Enter your real per-unit costs and watch the full price chain build — unit COGS → brand wholesale → distributor → retail shelf — with gross margin at every stage, your markup multiple, the shelf multiple, and your margin bonus if you sell direct.
what you charge a distributor — your gross margin lives here
$3.27
50% margin · +$1.63
red <40%amber 40–50%green 50%+ healthy
● 50% — healthy / fundable
↓
2
Distributor price
what the distributor charges retail (UNFI / KeHE ≈ 25–30%)
$4.53
28% margin · +$1.27
↓
3
Retail shelf price
what the shopper pays (grocery ≈ 35–40%)
$7.56
40% margin · +$3.02
Markup multiple
2.0×
wholesale ÷ COGS
4.6×
retail ÷ COGS · in band (4–5×)
Gross margin
50%
on wholesale
⚡
If you sell direct (DTC) at that shelf price…
you keep the whole chain — margin jumps to:
78%$5.93 / unit
Gross margin = (net sales − COGS) ÷ net sales, measured on the wholesale price — the standard CPG founder/investor metric (not MFL's internal margin-contribution). ✓ Model + benchmark bands verified by analyst. Benchmarks are context, not enforced.