72 • November / December 2026• abasto.com • FOOD INDUSTRY Carlos Cotto began his career in the supermarket industry at age 15. Bagging groceries and collecting shopping carts were his first responsibilities. He also cleaned restrooms and has remained with the same chain throughout his career: Winn-Dixie. As a child, he wanted to be a doctor, but life steered him down a different path. “I joined the grocery sector without realizing it would become my platform for leadership, impact, and transfor- mation,” he shared in a recent LinkedIn post. Cotto uses the platform to inspire others because he takes his career journey very personally. “Becoming a store manager was a milestone, not the final destination,” he continued. From the Trade Show to the Shelf Carlos Cotto of Winn-Dixie Explains How He Selects New Products BY VIOLETA MONTES DE OCA S upermarket repre- sentatives attend tra- de shows with clear objectives: to do business, maximize their time, and plan what will hit their sto- res in upcoming seasons. For example, Carlos Co- tto, International Foods & Category Strategy Lead at Winn-Dixie, attends the an- nual Americas Food and Be- verage Show and Conferen- ce in Miami. He works for one of the largest supermar- ket chains in the Southeast, with stores across Florida and Georgia. “This is a great hub for talking to all the vendors. I work with 200 distribu- tors, and those distributors carry their own brands. Al- most every brand is here. When I come here, I hand- le holiday shows as well as regular day-to-day items to improve selection and deliver the best price to the customer—because that matters most. I connect with everyone here. And if we spot something new, I evaluate it to bring it to the chain and move forward,” he explained in an inter- view with Abasto Media. In fact, Cotto has already identified products that will arrive on Winn-Dixie shelves by summer, such as hydrating beverages. The First Step: Securing a Distributor When Cotto discovers a product—beyond tasting good and catching his eye—it has to be more than just a mockup. Registra- tion, FDA approval, pro- duction capacity, and port availability are essential requirements. “If I find a completely new company that doesn’t have a distributor, I need to connect that product with a distributor and tell them to talk and negotiate. After that, I review pricing, pro- fit margins, promotions, and what they plan to do to bring the product to mar- ket. Then we start onboar- ding it, finding it a home, and doing a category re- view. A lot of companies don’t understand that pro- cess,” he detailed. At large supermarkets, you need to open a plano- gram and assign a spot for the product so it can sell. Otherwise, it will never make it onto a display rack and will be discontinued in six months because of low sales. Invest in Market Research Cotto stresses that thorough market research is critical before introducing a pro- duct to a supermarket. The United States is complex and varies by region; a suc- cessful product in Florida Leadership Lessons doesn’t guarantee the same outcome in California. Before meeting with a buyer, suppliers must comply with all FDA regu- lations and import permits and have a pitch ready with pricing and promotional calendars. Otherwise, they risk heavy financial losses. Cotto suggests conducting research, aligning com- mercial expectations, and ensuring the product de- livers real value before ta- king the next step.