Breaking Into National Retailers with Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys

At Female Founder Collective's 10th House, we know that breaking into retail can transform a business—but only if you understand how the game is really played. In our latest fireside chat, we sat down with Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys, to decode the insider secrets of scaling from stroopwafels to national shelf space.

With Belgian Boys now a household name in Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods, Anouck shared the tactical insights that turned her fashion design background into food industry gold. Her biggest revelation? Success isn't about overnight wins—it's about strategic patience and understanding what buyers actually need. For Belgian Boys, it took ten years of testing and patience, according to Anouck.

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From Fashion Designer to Food Founder: Building What Buyers Want

Anouck's journey from the fashion aisles to the frozen food aisle wasn't accidental. After leaving the fashion world, she channeled her creative expertise into helping her now-husband Greg bring authentic Belgian treats to American consumers who were craving something better than Eggo waffles.

But here's where most founders get it wrong: they assume nostalgia sells. "[We thought] people wanted to be reminded of experiences in Paris, Amsterdam, Belgium…" Anouck revealed. "Fast forward a few days later, we realized our consumer doesn't even know where Belgium is on the map. They buy it because it's an upgrade from Eggo waffles."

This insight became their North Star: focus on the upgrade story, not the origin story.

The Strategies That Actually Get You On Shelves (and Keep You There)

Breaking into retail is just the beginning. Here's what Anouck learned about building lasting retailer relationships:

• Start with your heroes, not your whole portfolio. Belgian Boys began with tons of SKUs—cookies, cheesecakes, multiple waffle varieties. "We used to do a little of a lot. When we figured out what works, we started to do a lot of a little." Today, four SKUs drive the bulk of their revenue. 
• Understand what the buyer's challenge is. Walk the shelf before every retail meeting. Don't pitch everything you have—solve a specific problem for that retailer and understand where they need growth.
• Grow strategically, not fast. Their Target relationship started at 200 stores, then grew to 400, 600, and 800 over three years. Anouck believes that you can only sell as much as you can make. 

Invest where your product actually is. Rather than building a DTC channel, Belgian Boys focused on retail media, Instacart, and shopper marketing tactics where their customers already shop. The result? They became the #1 fastest-growing brand on Instacart in 2024.

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