areas within KeHE, such as freight, supplier management, supplier support, supply chain, and our retailer teams.
We oversee an assortment of items and brands within our categories, much like managing a stock portfolio: What’s new and emerging? What’s tried and true? What should we consider moving away from? Our role is to balance all of these dynamics to drive success for both suppliers and retailers.
Q: What does a typical day (or week) look like as a Category Manager?
A: No two days are ever the same, but a typical week includes:
- Reviewing industry newsletters for trends and key changes
- Setting up new items
- Meeting with suppliers to align and optimize on strategy
- Analyzing category and supplier data, both internal and external
- Discovering new and exciting brands
- Planning for upcoming deadlines and category reviews
- Researching long-term opportunities to invest in for category growth
It’s a mix of immediate execution and big-picture thinking.
Q: What makes you excited to do the work that you do?
A: Being a Category Manager is FUN! The role leans into the best parts of my personality: curiosity, a love of food, attention to detail, problem-solving, and relationship-building. I enjoy thinking strategically while also getting into the details, and I get to do it all in a space I’m genuinely passionate about.
Q: Do you have a memorable story of helping suppliers succeed that you’re particularly proud of?
A: One of the best moments for a Category Manager is when an emerging brand lands its first retailer. Seeing the combined efforts of building a go-to-market strategy come to life in that first retail execution is incredibly rewarding. Even better, that hard-won momentum often becomes the foundation for further growth. Nothing fuels future successes quite like that first success.
Q: How do you stay ahead of changing consumer preferences and the larger grocery landscape?
A: I stay plugged in by reviewing and understanding trend data, but also by being an observer myself. When I shop each week, I pay attention to what’s on the shelves. At the end of the day, I’m also a consumer. It’s about embracing national and international trends and setting aside personal preferences to see the food landscape for what it really is.
Q: How do you help suppliers navigate trends, consumer preferences, and category data to be successful?
A: Not every supplier has access to industry-standard data sources like SPINS, Circana, or Mintel. I encourage suppliers to use whatever resources they do have, whether that’s industry articles, consumer observations, or relationships they’ve built.
Every experience can be a data point that informs strategy. I always encourage suppliers to stay curious, ask questions, and get involved in organizations that support where they are in their brand journey, whether emerging or well-established.
Q: What does a successful supplier–Category Manager relationship look like to you?
A: Of course, the essentials such as communication, transparency, honesty, and strategic thinking are all key. But the most crucial piece is bringing humanity into the relationship.
The best partnerships are grounded in kindness, empathy, and even humor. Whether navigating challenges or celebrating wins, bringing your whole self to the table is what makes the partnership truly successful.
A KeHE Category Manager is more than a product gatekeeper. They are champions of supplier success, navigators of consumer trends, and connectors across the supply chain. By blending strategic insight with human connection, they help emerging and established brands thrive in today’s competitive grocery landscape.
Learn more about how KeHE supports its suppliers: https://www.kehe.com/suppliers/.
