Photo by Eric Charbonneau, Derek White, and Scott Olson/Getty
Snoop Dogg and Master P have filed a lawsuit against Walmart, accusing the retail company of conspiring against their cereal brand.
Back in 2022, the rappers and entrepreneurs launched Broadus Foods, which entered a partnership deal with Walmart to sell its Snoop Cereal line.
Their vision was to create a family-owned company that adds diversity to the food industry and provides opportunities for minority-owned food products and brands.
The products were officially being sold on July 15, 2023. The launch was off to a solid start, per the suit, showing “an immediate success with people scrambling to locate and purchase the cereal.”
But after a few months, Walmart allegedly stopped stocking Snoop Cereal boxes on its shelves.
According to Master P, whose real name is Percy Miller, Walmart made it exceptionally hard to find Snoop Cereal, if at all.
“How come all these knockoff brands are successful and we don’t have a chance,” Miller said during a press conference held on Tuesday (February 5), according to NBC Washington.
“This is about minority-owned companies getting a fair share, and me and Snoop is going to be that force. Give black-owned businesses a genuine chance to succeed and build the intergenerational wealth promised by the American dream.”
In addition to filing a lawsuit against Walmart, the court docs reveal they are also suing Post Foods, who agreed to distribute and produce their products to major retailers.
Their complaint adds that Post had initially offered to buy their brand, an offer which both rappers declined, per BBC News.
While the firm still went ahead and entered into a partnership with them, they now believe that it was all an intentional plan to ruin the start-up business.
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Snoop and Master P, further accused Walmart of deceptive practices.
The lawsuit alleges that the retail giant intentionally left boxes of Snoop Cereal in the storage rooms of Walmart stores nationwide.
During their investigation, they discovered that sealed boxes of Snoop Cereal allegedly had “no location” coding, per the New York Post.
The store’s alleged decision to move the products to different sections indicated that they didn’t want them placed on the correct shelves in the cereal aisle.
Instead, Walmarts allegedly placed the boxes in the baby section or clearance areas. In the clearance department, the Snoop Cereal boxes were usually heavily discounted.
In response to these accusations, a spokesperson for Walmart has since issued a statement, mentioning how they value their relationships with suppliers.
“Many factors affect the sales of any given product, including consumer demand, seasonality, and price to name a few,” they continued. “We will respond as appropriate with the Court once we are served with the complaint.”
