Executive summary The main purpose of the report is to discuss the available marketing options in the distribution channel of the Blue Mountain Herbal Teas. Gary Penfold is in a state of a dilemma on how to integrate supermarkets in the distribution channel of the company. This has caused a major conflict between the retailers of the health food stores and the company. The former argues that they will restrain buying products from the company if supermarkets will take their slot in the distribution channel. Quite a several marketing theory concepts have been used to explore the case study of the Blue Mountain company and its distributional channel. From the findings, it is evident that the company enjoys a large share of the market due to the high volume of sales recorded per year. The strength of the company is also based on its unique blends of tea products. In terms of opportunities, the company is likely to experience major growth due to the presence of supermarkets in its channel of distribution. Nonetheless, there are also associated weaknesses and threats that the company has to grapple with at the moment. For instance, intense competition from other companies and similar competitive products is a major threat. Additionally, reliance on a single product line is a major weakness since it lacks product differentiation. It is highly recommended that the company should not do away with the health food stores in its distribution channel. However, it should conduct email advertising to persuade retailers. Introduction To begin with, it is profound to note that marketing is both an art and science that revolves around elements such as promotions, public relations, and advertising. The information generated from marketplace data as is the case with the Blue Mountain herbal Teas is indeed vital in making relevant decisions. However, most firms often make several guesses on how to apply the information generated from marketing activities. Hence, the purpose of this report is to explore the marketing theories and options that the management at Blue Mountain Company can make use of to come up with the best business decisions. To compile this business report, quite a several resources were consulted. The two main types of resources used were books and journals. The case study document also provided the foundation for the report since it was the primary point of reference. The findings for the report have been documented in terms of marketing theories, SWOT analysis, and responses to the case study questions as discussed in the following section. SWOT analysis Strengths The Blue Mountain Company has the following key strengths in its business portfolio:  1. Strategic positioning of its products.  2. High demand for its products.  3. Variety of its branding portfolio in terms of blends that are 15 in total.  4. A strong public image that has been created by the presence of health food stores in the distribution channel.  5. The entrance of grocery supermarkets in the distribution channel.  6. Presence of wholesalers who distribute to small scale retailers. Weaknesses  1. The company deals with only one line of product (herbal teas) and therefore it may not benefit from the actual benefits of product differentiation.  2. There is no evidence from the case study whether the company has been using social media marketing or not. Overreliance on the health food stores for distribution and marketing of its products has been a major loophole that is currently causing conflict as the supermarkets are entering the distribution system.  3. The