Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

Adam Steinberg

If you’ve ever thought, "Why doesn’t anyone talk about this in CPG?", this is the podcast for you. Host, Adam Steinberg, co-founder of KitPrint, interviews CPG leaders to uncover the real-world tactics, strategies, and behind-the-scenes insights that really move the needle.

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20 episodes
Updated Monday

Episodes20

Newest first

Monday · 42 min
John McGuckin - Scaling Clio Snacks to $100M+ and 60,000 Doors
On this episode, we're joined by John McGuckin, CEO of Clio Snacks - the first and only refrigerated Greek yogurt bar - a chocolate-dipped, cheesecake-textured snack. John took the seat as Clio's CEO in 2021 after a long track record of C-suite roles at brands like Sabra, Tribe Mediterranean Foods, and Maya Kaimal. John breaks down why he took the job, how he read the post-COVID shift toward high-protein, permissibly indulgent snacking, and what operators should stress-test before stepping into a founder-led company. John walks through the bet that changed everything: retiring the $1.19 single bar and moving retailers to four-packs and minis at $5.99, which fixed cash flow and unlocked a capital raise. We dig into going multi-channel across colleges, C-stores, and airports, building a dedicated refrigerated snacking set at retail, running cold chain at a 98% service level through a disciplined S&OP process, and Clios' 86,000 sqft plant. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🇺🇦 The garage origin story behind Clio (yes, a real syrok) 🪑 Taking the CEO seat as the first non-founder leader 🤝 What to stress-test before running a founder-led brand 📊 Reading the consumer shift that made yogurt bars work 💵 The singles-to-multipacks bet that fixed cash flow 🚀 Going multi-channel: 450+ colleges, 20,000+ C-stores, 65+ airports 🛒 Building a refrigerated snacking set at retail 🎃 Why seasonal flavors and end caps drive trial ❄️ Running cold chain at a 98% service level 🏭 Owning an 86,000 sq ft plant instead of co-packing 🎯 The single biggest velocity driver (hint: shelf position) 🚚 Getting distributors and brokers to actually work for you 👶 The kids' yogurt gap he's chasing next --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:58 – Clio's origin story (Ukraine, a garage, a syrok) 03:26 – Where the Clio name came from 04:45 – Why John took the CEO seat 07:33 – Advice for stepping into a founder-led brand 10:18 – Betting on a new category: the Sabra parallel 13:00 – From $23M to a projected $120M: the multipack bet 15:42 – Going multi-channel: food service, colleges, airports 18:39 – The new-product and innovation process 19:24 – Building a refrigerated snacking set at retail 21:08 – Seasonal flavors and end-cap wins 23:14 – Cold chain and the S&OP discipline 26:33 – Where the brand sits in-store (and GLP-1) 29:38 – Owning manufacturing and self-funding growth 32:28 – Scaling from 1,000 to 60,000 doors 34:59 – The biggest velocity driver: shelf position 35:49 – Working with distributors and brokers 38:15 – The kids' category he's chasing next --------------- Links: Clio Snacks - https://cliosnacks.com/ Follow John on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfmcguckin/ Follow me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out kitprint.co Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
July 29 · 46 min
Sara Hendershot - Is This the Next Billion Dollar Bottled Water Brand?
On this episode, we're joined by Sara Hendershot, VP of Marketing at Loonen - the glass bottled water brand that starts with a spring source, purifies it, remineralizes it, and tests every batch for over 350 contaminants. Sara was previously Director of Marketing at Momentous, and before that a two time world champion and 2012 Olympic rower for Team USA. Sara breaks down how Loonen pairs a high quality spring source with purification, remineralization using Celtic sea salt, glass only bottling, and third party testing for 350+ contaminants printed on every bottle. We get into the brand build: designing for heritage instead of trend (Levi's and L.L.Bean were the references), choosing yellow and blue to cut through a shelf of clear glass and white labels, and engineering a six pack box that can actually ship glass, and which storytelling hooks landed once they hit market. A big part of the conversation focuses on go to market: pricing at $3.79 at Sprouts versus the Amazon six pack, consolidating still and sparkling under one parent listing, growing almost entirely organic with zero paid influencers, and landing a first national account six months after launch. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🐦 The loon: monogamous to one lake until it gets contaminated 💧 The first water that is both spring sourced and purified 🧪 Testing for 350+ contaminants when the FDA requires almost none 🍼 Clara's IVF story and the water lab on her kitchen counter 🏭 Ripping out PVC pipes and replacing them with stainless steel 🎨 Building a heritage brand (Levi's, L.L.Bean, yellow and blue) 📦 Engineering a six pack box that ships glass without breaking 💸 $3.79 at Sprouts vs the Amazon six pack sticker shock 📈 The storytelling hooks that landed and the ones that didn't 🛒 Landing Sprouts off cycle six months after launch 🛻 Route rides, field blitzes, and why every new hire sells 📊 The Amazon playbook: parent listings and organic traffic 🔮 Raising the standard for the entire bottled water category --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:37 – Loonen origin story and what the brand actually is 03:20 – Clara and David: IVF, endocrine disruptors, and Spindrift 05:15 – Why an Olympian started paying attention to her water 06:35 – The bottled water category and why nobody fixed it 09:30 – Sourcing springs and the story behind the loon 12:05 – Educating consumers without fear mongering 14:00 – Competing inside the glass bottled water set 16:20 – Building a heritage brand and standing out on shelf 18:15 – Pricing at Sprouts vs pricing on Amazon 20:15 – The storytelling hooks that actually landed 22:35 – Channel sequencing and the Sprouts launch 25:15 – Route rides and selling in the field 29:20 – The Amazon playbook 32:45 – Demos, field blitzes, and organic social 36:45 – Distributors and brokers 39:15 – Lessons from David Kimmell on scaling beverage 41:45 – Success, standards, and what keeps her up at night --------------- Links: Loonen – https://loonen.com/ Follow Sara on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahendershot/ Loonen on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/loonen/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
July 20 · 33 min
Rachel Krupa - Curated Convenience: Inside The Goods Mart's Retail Model
On this episode, we're joined by Rachel Krupa, Founder of The Goods Mart, the better-for-you convenience store that's reimagining what a 7-Eleven can be. Rachel is also the founder of Krupa Consulting, the CPG and wellness PR agency she's run since 2010, working with brands like Thrive Market, Our Place, and Goop Kitchen. We dig into how Rachel went from running her PR agency to opening a convenience store after founders kept telling her they had no strategy for the convenience channel and The Goods Mart's core bet: a tightly curated shelf of better-for-you brands, no GMOs, no artificial colors or flavors, and accessible pricing so the store never feels precious. Rachel walks through what she actually looks for in a brand, the packaging iterations every product goes through before it scales, and why a small-format store surfaces feedback that velocity numbers alone can't. We also get into the curation business that now drives much of The Goods Mart, placing emerging brands in hotel minibars and corporate pantries for clients like the Fifth Avenue Hotel, the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, and OpenAI New York. Rachel shares her honest take on fundraising, her grocery consulting work, and the brands she can't stop watching. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🏪 From PR agency to convenience store 🥫 The better-for-you gap in convenience retail 🎨 Brand pillars and the case for curation 🛠️ Building the first store with no playbook ☕ Accessible pricing and $2 coffee 🚫 Why The Goods Mart charges no slotting fees 💸 Getting creative with revenue instead 📦 The packaging iterations every brand faces 📊 Small-format stores and real-time customer data 🏨 Curating hotel minibars and corporate pantries 🏬 Consulting on grocery concepts like Flow Grocer 👀 The flat drinks and gummies she's watching --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:51 – Origin story: from PR to convenience store 02:55 – Brand pillars and the case for curation 04:49 – Building the first Silver Lake store 06:38 – Accessible pricing and everyday value 07:48 – Being first to carry emerging brands 08:37 – Why The Goods Mart charges no slotting fees 10:58 – The financial model without slotting fees 12:14 – The curation vertical and COVID pivot 13:50 – Small-format stores and real-time data 16:15 – What brands need buttoned up before pitching 18:56 – Why it's not a shoppy shop 20:19 – Everyday low price over promotions 22:08 – The new Williamsburg flagship 24:15 – Operating in LA vs New York 25:34 – Hotel minibars and corporate pantries 29:17 – Fundraising and consulting for grocers 31:08 – Brands and trends she's watching --------------- Links: The Goods Mart – https://www.thegoodsmart.com/ Krupa Consulting – https://www.krupaconsulting.com/ Follow Rachel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelkrupa/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
July 15 · 36 min
Ashley Cameron - From Labor & Delivery Nurse to H-E-B and 1,500+ Doors
On this episode, we're joined by Ashley Cameron, Founder & CEO of Love&Cookies - the clean-label frozen gourmet cookie dough brand you bake straight from the freezer in ess than 15 minutes. Ashley was a labor and delivery nurse with no CPG background before her cookies landed on H-E-B shelves. Baking with her son Charlie during his recovery turned into a clean-label product built on a simple insight: freeze the dough and you no longer need preservatives or shelf stabilizers. Ashley shares how a customer pushed her to enter H-E-B's Quest for Texas Best, which she won six months after opening her Lakeway store, catapulting her into 250+ H-E-B locations. We get into hard pivots, co-packers' resistance to run her stand-up pouch which led Ashley build her own manufacturing facility and the tough call to eventually move to a co-packer. Ashley walks through resizing each cookie by half an ounce to make pricing work, and closing three brick-and-mortar stores to put capital behind retail. Ashley also breaks down the packaging decisions that set the brand apart, from color-coding every flavor (because most stockers were merchandising by color) to dropping her kids' names off the cookies to lift velocity. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍪 Baking with her son after a Kawasaki diagnosis becomes a brand ❄️ Why freezing the dough replaces preservatives and shelf stabilizers 🏆 Winning H-E-B's Quest for Texas Best six months after opening 🏭 Building an in-house facility when no co-packer would take her 🔄 The hard pivot from own factory to co-manufacturer for margin 🎨 Color-coding every flavor so stockers and shoppers find it 💸 Resizing the cookie half an ounce to fix distribution pricing 🏷️ Dropping the kids'-names branding to lift velocity 🛒 Live demos and the BOGO that cleared the shelf in three days 🔪 Closing three brick-and-mortar stores to fund retail growth 🤝 The key hires that put the business on solid footing 💰 Scaling on under $500K, then a seed round toward profitability 👀 The clean-label white space she's watching next --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:56 – Origin story and Charlie's diagnosis 02:26 – Designing a clean-label frozen cookie dough 03:46 – Opening the store and finding Quest for Texas Best 04:32 – Scaling the recipe and sourcing at volume 05:57 – Nailing the 13 to 15 minute bake 07:24 – Building an in-house manufacturing facility 10:03 – Outgrowing it and pivoting to a co-manufacturer 12:04 – Packaging design and color differentiation 15:53 – Removing barriers at the freezer door 16:29 – Pricing strategy and resizing the cookie 18:57 – Inside the Quest for Texas Best pitch 22:11 – Dropping the cookie names for velocity 24:24 – Driving trial with demos and BOGOs 26:09 – Closing the brick-and-mortar stores 28:22 – Key hires that steadied the business 30:45 – Financing growth and the seed round 33:47 – Why the whole store is your competition --------------- Links: Love&Cookies – https://cookiesilove.com/ Follow Ashley on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-cameron-534b00238/ Love&Cookies on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/getloveandcookies/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
July 10 · 43 min
Chrisi Hammer - The Interior Designer Scaling Cinnamon Buns Into 4500+ Doors
On this episode, we're joined by Chrisi Hammer, Co-founder and CEO of Sunshine Buns, the frozen cinnamon roll brand built upon a family recipe her mom started perfecting in the late 1970s. Chrisi brings an interior design background to CPG, and it shows up in everything from the packaging to the trade show booths. We get into how Sunshine Buns went from home deliveries out of Chrisi's kitchen to thousands of doors in under two years, and why owning a commercial kitchen and storefront first gave them hundreds of hours to perfect the product. Chrisi breaks down the packaging journey, how she rebuilt the entire pack into a box that fits the frozen breakfast set while keeping the hero image consistent after being told at ExpoWest they were a breakfast product not a bread. We dig into the retail strategy putting them on track for roughly 4,500 doors by year end how their broker at Critical Mass Group reverse-engineered a mass-market price so the product could actually move, and hiring fractional operators from bigger brands early. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🌅 The family recipe born from a 1970s cinnamon roll 🚪 From 750 doors to 4,500 by year end 🏠 Home kitchen to commercial to co-packer 🧪 Why cinnamon roll dough is so finicky 🎨 Bringing an interior design eye to the brand 📦 The rebrand from bread bags to breakfast box 🛒 Owning one spot on the shelf before expanding 💰 Pricing for volume instead of chasing margin 🏬 Using the retail store as live R&D 🧊 Why frozen is hard and worth it 🎪 The Expo West booth that stopped traffic 👀 The brands reinventing the frozen aisle --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:59 – Origin story: Mema's recipe 03:33 – The parking lot decision to start the business 04:48 – From 750 doors to 4,500 by year end 05:45 – Home kitchen to co-packer and the science of the dough 09:39 – Building the brand with an interior design eye 11:40 – Bags to boxes: the packaging rebrand 14:20 – Keeping the pack simple: no oven, ready fast 15:51 – Advice: own one spot on the shelf first 17:51 – Pricing strategy for the frozen set 19:36 – Reverse-engineering price with their broker 21:52 – The Orem storefront as R&D 24:56 – The corporate store playbook 26:22 – Convenience as the differentiator 28:31 – Why frozen is hard and worth it 30:09 – LinkedIn, influencers, and Hummingbirds 32:57 – The Expo West booth that stopped traffic 37:19 – Building the team and fractional hires --------------- Links: Sunshine Buns – https://www.sunshinebuns.com/ Follow Chrisi on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisi-hammer-b7b954326/ Sunshine Buns on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunshine-buns/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
July 6 · 43 min
Steven Kessler - Building Steaz, Selling to Novamex, the Fractional Sales Model
On this episode, we're joined by Steven Kessler, Chief Sales Officer at Beyond Brands, the natural products consulting collective that acts as an outsourced management team for emerging CPG brands. Steven co-founded Steaz, the organic green tea brand behind the first USDA Organic certified soda, and scaled it across the natural channel and into Costco and Target before a 2016 exit to Novamex. We dig into the Steaz journey, from spotting that carbonated soft drinks were sliding and deciding to carbonate green tea, to landing early yes's from UNFI and Whole Foods because nobody had done it before. We walk through the pivot to cans after a Whole Foods buyer told him to get rid of the bubbles, and the freight and sustainability math that made the switch obvious. Steven gets candid about the "top line, baby" years, when he and co-founder Eric Schnell chased quarterly numbers and handed out discounts to push purchase orders until their investors finally cut them off. We talk about the turn toward a path to profitability, why margin and EBITDA decided the exit, and what acquirers like Novamex actually look for: trajectory and profit, not just a great product. On the Beyond Brands side, Steven breaks down the fractional sales model, the channel, geography, and money framework he uses to slow founders down, and how to think like a retailer who treats every inch of shelf as real estate. He also shares the brands and categories he's watching right now. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍵 Carbonating green tea to build a healthier soda 🏪 Why UNFI and Whole Foods said yes fast 🥫 Ditching glass bottles for cans (freight and sustainability) 📈 The "top line, baby" growth-at-all-costs trap 💸 When investors finally cut off the money 🧮 Turning toward margin, EBITDA, and profitability 🤝 Selling Steaz to Novamex in 2016 🎯 What acquirers really look for (trajectory and profit) 🧑‍🏫 Coming back to advise their own brand 🧭 The channel, geography, and money framework 🪑 Fractional sales vs hiring a $200K VP 🛒 Retail as a real estate game 👀 The brands and categories Steven is watching --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:14 – What Beyond Brands does 03:38 – The Steaz origin story 05:17 – Creating a healthy green tea soda 08:19 – The pivot to cans with Whole Foods 10:27 – Top line obsession and when investors pulled back 14:24 – Turning toward a path to profitability 15:46 – Deciding to sell, and why Novamex 17:58 – Preparing for an exit and what acquirers look for 19:36 – Coming back to advise their own brand 22:55 – The Beyond Brands fractional model 24:59 – Channel, geography, and money 27:32 – Fractional sales vs hiring a broker 30:55 – Questions to ask a fractional partner 32:41 – Being a good distributor partner 34:23 – How retail buyers really decide 37:29 – Cracking an off-cycle category review 39:02 – Brands, trends, and where to follow --------------- Links: Beyond Brands – https://beyondbrands.org/ Follow Steven on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-kessler-aa9b445/ Beyond Brands on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbrands/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
July 1 · 59 min
Chris Fenster - A Masterclass in CPG Finance
On this episode, we're joined by Chris Fenster, Founder and Executive Chairman of Propeller Industries - the embedded finance and accounting partner behind some of the most iconic emerging consumer brands of the last 18 years. Propeller has served more than 1,000 companies, including over a dozen unicorns, with a team of 250+ across three continents. Chris breaks down why the 40% margin founders pitch often lands closer to 12 to 18% once promos, slotting, and trade deductions come out of revenue, and why margins counterintuitively fall before they rise as brands push from natural into grocery and club. We get into the working capital death spiral, the gap between paying your co-packer and getting paid by the retailer, and the two failure modes Chris sees most: founders who size their raise off the P&L and forget the balance sheet, and brands that sprawl across too many SKUs and channels. He walks through the focus question every founder should ask, when to fund losses with equity versus layer on debt, and how to handle vendors when cash gets tight. Chris also shares the Billion Dollar Beverage Blueprint behind Olipop, Poppi, and Liquid Death, the four stages of finance hires from zero to 100 million, why the independent board member is an underused secret weapon, and what changes after a 100 million dollar raise. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🚲 From bike shops to founding Propeller in 2008 📉 The 40% gross margin myth (and the real number) 🔀 Why CPG margins fall before they rise 💸 The working capital death spiral, explained 🎯 Focus vs sprawl ($20M one SKU vs $30M many) 🏦 Funding losses: equity first, then debt 🧱 The "back against the wall" efficiency mindset 🥤 The Billion Dollar Beverage Blueprint (Olipop, Poppi, Liquid Death) 🪜 The four stages of finance hires (0 to $100M) 🤝 Why the independent board member is a secret weapon ⚠️ What really changes after a $100M raise 🛏️ The Casper cautionary tale and the risk ratchet --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:19 – The accidental path to founding Propeller 06:43 – The 40% gross margin myth 09:36 – Why CPG margins fall before they rise 13:06 – The working capital death spiral 16:01 – Focus vs sprawl ($20M one SKU vs $30M many) 19:33 – What to do when cash gets tight 22:03 – Funding losses: debt vs equity 23:51 – The 'back against the wall' mindset 25:24 – The Billion Dollar Beverage Blueprint 32:10 – The four stages of finance hires 38:43 – Founder and CFO fit, and when it breaks 44:00 – Minimum financial literacy for founders 46:38 – The independent board member secret weapon 47:50 – What changes after a $100M raise 52:10 – The Casper cautionary tale 56:34 – Why Chris speaks up now, and where to find him --------------- Links: Propeller Industries – https://www.propellerindustries.com/ Follow Chris on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisfenster/ Follow Propeller Industries on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/propeller-industries/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
June 26 · 39 min
Brad Woodgate - Six Companies, Twenty Five Years, Billions in Sales
On this episode, we're joined by Brad Woodgate, Founder and CEO of the No Sugar Company, Joyburst, and Wellnx Life Sciences - the serial entrepreneur behind six companies and billions in lifetime sales. Brad has spent 25 years building across supplements, snacks, and beverages, turning a thirty-thousand-dollar start into a self-funded portfolio. We start with the full origin story, from launching Wellnx Life Sciences in 2000 and scaling it to roughly 150 million a year, to the 2008 collapse that brought nine-figure lawsuits, mass layoffs, and a near-death rebuild. Brad breaks down the patterns that carried across every brand since, starting with his belief that in business there is no such thing as no, only not now. We get into his unusual club-first go-to-market, why he launches at Costco and Sam's instead of graduating into them, and how in-store demos became his most powerful marketing tool. Brad walks through the real mechanics of club margins, minimum order quantities, and the buyer and shopper differences between the two. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🚀 Building six companies over 25 years ⚠️ Surviving the 2008 collapse and nine-figure lawsuits 🔁 Why "no" really means "not now" in retail 🤝 Skillful persistence vs persistently annoying 🛒 Starting at club instead of graduating into it 🆚 Costco vs Sam's, the buyer and the shopper 💰 Planning around club's lower margins 📊 Demos as his most powerful marketing tool 🧪 Cracking soluble creatine for Kreo Joy 🥤 Why protein soda gets won on taste 📈 Joyburst's self-funded growth curve 📺 The reality show that birthed Mighty Minis 🔮 Implementing AI across ops and forecasting --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:11 – Building six companies: the origin story 04:18 – The 2008 collapse and nine-figure lawsuits 08:06 – Patterns for winning in retail 09:30 – Skillful persistence vs being annoying 11:35 – Storytelling that gets buyers to grow their category 12:53 – Why he starts in the club channel 15:12 – Costco vs Sam's: buyer and shopper 16:54 – Planning around club's lower margins 19:38 – Running demos at scale 21:13 – Cracking creatine in a soda (Kreo Joy) 24:55 – Where the protein soda category gets won 27:47 – Joyburst's self-funded growth curve 31:17 – Splitting time across six companies 33:25 – The reality show behind Mighty Minis 36:11 – Implementing AI across ops and forecasting --------------- Links: Joyburst – https://joyburst.com/ No Sugar Company – https://thenosugarcompany.com/ Follow Brad on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-woodgate-b30b8113/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
June 22 · 36 min
Mason Domecq - Going After the Energy Drink Aisle with Honey Kombucha
On this episode, we're joined by Mason Domecq, Founder of DIVINI, the Scottsdale honey kombucha brand that's about to take over Sprouts in the Southwest. We get into the formulation that makes the product scalable: ferment the kombucha base to zero sugar, then add back honey, fruit juice, nootropics, and a probiotic strain. We dig into why he chose cans over glass and went after people stuck on energy drinks and soda rather than the high-end Whole Foods shopper, the recent rebrand that helps the cans jump off a crowded shelf, and Mason's pricing strategy and philosophy. We also cover the community-first playbook of music and art events, how a cold LinkedIn DM to category managers led to an imminent Sprouts launch in his Phoenix backyard, and what building in public actually did for the brand. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍯 Borrowing a SCOBY from a family friend's table 🧪 Fermenting to zero sugar then adding honey back 🏭 Cold-calling the first brewery to white label 🥫 Why cans beat the $6 holistic bottle 🎨 Rebranding so the product sells itself on shelf 💰 Pricing from landed cost to a $4.49 Sprouts MSRP 🎶 Building a community through music and art events 🛒 Cold-DMing category managers into a Sprouts launch 🚚 The local playbook to hit 160 to 200 doors 📈 Going from a pre-seed round to a seed raise 📱 Building the brand in public before a polished product 🔭 What's next: more flavors and grab-and-go formats --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:51 – From investment banking to brewing kombucha 03:35 – The recipe that started DIVINI 04:36 – Quitting the day job and the first commercial run 06:01 – Formulating honey kombucha (and why honey is tricky) 07:36 – Finding the first brewery and white labeling in 10:59 – Why cans, and recategorizing functional health 12:29 – Packaging that sells itself on the shelf 14:51 – Knowing when it's time to rebrand 18:03 – Pricing and building the margin model 20:39 – Building community through music and art events 22:51 – The accessibility gap they had to fix 23:56 – Landing Sprouts through a LinkedIn DM 26:53 – The local distribution playbook 28:07 – Fundraising and scaling production 30:03 – Building the brand in public 32:49 – Product roadmap and what's next 34:27 – Where to find DIVINI --------------- Links: DIVINI – https://www.livedivini.com/ Follow Mason on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-domecq-2a3b34192/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
June 17 · 47 min
Isabel Washington - The Gap Hiding in 90% of the Retail Coffee Aisle
On this episode, we're joined by Isabel Washington, Founder & CEO of Laurel's - the canned latte brand made, built for people who actually look forward to their RTD coffee. Isabel spotted the gap while working at McKinsey, noticing that roughly 90% of the RTD coffee aisle was non-dairy, ultimately leaving in early 2024 to build the dairy-forward latte she wanted to see on the shelf. We get into formulation, why decaf was the wrong white space, why every can lands at 80mg of caffeine instead of the category's usual 200, and why she bet that taste, not convenience, was the real gap in RTD coffee. We also dig into the realities of an A2 dairy supply chain, the white can and cow on the front that made people think it was canned milk, and why the most important job of a label is communicating one attribute clearly, not ten. Isabel shares how Laurel's got into Erewhon, what buyers really want (incrementality and a real promo plan), how UNFI Up Next and KeHE Elevate help young brands, pricing strategy, and the investor catch-22 that comes with scaling. --------------- Episode Highlights: ☕ Spotting the gap: 90% of RTD coffee is non-dairy 🥛 Why 100% A2 dairy, and what makes it gut-friendly ⚡ Building for 80mg caffeine, not 200 🏭 From kitchen espresso shots to a real co-packer 🐄 A2 supply chain risk and the Alec's Ice Cream drama 🎨 Why the can is white (people thought it was canned milk) 📦 Packaging advice: nail the one attribute that matters 🚀 Just launch, then iterate (40 demos in her first 40 days at Erewhon) 💰 The category price ceiling and making the unit economics work 🛒 How Laurel's got into Erewhon (they just applied online) 📊 What buyers want: incrementality, not another me-too SKU 🚚 UNFI Up Next and KeHE Elevate for emerging brands 👀 Brands Isabel is watching right now --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:05 – Origin story: from McKinsey to the RTD coffee gap 05:21 – Early R&D and why decaf was the wrong bet 07:36 – Why 80mg caffeine, and taste vs convenience 09:11 – From kitchen espresso shots to a co-packer 10:30 – A2 dairy supply chain and the Alec's drama 14:07 – Why the can is white 17:00 – Packaging advice: the one attribute that matters 18:36 – Just launch, then iterate 22:33 – Pricing and the category price ceiling 25:55 – How Laurel's got into Erewhon 26:48 – What buyers want: incrementality and support 29:25 – Distributors: UNFI Up Next and KeHE Elevate 32:30 – Being a true partner to your distributor 36:52 – Velocity vs expanding distribution 40:53 – National vs regional, and the investor catch-22 42:24 – Brands Isabel is watching 45:42 – Where to find Isabel and Laurel's --------------- Links: Laurel's – https://drinklaurels.com/ Follow Isabel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabeldwashington/ Laurel's on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinklaurels/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
June 12 · 44 min
Jason Wright - Scaling WILDE Into a $100M+ and 20,000+ Door Brand
On this episode, we're joined by Jason Wright, Founder and CEO of WILDE Protein Snacks - the brand that figured out how to turn chicken breast into a thin, crispy chip (and now crackers!) and has since grown into a $100M+ business across 20,000+ retail doors. Jason walks through the full journey - from a failed meat-based protein bar to the eureka moment at the bottom of a potato chip bag, through R&D at Colorado State's meat science lab, a disastrous test run at a pork rind facility, and the moment that inspired WILDE's now-patented production equipment. We get into why WILDE had no choice but to vertically integrate and what it took to build a 55,000 sq ft facility in Kentucky during COVID - WILDE is now opening a 130,000 sq ft plant. Jason also breaks down pricing strategy, why demos remain the top velocity driver, and how TikTok creators are scaling a "disbelief" marketing message. We also dig into WILDE's innovation pipeline - the hard lesson from discontinuing a pork chip, and why the brand is now focused on formats. Crackers just hit the shelf, a tortilla chip is coming later this year, and a pita chip is on the horizon. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🥣 From granola founder in NYC to chicken chip inventor 🧪 R&D at Colorado State's JBS-built meat science lab 🏭 The pork rind facility disaster and what came next 🔧 A bulldozer-inspired idea that led to patented equipment ⚠️ IP leakage at a co-man (Conagra, Tyson, Hershey) 🏗️ Building a 55K sq ft facility during COVID - and now a 130K sq ft plant 🎨 Naming the brand after Oscar Wilde (and the trademark fight) 🛒 How Whole Foods pioneered the protein snack set 🚀 Demos as the #1 velocity driver (and scaling TikTok creators) 💡 The "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" marketing philosophy 🧀 Launching the WILDE cracker (chicken breast + four cheeses) 🎯 Why WILDE is now focused on formats, not proteins 👀 Innovation roadmap: tortilla chips, pita chips, flat pretzels --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:00 – Origin story: Feed Granola and health food in NYC 03:17 – The failed meat-based protein bar 06:57 – R&D at Colorado State's meat science lab 08:03 – The pork rind facility disaster 09:30 – The bulldozer moment and patented equipment 11:00 – Why WILDE had to vertically integrate 12:01 – Co-man in Virginia and IP leakage risks 14:00 – Why Kentucky and how they financed the build 18:11 – Brand identity and "protein chips" framing 20:07 – Naming the brand after Oscar Wilde 22:17 – Pricing strategy and retail expansion 24:05 – Landing at Whole Foods and the protein snack set 26:27 – Driving velocity: demos, TikTok, and disbelief marketing 29:25 – Distribution: UNFI, KeHE, going direct 31:03 – Pork chip lessons and the pivot to formats 35:51 – New product launch challenges 39:12 – Fundraising tips: seed vs. growth stage --------------- Links: WILDE Protein Snacks – https://www.wildebrands.com Follow Jason on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-wright-ceo/ WILDE on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/wilde-protein-snacks/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
June 8 · 39 min
Bar Bruhis - Building a High-Protein Couscous Brand In the Mountains
On this episode, we're joined by Bar Bruhis, Founder and CEO of Boostcous, the gluten-free, high-protein couscous brand that packs 18 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber into a five-minute meal. Before going all in on Boostcous, Bar spent a decade in SaaS and DTC, running day to day at KnoCommerce and helping start Sumo.com. Bar walks through the two-year formulation grind: roughly a hundred failed kitchen batches, a promising overseas manufacturer that collapsed the moment tariffs hit, and the decision to rebuild the supply chain and vertically integrate production in the US. We dig into how Bar funded the first run for under $50K, the signal that made him leave KnoCommerce to go all in, the five customer segments, and why he personally texts and calls one-star reviewers. We also talk about cracking paid ads with a founder video he spent 70 hours making, going viral through Snaxshot and the New York Times, finagling his way into ExpoWest for free, and the aisle-placement that puts Boostcous next to rice and quinoa instead of pasta. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🥣 Why regular couscous is just a carb bomb 🧪 Two years and 100 failed kitchen batches ⚠️ How tariffs killed the overseas manufacturing plan 🏭 Vertically integrating production in the US 💸 Launching for well under $50K 🚀 The signal that made him leave KnoCommerce 👥 The five customers he never expected 📞 Why he texts and calls one-star reviewers 🛒 The first 500 orders sold from his garage 📈 Going viral via Snaxshot and the New York Times 🎬 The 70-hour founder ad that cracked paid 🛍️ Finagling his way into Expo West for free 🤖 Building the company AI-first --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:50 – Origin story 02:55 – The product: 18g protein, 11g fiber, three ingredients 03:25 – The two-year formulation journey 05:22 – Tariffs blow up the plan, rebuilding in the US 07:12 – Moroccan vs Israeli couscous 10:18 – Funding the first run (write it to zero) 12:28 – The signal to go all-in and leave KnoCommerce 14:17 – Who the core customer actually is 17:08 – Finding your real customer fast 19:05 – The first 500 orders from Bar's garage 20:04 – Brand identity and naming Boostcous 22:58 – Cracking paid and going viral 25:01 – The 70-hour founder ad 26:44 – Expo West strategy 28:48 – First retail doors and velocity learnings 33:05 – Building the company AI-first 35:42 – Product roadmap and flavors 37:14 – Where to follow along --------------- Links: Boostcous – https://boostcous.com/ Follow Bar on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbruhis/ Boostcous on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/boostcous/ Follow Bar on X – https://x.com/Bbruhis Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
June 3 · 31 min
Morgan Zanotti - Act Two After A $200 Million Exit to Kraft
On this episode, we're joined by Morgan Zanotti, Founder and CEO of Waay - the sparkling protein water brand with 10 grams of protein, zero sugar, and 45 calories a can. Morgan co-founded Primal Kitchen, which she helped grow from a kitchen to roughly $50 million in revenue before a $200 million exit to Kraft Heinz. We get into the origin of Waay, starting with the clear whey protein isolate that made Morgan wonder why no one had put it in a sparkling water. Morgan walks through the rapid launch timeline, the rollout across Whole Foods, Sprouts, and a Target protein end cap, where a sparkling protein belongs on shelf, and why the brand took off on Amazon and TikTok Shop faster than she expected. We also talk about the importance of reaching profitability ASAP in order to maintain ownership, what five years inside Kraft Heinz taught her, and what strategics and PE really look for in a brand. --------------- Episode Highlights: 💡 The clear whey protein "aha" moment behind Waay 💪 Why the protein message finally tells women to eat more 🥤 10 grams of protein, zero sugar, 45 calories 🔁 Why a second-time founder gets back in the ring 📊 Chasing a $40 billion TAM instead of a niche 🛒 Landing a Whole Foods national yes with blank silver cans ⏱️ Three months to build a brand from scratch 🏁 Riding Target's protein end cap, and the risk 📦 Why beverage blew up on Amazon and TikTok Shop 💰 Staying profitable to keep ownership 🏢 Five years inside Kraft Heinz after the exit 🔭 The brands and trends she's watching now --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:49 – The origin story: a millennial mom and clear whey protein 01:40 – How the message to women shifted to protein 03:06 – Why a second-time founder jumps back in 04:55 – True innovation and a $40 billion TAM 06:40 – How GLP-1 reshaped the category 08:13 – Selling Whole Foods national with silver cans and a trademark 10:43 – Three months to build a brand, find a co-packer, and nail the taste 14:09 – The protein arms race and a "support, not solution" position 14:55 – Sprouts, Target, and the end cap bet 16:31 – Where a sparkling protein sits on shelf 17:57 – Why beverage took off on Amazon and TikTok Shop 19:11 – Staying profitable to keep ownership 21:28 – Her cap table approach vs Primal Kitchen 22:30 – Five years inside Kraft Heinz and "keep being you" 24:40 – What acquirers actually look for 27:21 – Reading an exit, and why she loves Good Culture 29:56 – Brands and trends she's watching --------------- Links: Waay – https://drinkwaay.com/ Follow Morgan on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-buehler-zanotti-31989620/ Waay on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinkwaay/posts/?feedView=all Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
May 29 · 34 min
Rogers Healy - The Baby Boom This Investor Is Quietly Betting On
On this episode, we're joined by Rogers Healy, Founder and CEO of Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners, the Dallas-based venture firm backing consumer and CPG brands like Waterloo, MOSH, WHOOP, and G.O.A.T. Fuel. Before going all in on venture, Rogers spent two decades building one of Texas' largest independently owned real estate brokerages. We dive into how Rogers built Morrison Seger as a deal-by-deal SPV firm, and how he only writes checks for simple, non-controversial consumer products he can authentically pitch himself. He breaks down his thesis across beverage, food, snacks, pet, and family, and what it actually takes to get conviction in a crowded category. Rogers shares the founder traits he bets on, the talent he says can't be taught, and the single habit that separates founders who survive from the ones who stall out: relentless over-communication. We also talk about why he's so focused on women-led brands when less than 3% of venture funding goes to them, the parent and family space he's watching, and the baby boom he's betting on next. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🎸 Naming a VC firm after Van Morrison and Bob Seger 🥤 Why he only backs simple, non-controversial consumer brands 💵 Running a self-funded firm on deal-by-deal raises 🔎 The founder talent that can't be taught 📣 Over-communication as the No. 1 survival trait ⚠️ The one thing that makes him walk away from a deal ⭐ What gives celebrity-backed brands real staying power 📉 Why deals actually fall apart 🚺 Backing women-led brands when under 3% of VC goes to them 🍪 Miracle Mama and spotting under-the-radar founders 👶 The baby boom he's betting on next 📧 What a strong investor update actually includes 🔮 The unconventional path into CPG venture capital --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:49 – Origin story and naming the firm 03:55 – The investment thesis 06:48 – What non-controversial really means 09:45 – The self-funded, deal-by-deal model 10:44 – Writing checks in crowded categories like beverage 12:37 – Spotting talent that can't be taught 15:53 – The trait that separates founders who survive 17:26 – The dealbreaker that makes him walk away 18:00 – Celebrity-backed brands and real staying power 20:08 – Why deals fall apart 21:58 – Backing women-led brands 23:39 – The parent and family space and Miracle Mama 25:10 – The baby boom call 26:23 – What makes a great elevator pitch 29:24 – What a great investor update looks like 30:51 – Breaking into VC from an unconventional path 32:42 – Where to find Morrison Seger --------------- Links: Morrison Seger – https://www.morrisonseger.com/ Follow Rogers on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogershealy/ Morrison Seger on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/morrison-seger/posts/?feedView=all Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
May 25 · 34 min
Frozen One - From a Ninja Creami in Austin to 1,464 Target Doors
On this episode, we're joined by Alan Chen and Conner Mennig, Co-founders of Frozen One, the high-protein ice cream brand packing 40 grams of protein, under 400 calories, 75% less fat and 62% less sugar than traditional ice cream into every pint. Alan and Conner walk through the formulation journey from flavored protein powders and Oreos to milk protein concentrate, and how they tested 50 grams of protein per pint but landed at 40 as the functional ceiling. We also get into finding their first co-packer outside Austin, the in-house packaging design, and expanding from six Royal Blue Grocery doors (averaging 25.9 units per store per week) to Central Market, Bristol Farms, Wegmans, Raley's, Heinen's, Busch's, Schnucks, Fresh Thyme, a Kroger First Pitch win at Expo West, and an upocoming 1,464-door Target launch. We break down how Target deal came together, the scramble to fund the first big order, the oversubscribed $2M round led by Supernatural Ventures and The Angel Group, and the important thing on Alan and Conner's mind right now.....hiring. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍦 The Ninja Creamy origin story (still memorialized in the office) 🧪 Real ice cream science, freezing point depression and the refreeze problem 💪 Why 40 grams is the functional protein ceiling (50 grams blew gaskets) 🏭 Finding a small local co-packer willing to run 100-pint test batches 🎨 Building the brand and packaging in-house with a friend ✏️ How the name "Frozen One" came from "The Chosen One" 🛒 First retail: Royal Blue Grocery, portable freezer, sell sheet, repeat visits 💰 Pricing evolution from $9.99 super-premium to $6.99–$8.99 conventional mass 📊 25.9 units per store per week as the early velocity proof point 🚀 The Target inbound, the broker, and 1,464 doors in 15 months 💸 The fundraising scramble when no lender would touch them 🤝 The three hires that unlock the next stage (sales, frozen ops, digital marketing) 🔮 Why the ice cream category still has massive white space --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:51 – Origin story and how Frozen One started 02:55 – Late-night R&D in the Ninja Creamy 05:20 – The protein source and the 40-gram ceiling 07:49 – Choosing the three core flavors 09:05 – Finding the right co-packer 11:48 – Co-packer advice for founders 13:04 – Brand identity and packaging design 14:25 – The naming process 15:16 – First retail accounts at Royal Blue Grocery 17:00 – Pricing strategy and moving from premium to mass 18:20 – Early velocity and the role of demos 19:47 – Landing Target through a cold website inbound 21:00 – The fundraising scramble and the $2M round 23:30 – What makes Target different (Roundel, granular data) 24:30 – Managing multiple retailer launches at once 25:59 – One tip for first-time CPG founders 26:57 – Building the team and the three key hires 29:04 – How to reach Alan and Conner 29:30 – Staying ahead of the protein ice cream pack 30:39 – Biggest risks and opportunities ahead 31:48 – Brand crushes (Fruit Riot, Graza) --------------- Links: Frozen One – https://www.frozen-one.com/ Follow Alan on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanychen7/ Follow Conner on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/conner-mennig-84a469170/ Frozen One on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/frozen-one/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
May 20 · 34 min
Russell & Julia Menez - From Stage Four Cancer to the Brink of National Distribution
On this episode, we're joined by Russell and Julia Menez, husband-and-wife Co-Founders of RJ Naturals, makers of Nature's Candy Bar, the refrigerated, organic, whole-food snack bar made with grass-fed butter. The brand was born out of Russell's stage 4 cancer journey, when Julia started making bars from scratch to support his recovery. We dive into how those homemade bars turned into a SoCal brand now in some of most iconic retailers in the region, including Mother's Market, Lassen's Natural Foods, Clark's Nutrition, Fermentation Farm, as well as a growing presence on the East Coast. Russell and Julia break down the formulation behind a bar built on dates, sprouted oats, grass-fed butter, coconut, raw honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt, why they chose Deglet Noor dates over Medjool, and why most co-manufacturers resist butter. Julia also walks through the role of coffee shops, gyms, and wellness studios in building community, and how a single networking event landed their anchor retailer and first distributor in the same afternoon. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🩺 The cancer journey that started the brand 🧈 Why grass-fed butter is the hero ingredient 🌴 Deglet Noor vs Medjool dates (and why it matters) 🥶 Why most bar brands won't go refrigerated 🍠 The next flavor in the pipeline (hint: ube) 🏭 Interviewing over 20 co-packers to find the right one ✋ Going from 600 bars a day by hand to thousands per run 🎨 Evolving from RJ Naturals to Nature's Candy Bar 🛒 Landing Mother's Market and a distributor in one room ☕ Why gyms, coffee shops, and wellness studios still matter 📣 Demos plus social as the velocity engine 🚦 Saying no to shiny objects as you scale 🎯 The Q4 Whole Foods regional plan --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:13 – Origin story and the stage 4 cancer journey 04:38 – Formulation and R&D 06:30 – Why grass-fed butter 08:00 – Deglet Noor vs Medjool dates 08:46 – Flavor pipeline and the ube hint 10:22 – Refrigerated by design, not by default 12:49 – Home kitchen to commercial kitchen 13:41 – Moving to a co-packer 15:38 – Interviewing 20+ co-manufacturers 18:09 – Sticking to the formulation at scale 21:31 – Evolving the brand from RJ Naturals to Nature's Candy Bar 25:11 – Landing Mother's Market and a distributor in one room 26:43 – Coffee shops, gyms, and wellness studios as the community layer 27:30 – Demos and social as the velocity engine 28:53 – Saying no as you scale 30:50 – Biggest risks and opportunities 31:32 – Q4 Whole Foods regional launch 32:30 – Trends and brands they're watching --------------- Links: RJ Naturals – https://rjnaturals.us/ Follow Russell on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellmenez/ Follow Julia on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliahsuh/ Follow RJ Naturals on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/rjnaturals/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
May 15 · 36 min
William Underwood - Inside the CPG Talent Market
On this episode, we're joined by William Underwood, Founder of Talent Brew - the CPG-focused recruiting and headhunting firm helping scaling beverage and food brands find the right talent through competitive-set focused outreach. William breaks down what the CPG talent market looks like right now. With post-COVID reorgs, acquisitions, and layoffs, brands have historic access to exceptional talent, but many don't know how to vet or retain it. We get into the roles trending up, from DTC and TikTok Shop managers to channel-specific account roles, and why AI fluency is becoming a must-have even though most CPG brands don't know exactly what that hire looks like yet. We also dig into the hiring roadmap for scaling brands - who to hire first, and the common traps like chasing logos on resumes and inflating titles too early. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍳 From executive chef to CPG recruiter (the origin story) 🍺 Launching a beer-focused firm during the worst market since Prohibition 📊 Why it's a historic buyer's market for CPG talent right now 🛒 Roles trending up: DTC, TikTok Shop, channel-specific managers 🤖 AI fluency as an emerging (but undefined) hiring requirement 💸 The real cost of a bad hire (financial, emotional, mental bandwidth) 🎯 Competitive set focused recruiting (50-100 companies, 3 referrals per placement) ⚠️ The trap of chasing logos and inflating titles too early 🔥 "Fire in their belly, throwing elbows, and polish" 🏢 Culture = what your employees do that you don't talk about 🧹 How to fix a struggling culture (and when to fire fast) 👀 Brands he's watching: Recess, Trip, Go Brewing, Throne Sport Coffee --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:44 – William's origin story (from executive chef to recruiting) 02:55 – Expanding from craft beer to broader CPG 03:50 – The current CPG talent market (buyer's market) 05:30 – Roles trending up right now 07:00 – TikTok Shop and ecom hiring challenges 08:31 – AI fluency in CPG hiring 10:22 – The real cost of a bad hire 11:45 – Smart hiring roadmap for scaling brands 14:00 – Common founder hiring mistakes (logos and titles) 15:55 – Generalist vs. specialist (and leveraging agencies) 17:00 – Competitive set focused recruiting explained 19:55 – Red flags when evaluating a recruiting firm 22:07 – Interview questions that actually work (go past tense) 25:02 – What brands want vs. what they actually need in a hire 26:36 – Ideal candidate profiles by revenue stage 29:00 – Building and maintaining company culture 33:20 – Brands and trends William is watching 35:00 – Where to find William and Talent Brew --------------- Links: Talent Brew – https://mytalentbrew.com/ Follow William on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-underwood-405677245/ Follow Talent Brew on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/mytalent-brew/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
May 11 · 41 min
Hannah Awada - From Selling Hummus in Shanghai via WeChat to Launching in All Mejier Doors
On this episode, we're joined by Hannah Awada, Co-founder and CEO of Hummus Goodness - the Michigan-based brand making authentic, clean-label Lebanese-style hummus with real ingredients and zero preservatives. We talk about selling hummus out of her kitchen window in Shanghai to expats on WeChat, to re-launching Hummus Goodness in a church kitchen in Michigan in 2019. Hannah walks through the formulation decisions that keep the product authentic - olive oil over soybean oil, fresh lemon juice, no citric acid - and how a made-to-order production model protects cash and margin. A big part of the conversation focuses on the Meijer relationship - how a competitor recall opened the door, how Hannah grew from 3 local format stores to all 278 Meijer locations, and why in-store demos remain her number one velocity driver. Hannah also breaks down the brand's major packaging refresh, going from a clear cup with a white lid to bold, personality-driven packaging with playful flavor names like Garlic Glory and The Big Dill. We also get into the anchor account strategy Hannah uses for new market expansion, bootstrapping for five years before a pre-seed round with Michigan Rise, and the tight-knit Michigan CPG founder community she leans on. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🏠 Origin story: selling hummus out of a kitchen window in Shanghai 🧪 Formulation: olive oil, fresh lemon, and zero preservatives ⏱️ Made-to-order production (not made-to-stock) ⛪ From a church kitchen to a 7,000 cups/week operation 🏭 Finding a manufacturing partner through family connections 🛒 How a competitor recall opened the door at Meijer 📈 Growing from 3 local format stores to all 278 Meijer locations 🎯 In-store demos as the #1 velocity driver 🎨 The packaging rebrand that matched the brand's personality ✈️ Food service channel (Delta Sky Lounges, universities) 💸 Bootstrapping for 5 years before a pre-seed round 🤝 The Michigan CPG founder community 👀 "Kitchen Couture" and the rise of beautiful packaging --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:48 – Origin story: Shanghai to Michigan 03:30 – Lessons from selling hummus in Shanghai 05:08 – Formulation and shelf life without preservatives 07:10 – Church kitchen to own facility 09:36 – Scaling from 700 to 7,000 cups a week for Meijer 11:00 – Finding a manufacturing partner 13:17 – Co-packer relationship advice 15:00 – How a competitor recall opened the door at Meijer 17:03 – Growing to all 278 Meijer stores 19:29 – Bootstrapping for five years 22:07 – Anchor account strategy for new markets 25:20 – Driving velocity at retail 27:02 – The packaging rebrand 31:13 – Rebrand rollout lessons 33:10 – Food service as a channel 36:13 – Michigan CPG founder community 38:18 – Kitchen Couture and trends to watch --------------- Links: Hummus Goodness – https://www.hummusgoodness.com/ Follow Hannah on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanadyawada/ Follow Hummus Goodness on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/hummus-goodness/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/ Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
May 6 · 45 min
Rob Johnson - Founding Born Simple, Selling to Mizkan, and Leading Innovation Across a $1B+ Portfolio
On this episode, we're joined by Rob Johnson, Co-Founder & CEO of Born Simple and Head of Innovation at Mizkan America - the protein-forward shelf-stable complete, prepared meals brand that pivoted from barbecue sauces and broth concentrates into a category that every buyer in the country says is desperate for a makeover. Rob spent years running small natural and organic brands inside Conagra before leaving to build Born Simple, selling it to Mizkan in 2021, and sticking around for nearly five years - one of the longer founder tenures post-acquisition in recent memory. We dig into how Born Simple was literally born in a Whole Foods meeting - the buyer hated the existing brand but loved the products, and Rob walked out with a nationwide launch commitment across two categories before the brand even had a name. Robs gets into what he calls the "NASCAR package" problem in big CPG, the Mizkan acquisition, and what founders should actually pay attention to beyond the check size. We also cover Rob's new role leading innovation across Mizkan America, where he's trying to expand beyond what he calls "innovation behind a computer screen" and replace it with startup-style consumer empathy inside a 225-year-old, $1B+ family-owned company. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍖 How Born Simple went from barbecue sauce to protein-forward shelf-stable meals 🛒 Landing a nationwide Whole Foods launch before the brand had a name 🎨 Brand design inspired by Brandless and Public Goods - simplicity as strategy 📦 The "NASCAR package" problem and why big CPG over-communicates on shelf 🏷️ Adapting packaging to category - why Tetra Pak pasta sauce didn't work 💰 Selling to Mizkan in 2021 and key deal terms for founders (earnouts, key man clauses) 🤝 Why post-acquisition integration speed is the #1 thing founders overlook 🔄 Pivoting into shelf-stable complete meals - a category in desperate need of a makeover 🚀 Leading innovation at Mizkan America and killing "innovation behind a computer screen" 🧪 Bringing startup thinking to a 225-year-old, $1B+ family-owned company --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:45 – Origin story and the Whole Foods meeting 03:18 – The Brandless and Public Goods insight 04:52 – Small companies doing unscalable things 05:57 – What big CPG experience actually teaches you 10:10 – Sitting on both sides of M&A 12:01 – Building Born Simple's brand identity and packaging design 14:40 – The "NASCAR package" problem 15:55 – Adapting packaging to category (Tetra Pak pasta sauce) 17:18 – The stand cap pouch and glass recycling 21:42 – Selling to Mizkan and reading the funding tea leaves 26:10 – Key deal terms and what founders should negotiate 28:15 – Post-acquisition integration and why it destroys value 32:08 – Pivoting to protein-forward shelf-stable meals 36:33 – Head of Innovation at Mizkan America 38:00 – "Innovation behind a computer screen" --------------- Links: Born Simple – https://www.bornsimple.com/ Mizkan – https://www.mizkan.com/ Follow Rob on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/robj2/ Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams, check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.
May 1 · 34 min
Griffin Spolansky - Scaling Mezcla from Boston Bodegas to 9,000 Doors
On this episode, we're joined by Griffin Spolansky, Co-Founder & CEO of Mezcla - the plant-based puff crispy protein bar brand that's gone from Boston bodegas to 9,000+ doors and $17M raised. We dive into how Griffin started iterating in a co-founder's kitchen at 20 years old, how they landed on the puff crispy format, and the gut-driven flavor decisions behind their launch lineup. Griffin shares hard-earned advice on formulation, finding co-packers, and why keeping things simple beats trying to look sophisticated. We also get into the real mechanics of scaling from 50,000 bars in year one to a target of 20-30 million this year, why they stripped country qualifiers from flavor names to unlock supply chain flexibility, how their rebrand was driven by shelf clarity needs in mass conventional and club, and the door-to-door hustle that got them into their first 50 Boston bodegas before cracking Costco. Griffin also breaks down his profitability-first approach to growth, how he evaluates demos and secondary displays against trade spend budgets, and why he believes a founder's job is to create FOMO. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍫 Origin story: creating a protein bar that's actually fun to eat 🧪 Formulation R&D and why they chose the puff crispy format 🏭 Finding co-packers and keeping your co-man honest 🚚 Supply chain shifts (removing country qualifiers to scale) 🎨 Packaging rebrand for shelf clarity in mass retail 🛒 Door-to-door in Boston bodegas and cracking the distributor code 💰 Growth with profitability: unit economics as the foundation 🎯 Getting into Costco through Expo West 🛍️ In-store demos, secondary displays, and trade spend math 💸 Raising $17M total and the Series B journey 🔥 Why a founder's job is to create FOMO 👀 Brands to watch: Coconut Cult and Fish Wife --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:37 – Origin story and the idea behind Mezcla 02:10 – Formulation, R&D, and choosing the puff crispy format 05:04 – Advice for up-and-coming CPG founders 06:44 – Finding and working with co-packers 09:07 – Supply chain and raw material sourcing at scale 10:36 – Packaging design and building brand identity 12:01 – The rebrand and designing for shelf clarity 15:09 – Go-to-market: door-to-door in Boston and New York 15:57 – Distributors, DSDs, and the chicken-and-egg problem 17:48 – Growth with profitability and unit economics 19:55 – Building out the board 20:51 – Pricing strategy on shelf 21:50 – Getting into Costco 23:41 – In-store demos, secondary displays, and trade spend 27:02 – Fundraising and the Series B 29:22 – Creating FOMO and the Boshon's model 32:40 – Brands and trends to watch --------------- Links: Mezcla – https://eatmezcla.com/ Follow Griffin on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffinspolansky/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams, check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.