Harvest Group welcomed Valerie Corniel as Vice President of our Costco office in November 2023, marking an exciting new chapter in our Costco service offering. Since Valerie joined the team, we have more than doubled our Costco team and number of clients served. With over 20 years of dedicated Costco experience, Valerie brings unparalleled expertise and insights to our team.
Get to know Valerie in this interview as she shares her journey from Costco operations to corporate buying, discusses what’s shaping Costco’s future, and offers valuable insights into how Harvest Group positions brands for success at the retailer.
Tell us about your career journey and your time as a buyer at Costco. What were some of the pivotal moments in your career?
I started my career over 20 years ago working in Operations in the Costco warehouse. As several family members worked for Costco, that path seemed natural for me. After college, I moved into working for Costco’s in-house broker, where I spent three years learning both the branded and private label sides of the corporate food business.
While my time there was rewarding, I knew my true goal was to become a Costco Buyer! In 2008, that opportunity finally came when I joined the Costco Corporate buying office. I spent the next 15 years in buying, with 10 of those years focused on Grocery, Cooler, Deli, as well as Health & Beauty products – both branded and private label.
After my time at Costco, I knew I still wanted to be involved with the retailer, so I feel lucky to have joined Harvest Group. Now, I focus on building and growing our clients’ business with Costco, bringing my decades of experience full circle!
How is Costco positioning itself to stay competitive in the evolving retail landscape?
Costco’s strength lies in staying true to what their members have always loved while adapting to meet evolving needs. At their core, they continue to be rooted in their ‘keep it simple’ philosophy: giving members the absolute best quality at the lowest possible prices.
They’ve maintained that strength by dominating the ‘big and bulky’ items that members love. They’ve also evolved by offering same-day and two-day shipping options, staying competitive on value, and getting smarter about timing by bringing in seasonal merchandise earlier to better serve our members.
What are the biggest challenges for brands at Costco today? What are the most exciting opportunities?
One of the biggest challenges brands face at Costco is achieving the value the retailer requires. Costco is firm on maintaining their 20% minimum value.
At Harvest Group, we represent clients as a Costco broker to help brands navigate this crucial price pack architecture to achieve Costco’s value requirements while ensuring they can still thrive and grow across all markets.
Personally, I think the most exciting opportunity for brands at Costco today lies in the ability to synchronize volume buys across multiple Costco buying regions. This strategy allows brands to create greater efficiencies through larger total buy volumes, while also building a stronger brand presence throughout the U.S.
What do you think is the biggest differentiator of Harvest Group’s Costco service, and how do you come alongside brands at the retailer?
At Harvest Group, we’ve built our service model around three unique strengths that enable us to drive exceptional results for our brand partners:
- We maintain a low client-to-resource ratio, allowing us to dive deep into each client’s portfolio. This focused attention helps us develop compelling data-driven narratives, perfect Costco packs, and value propositions – ultimately showing buyers we have that ideal ‘Treasure Hunt’ item they’re looking for.
- Our National Account Managers are strategically positioned near Costco’s Regional Buying offices across the country. This presence enables us to provide hands-on support during buyer meetings while staying closely attuned to regional trends and competitive landscapes. We’re there every step of the way, from pricing and packaging consultation to in-person buyer presentations.
- Our expertise extends beyond single categories – we work across both Food and Non-Food divisions, not only in the U.S. but also in Mexico and other International Divisions. This comprehensive view of Costco’s business helps us build stronger category insights and identify unique opportunities for our brands.
Can you talk about the Regional Sales approach that the Harvest Group Costco team takes?
With Costco’s current focus on multi-regional buying, we’ve developed a strategic approach that really maximizes opportunities for our brands. We start by building data-driven brand stories that show buyers exactly how our products fill crucial category white space. From there, we identify and pitch to a select group of Foods Regional buyers – typically one to three – to gain interest and secure our first rotational test.
After securing that first regional commitment, we broaden our approach, developing multi-tier volume pricing discounts that we can offer to ALL Costco Food regions. We leverage our initial confirmed buy to demonstrate the benefits of a multi-regional program that incorporates these volume discounts.
As part of our long-term strategy, we’re always thinking ahead, proactively developing additional innovation options to pitch to other Costco departments. Thinking ahead like this helps us expand our brand portfolio throughout the store, ultimately creating a stronger national presence and more consistent year-over-year business. It’s about building for the long term, not just securing that first placement.
If you’re interested in learning more about Harvest Group’s Costco Services, reach out to us at hello@harvestgroup.com or fill out our Contact Us form here.
