Yotam Shabo
Yotam Shabo
Founder & Chief Strategist
HoReCa & AFH  ·  FMCG & Lifestyle  ·  Retail  ·  Innovation

COSMO by Shabo: strategy, business development and innovation for food companies and brands

Strategy  ·  Business Development  ·  Sales & Marketing

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20+
Years of experience
15
Proven modules
3
Strategic tracks
My story

20 years inside the market, from every side of it.

I am a third-generation entrepreneur and businessperson in the food industry. That passion led me to work with the leading hospitality groups in the market, including Machneyuda Group, Mona, Benedict and Atlas Catering, and to open a restaurant of my own. I learned what it takes to build a menu, hire and manage a team, market, run a P&L and manage suppliers, all at once. From there I moved on to work with the largest food and retail companies in the Israeli market, to understand the other side of the table as well.

At the Central Bottling Company (Coca-Cola Israel) I built the Away From Home division from scratch and led one of the most significant moves of my career: an international retail partnership with Monster Energy, bringing a global brand into the Israeli market, from vision to shelf.

I went on to support food-tech companies in the market, and then led business development and innovation at Strauss NEO. In parallel, I am a faculty member at Ono Academic College, where I run the culinary entrepreneurship course in the undergraduate business administration program, and where I developed The Playbook method.

Today I am an entrepreneur, lecturer and strategic consultant. Cosmo is built on all of this: a company that works with you and for you.

Entrepreneur
Third-generation entrepreneur · own restaurant Work with the leading hospitality groups alongside the largest retail companies in Israel: experience from both sides of the table.
Central Bottling Co.
Founded the Away From Home division International retail partnership with Monster Energy, from vision to shelf.
Food Tech
Growing food-tech companies Supporting food-innovation companies from product development to commercial entry.
Strauss NEO
Led business development and innovation The innovation unit of Strauss Group: from idea to market, and embedding innovation inside the company.
Academia
Lecturer in culinary entrepreneurship Faculty member at Ono Academic College. Creator of The Playbook method: 15 proven modules.
Today · Cosmo
Working alongside you A company that steps inside and works with you and for you.
Yotam Shabo
I have worked with
Strauss
Coca-Cola
Ono Academic College
GFI
Mona Restaurant
À La Carte
Atlas Catering
החצר
Moët & Chandon
The Macallan
Ogen
How I work with you

Four areas where I step inside.

Strategy

Commercial strategy that is connected to the real market: not theory, but a plan that can walk.
Business strategy and long-term planning
Segmentation and market positioning
Competitor analysis and growth opportunities
Entry into new markets and channels: foodservice, institutional and retail

Business development

Opening doors, building partnerships and creating new revenue, through the network I have built over 20 years.
Strategic partnerships
Joint ventures and collaborations
Connections to distributors, buyers, chefs and purchasing managers
Negotiation support

Sales & marketing

Go-to-market strategy that gets products to market and sells: in retail, in HoReCa and in the institutional market.
GTM strategy and pricing
Building sales and trade channels
Commercial proposals, product trees and tenders
Product launch support

Innovation

Innovation as a Service: spotting the next opportunity and turning it into a product that works.
New products and categories
An outsourced innovation department for commercial companies
Support for food-tech companies through to market
Embedding innovation and AI in the organization
Areas of expertise

Four worlds. One language.

HoReCa & AFH

Specialists in the foodservice and institutional markets. We build and execute market-entry and sales strategy, and we know the channel from every side: market and key-stakeholder mapping, commercial proposals including pricing, and products developed for the segment.
Restaurants and cafés, hotels and catering, institutional dining, tech campuses and large organizations.

FMCG & Lifestyle

Brands that live beyond the shelf: beverages, premium spirits, wellness and categories that sell an experience.
Brand building, sharp positioning, moving audiences to action, and creating and answering trends.

Retail

Chain entry, category management, pricing and shelf. Commercial proposals for buyers, trade terms, promotion plans and point-of-sale visibility.
Direct experience with the Israeli supply chain, from manufacturer to consumer.

Innovation

Innovation as a Service. We act as the innovation department of commercial companies, from spotting and shaping the trend through to production and distribution. New product development, entry into emerging segments and bringing global trends to the local market.
Food tech. We support food-tech companies from development through to bringing products to market.
Why Cosmo

An expert who works alongside you, not one who advises and leaves.

"I have sat on the owner's side, the manufacturer's side and the retailer's side. I know how each of them thinks, and that is exactly what works for you."
01
Experience from the field, not the classroom 20 years of real work with distributors, chains, restaurateurs and manufacturers. I know the people and the dynamics.
02
I work with you, I do not recommend and leave I am not a consultant who hands over a report and disappears. I step inside, work alongside you and stay until the result arrives.
03
A network built on trust Retailers, restaurateurs, distributors, manufacturers and investors: my network works for you from day one.
Selected projects
Selected Work
Kwasan Festival
Kwasan Festival
Street Food · Tel Aviv
Hamburger Month
Hamburger Month
Coca-Cola Israel
Hachumusai
Hachumusai
Strauss · Innovation
Monster Energy
Monster Energy
Joint launch with the parent company
Corporate events operation
Building a corporate events operation
Corporate Events
The method

The Playbook: a proven way of working.

The Playbook is the base of everything we do. I developed it from years of field work and from teaching in academia.
15 modules, from the DNA of the business to AI integration. Every track and every engagement is built from it, and each client gets the modules relevant to them: no more, no less.

01
DNA
The identity and vision of the business
02
Feasibility Check
03
Business & Financial Plan
04
Trends
05
Business Essence & Partnership
06
Branding
07
Location & Sales Channels
08
Product & Offering
09
Commercial Partnerships
10
Digital Presence
11
PR
12
Influencers
13
Customer Loyalty
14
Investor Presentation
15
AI Integration
Smart tools embedded in your business to maximize revenue, cut costs and improve operational efficiency.
The tracks

Every client starts from where they are.

Every track is built from The Playbook: together we choose the relevant modules out of 15, tailored to the business. These are the three most common starting points.

Track A

Market Entry

Bringing a product to market
Launching a new product or entering a new channel? We build the product strategy and the entry plan together, and stay until the product sells.
This fits you if
  • You have a new, breakthrough product but no access or route to market
  • You are a food-tech company with an innovative product, and the market still needs the need explained
Track B

Growth Strategy

Strategy and growth for existing companies
The business works, and you want the next stage. We build the business and marketing strategy, and open the doors that make it happen.
This fits you if
  • You want to grow in an existing category, reach new verticals or build a new category from scratch under the product umbrella
  • You are strong in retail and want to open a foodservice or institutional channel
  • Sales have stalled and the team is busy with the day-to-day
Track C

Innovation as a Service

Running the innovation of the company
An innovation department without building one. We run your innovation on an ongoing basis, from spotting the trend to a product on the shelf.
This fits you if
  • You want an innovation pipeline without building a department from scratch
  • You sell an existing product in a saturated market and need new audiences and markets
  • You want to be at the cutting edge but do not know where to start
  • You are a food-tech company that needs its first customers
Rescue track

Cosmo-bulance

Tried on your own and it did not work? Got some really bad advice? We know how to fix it.

A two-week rapid diagnosis, a 90-day action plan with measurable goals, and close support until the business is stable.

What clients say

From the field.

"
Over the years, Yotam has helped us with advice, guidance and introductions for entering and branding projects in new fields: high-tech, food tech, hospitality food and beverages.
Eilon Bergman
CEO & Owner, Studio ETC.
"
Yotam's experience on both sides of the table completely changed our approach. He does not advise; he works with you step by step until it happens.
Roi Tzabag / Moshiko Gamlieli
Owners, Mona Group and Bar 51
"
We worked together on launching a new food-tech product into the HoReCa market. With his network and his understanding of the dynamics, we cut a process that could have taken at least a year in half. Since then Yotam has connected us to many more companies.
Or Barnea
Owner, A LA CART
Let's talk strategy

30 minutes.
No commitment.
Full of value.

Whether you are launching a product, entering a new channel or rescuing a business in difficulty, the first step is a conversation.

+972-544-434448
☎
yotam@cosmobyshabo.com
✉
linkedin.com/in/yotam-shabo
in
Working with clients in Israel and internationally
📍

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