Veteran-Owned · Full-Service Broker

Crack the $10B+ Military Retail Market. We Handle the Maze, You Get the Sales.

Getting your brand into DeCA Commissaries, PX, BX, and NEX locations is a complex web of compliance, EDI pricing, and logistical hurdles. The Reese Alliance is your full-service broker partner. We don't just get you listed—we handle everything from military category reviews to on-the-ground shelf stocking to ensure you scale.

Get a Free Military Readiness AuditHow it works
How We Work →
$10B+Combined Annual Military Market (DeCA & Exchanges)
1,000+Retail Touchpoints Worldwide (Commissaries, PX, BX, NEX)
35+Years of Dedicated Military Brokerage (Est. 1989)

Why vendors choose us

We eliminate the friction between your warehouse and the military shelf.

Complete Maze Navigation
We handle the brutal paperwork—SAM.gov registration, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) compliance, EDI pricing, and complex DeCA/Exchange proposal processes—so your team can focus on manufacturing.
End-to-End Representation
We don't just hand you off after a contract is signed. We act as your official military sales arm, managing buyer relationships at headquarters and building custom VPR (Voluntary Price Reduction) programs.
Worldwide Ground Execution
Getting on the shelf is only half the battle. We provide 100% base coverage worldwide, coordinating promotions, conducting store audits, and managing local shelf-stocking compliance to ensure your product moves.

The process

From First Assessment to Sustained Shelf Velocity

1

Fit & Readiness Assessment

We analyze your current commercial grocery or department store data to determine exactly which military branches (DeCA, AAFES, or NEXCOM) are the highest-revenue fit for your product.

2

The Institutional Pitch

We build your military-specific program using syndicated market data tools, secure the meetings at headquarters, and pitch directly to the category managers and decision-makers.

3

Launch & Lifecycle Management

Once approved, we manage the rollout. From navigating military logistics networks to deploying boots-on-the-ground support for stocking, sets, resets, and promotions, we ensure your brand wins long-term.

Why TheReeseAlliance

Operational Polish Meets Enterprise Scale

We aren't just a generic brokerage—we are your tactical launchpad into military retail. The Reese Alliance bridges the gap between complex institutional procurement and modern brand innovation. With Kurt, you get a 26-year Army veteran and active CPG owner who knows exactly how to navigate the bureaucracy to get your products onto DeCA and Exchange shelves. With Matt, you get a premier brand strategist who knows exactly how to build authentic consumer advocacy to pull your products off the shelves. Together, we handle the institutional friction and market positioning so your brand can dominate on base.

K
Kurt McDowell

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Kurt brings an unparalleled combination of military leadership and real-world CPG success to The Reese Alliance. A 26-year Army veteran, Kurt knows exactly what service members want because he lived it. As a successful brand owner with products actively selling in DeCA Commissaries and Exchanges worldwide, he has spent years navigating the precise pathways emerging brands need to crack. Having already guided countless founders into the military market, Kurt is a vital leader within the broader Reese team, dedicated to turning institutional red tape into a predictable launchpad for innovative brands.
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Matt Gafford

Co-Founder & Strategic Partner

Most brands treat military appreciation like charity or a simple checkbox on a corporate responsibility report. Matt co-founded The Reese Alliance to change that, proving that authentic connection with the military community is one of the most powerful growth levers a brand can activate. A dynamic new addition to the broader Reese team, Matt brings a decade of enterprise-scale experience executing premier military partnerships, including USAA's massive NFL Salute to Service activation and corporate alignments with the Houston Texans. He specializes in translation—helping commercial brands speak the language of the military community safely, authentically, and profitably. By pairing hard-data measurement with cultural nuance, Matt ensures that brands launching into the military ecosystem don't just sit on shelves, but build lifelong customer loyalty and measurable brand equity.

Client Results

Brands We've Helped Break In

Functional Beverage · DeCA Commissaries · 45 Doors

“The founder came to us with strong DTC numbers but zero visibility into the military retail pathway. We mapped the category review window, handled vendor setup, EDI configuration, and distributor alignment — and had products on DeCA shelves within a single review cycle.”

How an emerging functional beverage brand scaled into 45 commissaries in 90 days

Brand name withheld at client request.

Timing Your Launch

Upcoming Retail Windows

Unlike traditional grocery accounts that accept pitches year-round, military buyers at DeCA and the Exchanges review specific product categories during structured, annual windows. It's a beautifully organized system, but it means timing is everything.

If a category review window closes before your brand submits, you typically have to wait a full 12 months for the next cycle to open.

We don't want you to miss out on an entire year of growth. Let's look at the calendar together, figure out exactly when your specific product category opens, and build a smooth, stress-free path to get your samples and pricing ready well ahead of time.

Explore Your Category's Timeline