
How to Build Retail Demand Before You're On a Single Shelf
Kiki Couchman left private equity to build Sourmilk - a gut-health yogurt brand that sold 8,000 yogurts hand-to-hand before landing on a single retail shelf. We break down how Sourmilk built demand before distribution, used building in public as a growth channel, turned customers into leverage with retail buyers, and why Kiki is choosing to dominate New York before scaling nationally. Follow Kiki & Sourmilk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/couchwoman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getsourmilk/ Follow Elevator: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatorgoods/ X: https://x.com/elevatorgoods Follow Monish: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msabnani93/ X: https://x.com/msabnani93 Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:00 Leaving private equity to build Sourmilk 04:30 Why yogurt was the opportunity 12:27 Why Sourmilk is retail-first 14:21 The economics of a perishable product 17:26 Customers before retail buyers 18:10 Building demand before distribution 18:31 Selling 8,000 yogurts on the streets of NYC 20:00 Turning customers into retail leverage 23:04 Bootstrapping Sourmilk with two founders 24:52 The real value of trade shows 28:00 Why they’re not going national yet 30:21 When to raise institutional capital 33:30 Learning social media from zero 36:44 The inspiration behind building in public 39:47 Should every founder build in public? 41:56 Why content alone isn’t enough 46:24 The first hire Sourmilk needs 47:57 A day in the life building Sourmilk
- Transcript










