The world of food manufacturing and distribution is a shark tank with a few major competitors fighting tooth and nail for shelf space at a few mega-grocers like Publix, Costco, Target, and Kroger. Sitting atop the industry is retail giant Walmart, one of the most challenging companies to get real estate in.
This is especially true for Black food business owners and their brands.
Somehow, singer-turned-entrepreneur Patti LaBelle and her Good Life company has managed over the past 16 years to be beloved staples at most of them, including the #1 store based out of Arkansas.
Master P On Patti’s Pies
Master P has suggested during one of his master classes at the business conference that the reason why she has a spot on the shelves is because her hit “Patti Pies” are actually majority owned by Walmart and that the singer, whose brand directly competes with the Uncle P brand, only owns about 10 percent.
After dropping the bombshell, one achieved, according to an edited video, by having participants Google “Who owns Patti Pies,” many of the attendees seemed duped. But were they?
According to one of LaBelle’s business managers, Charles Pruitt, they were.
During a recent appearance on “The Breakfast Club” with DJ Envy, Charlamagne tha God and Jess Hilarious, Pruitt set the record straight.
“I want to say this respectfully, Master P is out of his mind,” he said, adding, “He has this thing called ‘The Master Class’ … He claimed that Patti’s Pies are up front because Walmart owns the pie. Walmart does not own anything. They own zero percent of the pot.”
The former Lost Boyz manager says that what Walmart does do is buys the pies from LaBelle’s Good Life company and places it in the bakeries of their stores, which are located in the front of each location. He further states that while they are in the front section, the brand’s pies and cobblers are located in the back.
“It’s strategic for Walmart to do that because when a customer comes through they’re looking for the pie,” he said alluding to the psychology of a shopper that will purchase other tasty treats.
According to the manager, who brought the food idea to LaBelle after studying Martha Stewart’s model, Walmart did the deal with the Philadelphia hero “on a handshake.”
He said he believes the No Limit soldier used LaBelle as an example to help embellish his lawsuit against Walmart that he and Snoop Dogg launched in February 2024. It alleges that the company discriminated against them and participated in “deceptive trade practices,” which prevented them from being placed on the shelves in their stores.
“What the consumer needs to understand is that Walmart is a real estate company,” Pruitt explained. “All they’re selling is real estate. They’re selling space in their store. When you have companies like Kraft, Pepsi and Coke … all these big companies … They’re buying that space. So, when a Black company comes along 9 times of the 10, they don’t have the money.”
He said that the retail giant took a chance on them that resulted in a great partnership that continues to this day.
Good Life, which launched in 2008, sells pies as well as other desserts, frozen meals (chicken and biscuits and mac-n-cheese) and frozen breakfast foods.
Forbes reveals that the business operates under a royalty deal structure. This means it outsources production to a factory and then distributes the finished products to major American retailers, including Target and Walmart. Impressively, Walmart alone generated $85 million in gross sales in 2023.
Good Life retains approximately 10% of the revenue from her sales, translating to $20 million in earnings last year. Patti LaBelle and her son maintain full ownership of the company.
