Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Startup CPG Podcast
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#253 - Private Label Arrangements: What CPG Brands Should Know Before Signing the Deal | Hillary Hughes, Foster Garvey
16 Jun 2026
00:23:55
In this mini episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Hillary Hughes — CPG legal legend and leader of the Consumer Brands Industry Group at Foster Garvey — to break down everything emerging brands need to know before entering a private label arrangement.
Private label can be a powerful revenue stream and a fast path to scale, but it comes with real tradeoffs: margin compression, cannibalization risk, operational complexity, and contracts that can leave you exposed if they're not structured right. Hillary has seen it all — and she's here to help brands get it right from the start.
Daniel and Hillary walk through the full arc of a private label relationship: what it is, who it's for, how the contracts work, and what happens when things go wrong. From the co-manufacturer obligations that brands often forget to address, to how to negotiate pricing flexibility when commodity costs spike, to what termination rights you actually need to protect yourself — this episode covers the legal and commercial realities that too many brands learn the hard way.
Listen in as they cover:
What private label actually means — and the spectrum from pure white label to custom innovation
Why operational scale matters before you say yes to a retailer's private label ask
The cannibalization question: when private label helps your category and when it hurts your brand
How to use channel, geography, pack size, and flavor to protect your branded product's differentiation
Why your co-manufacturer agreement must be revisited before you sign anything with a retailer
The ingredient inspection and notification window that prevents finger-pointing when something goes wrong
Pricing flexibility: force majeure-style provisions for commodity cost spikes, tariffs, and supply shocks
Volume commitments, forecasting tolerances, and how to protect yourself from over-promising
Why verbal promises from buyers mean nothing — and what needs to be in writing
Termination rights: SKU discontinuation, formulation changes, and preserving your flexibility to exit
Episode Links: Foster Garvey PC: http://www.foster.com Hillary Hughes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryhhughes/ Foster Garvey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foster-garvey-pc/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
Investor Spotlight: Consumer Psychology, Channel Strategy, and What Actually Makes Brands Win — David Bell, Idea Farm Ventures
13 Jun 2026
00:46:28
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with David Bell, co-founder of Idea Farm Ventures and one of the most academically grounded voices in consumer. David has spent decades studying what actually drives success in consumer brands and retail — from analyzing Nielsen and IRI barcode scanner data as a PhD student at Stanford GSB, to building Wharton's first digital marketing and e-commerce courses, to advising and backing standout brands like Warby Parker, Bonobos, Harry's, Cotopaxi, Jet, and Diapers.com in their earliest days.
Through Idea Farm Ventures, David and co-founder Jem have built a consumer-only fund anchored around three formats: the digital native vertical brand, the location-centric experiential brand, and the authentic wholesale-led brand. Their thesis is that wherever a brand starts, it can ultimately encompass all three. In this conversation, David brings that same analytical rigor to some of the most important questions founders face — why certain brands win, how channels shape outcomes, and what the best consumer companies consistently get right.
Hannah and David dig into consumer psychology, the evolving retail and distribution landscape, and the common threads behind standout brands. David shares case-by-case insights from decades spent analyzing the companies and founders that shaped modern consumer — from the Touchland Sephora channel strategy to Graza's compliance-driving packaging to the binary choice framework that can unlock real lift for emerging brands.
Listen in as they discuss:
David's path from Stanford PhD to Wharton professor to early investor in Warby Parker, Bonobos, and beyond
The three investment formats behind Idea Farm Ventures and how the best brands ultimately span all of them
What David anchors on at the early stage: founder tenacity, genuine white space, and economic discipline
Why the most successful brands win on distribution — and how finding a channel with binary choice can be a massive advantage
The functional, emotional, and symbolic framework for evaluating whether a product can truly break through
Attention to detail as a competitive moat — and what Graza, Touchland, and Brightland all have in common
Why narrative creation and cultural relevance matter more than ad spend for building lasting brands
The D2C to Amazon to offline retail playbook and how to think about inflection points between fundraises
A Slack community question answered: how long is the typical timeline between a first and second fundraise?
Why founders should reverse-engineer their fundraise — starting with strategy and people before asking how much
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
Founder Feature: Bone Broth Tomato Sauce and a New Twist on a Family Recipe- Liana Krasnow, Noodo
12 Jun 2026
00:27:02
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Liana Krasnow, founder of Noodo — a tomato sauce made with grass fed bone broth that's redefining what a premium Italian sauce can be. Growing up watching her grandparents harvest tomatoes from their Connecticut garden and make traditional sauce every summer, Liana took that family recipe, removed the wine, added bone broth, and created something entirely new in a saturated category.
Liana spent years in pharmaceutical advertising before making the leap to founder life — and she brought that operational rigor with her. From tasting 80 sauces during R&D in her family's commercial kitchen, to navigating label bubbling issues from 205-degree fill temperatures, to landing four retail accounts from a last-minute corner booth at Expo West, Noodo's early story is full of founder lessons worth hearing.
Caitlin and Liana dig into the white space hiding in plain sight on the pasta sauce shelf, why Liana walked away from a DTC strategy after 89% of surveyed consumers said they buy sauce on their grocery run, and the unique dual-aisle placement strategy some retailers are already pitching for Noodo.
Listen in as they discuss:
Why Liana replaced wine with grass fed bone broth — and how her grandmother's Sunday sauce was the real inspiration
Tasting 80 sauces during R&D in a family restaurant commercial kitchen and why keeping it in-house mattered
The smooth vs. chunky positioning strategy and why "chunky" has been surprisingly off-putting to consumers
The tomato-shaped window on Noodo's label — and the label bubbling challenge that came with it
Why 89% of surveyed consumers said they buy sauce in store, and how that dictated Noodo's entire go-to-market
Getting double facings suggested by retailers — and why positioning next to bone broth has outperformed expectations
Landing four accounts from a last-minute corner booth at Expo West with a team of three
The hidden costs of retail and why working with a go-to-market strategist was a game changer
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
#252 - The Rise of Laurel's Coffee: Whole Foods, Wegmans & 1,800 Target Stores in Two Years
09 Jun 2026
00:44:53
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Isabel Washington, founder of Laurel's Coffee — an A2 dairy canned latte brand bringing coffee shop flavors like Dirty Chai and Matcha to retail shelves. Isabel left McKinsey in February 2024, launched in August 2024, and has already landed Whole Foods, Erewhon, Wegmans, and a chain-wide 1,800-store Target launch coming this August. That's not a typo.
Isabel shares the full origin story: how her public health background shaped her "better for you" philosophy, why she spent her first six weeks at 40 hours a week on calls with anyone who would talk to her, and how she cold-emailed the Whole Foods refrigerated beverage buyer three months after launching — and got a response almost immediately. She also breaks down what A2 dairy actually is, why so many self-described lactose intolerant people may actually be A1 sensitive, and why Dirty Chai became their best seller at Whole Foods by 1.5–2x.
Daniel and Isabel also dig into the consulting-to-founder pipeline, the art of running parallel work streams instead of sequential ones, what it felt like to say yes to a national Whole Foods launch with $10,000 in the bank, and why she nearly took a terrible term sheet before waiting it out for the right investors.
Listen in as they cover:
Why chickpea-to-oat comparisons feel familiar — and how A2 dairy works the same way for dairy drinkers
The McKinsey skill set that let Isabel go from idea to retail shelf in six months
How a five-sentence cold email landed a national Whole Foods authorization
Why Dirty Chai outsells everything else — and what that taught her about flavor strategy
The difference between what a Whole Foods buyer cares about versus a Target buyer
What a national Whole Foods load-in PO actually looks like (hint: not what you'd expect)
How DSDs helped her avoid the deduction and build-back chaos that kills early-stage brands
Why she said yes to Whole Foods with $10K in the bank — and what she'd tell founders about that
The Target launch, upcoming Costco roadshows, and what's next for Laurel's
Whether you're a founder trying to break into top-tier retail, a consultant thinking about making the leap, or just someone who didn't know they might not actually be lactose intolerant, this episode is for you.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
R&D Radio: Food Microstructure, Ultra-Processed Foods, and the Contract Manufacturer Formula Trap with Abbey Thiel
08 Jun 2026
00:29:23
In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by food scientist Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Abbey Thiel, a food scientist, science communicator, and consultant with a PhD in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and postdoctoral training at Wageningen University. Abbey specializes in food formulation, ingredient functionality, and technical problem solving for food and beverage brands — with deep expertise in confections and frozen desserts. She is also the creator of the YouTube channel Abby the Food Scientist, a six-year-old channel with over 150,000 subscribers, and the author of multiple books including a food science careers textbook and a candy science coloring book for kids.
Abbey started her channel during her PhD as a creative outlet — and what began as procrastinating on her dissertation became one of the most recognizable food science education platforms on the internet. Along the way, the channel turned into an unexpected client pipeline, with founders reaching out after finding her ingredient explainer videos at the exact moment something was going wrong with their product.
Adam and Abbey get into all of it — from the fascinating science of sponge candy and why gelatin will quietly sabotage your foam if you boil it, to the real reason ultra-processed foods make us overeat (hint: it is not the ingredient list, it is the microstructure), to the contract manufacturing trap that quietly kills small brands when founders realize too late they do not own their own formula.
Listen in as they cover:
Why you should bring a food scientist in before the catastrophe, not after it The microstructure of sponge candy — what foam actually looks like under a microscope and why every step in the process either protects or destroys it How Abbey diagnosed a failing candy product just by watching a video of the process Why gelatin must never be boiled — and what happens to it when you do The real science behind ultra-processed foods: why food microstructure and chewing matter more than the ingredient list What "natural" actually means — and why Abbey makes every client write a list before she starts formulating The contract manufacturing trap: how one founder had to hire Abbey to reverse engineer his own product because he never had the formula Why your co-manufacturer is not your friend — even if they are friendly How Abbey's YouTube channel became her most powerful business development tool Abbey's upcoming food science app launching this fall
Whether you are a founder scaling your first food product, a brand owner trying to navigate a co-man relationship, or someone who has always wondered why your gelato keeps breaking, this episode is for you.
Episode links: Abbey Thiel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-thiel-phd/ Abby the Food Scientist on YouTube: Search "Abby the Food Scientist" Website: abbythefoodscientist.com
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
Investor Spotlight: Founder Investor Fit, Gross Margins, and the KPIs That Actually Drive Consumer Businesses - Rana Taghdisi Argenio, Palette Ventures
06 Jun 2026
00:38:37
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Rana Taghdisi Argenio, co-founder and General Partner at Palette Ventures, an early stage fund focused on pre-seed through Series A consumer brands. Rana brings a rare full stack perspective to investing, having started her career at Goldman Sachs, taken over a legacy manufacturing business, and bootstrapped her own direct to consumer brand before launching Palette alongside her partner Nina.
Palette invests $100K to $500K checks in companies innovating across physical products, digital solutions, and services that make the everyday healthier, happier, and more accessible. What sets them apart is their operator first approach and a genuine commitment to being a WhatsApp message away when founders need them most.
Rana and Hannah dig into everything founders need to know about building a fundable business: how to evaluate gross margin targets, what investors are really looking for in diligence, and why founder market fit matters more than almost anything else at the seed stage. They also get into the math behind venture fund construction, why isolation is the enemy of progress, and how to build a cap table that actually works for you.
Listen in as they cover:
Rana's path from Goldman Sachs to manufacturing to bootstrapped DTC to venture investing and what ties it all together
The fund dynamics every founder should understand before taking a check, including AUM, portfolio construction, and follow on strategy
Why solving for partner over price is one of the most important decisions a founder can make
What great founders actually look like, from radical resourcefulness to intellectual honesty and self awareness
How to think about gross margin targets and why your manufacturing partner is one of your best resources
The KPIs that drive strong consumer businesses including month over month growth, repeat purchase rates, and contribution margin based LTV to CAC
Why asking for help early beats explaining failures late every single time
How Palette structures its relationship with founders and why they intentionally sit outside the boardroom
Whether you're building, fundraising, or trying to understand what great really looks like in today's market, this one is packed with practical, thoughtful insight.
Rana Taghdisi Argenio on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rana-argenio
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
Founder Feature: Single Origin Soy Sauce and Award Winning Branding with Christine Liu and Clarissa Wei of HEYDOH
05 Jun 2026
00:30:07
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Christine Liu and Clarissa Wei, co-founders of HEYDOH — a single origin soy sauce brand built to fill a gap in the American grocery market. The global soy sauce market is worth $40–59 billion, yet there is not a single origin option on the shelves of America's largest grocery stores. HEYDOH is here to change that.
Clarissa is a food journalist who has spent 15 years covering Taiwanese and Chinese cuisine and has been based in East Asia for eight years. Christine is a data scientist from big tech who originally said no to the idea — until a factory visit in Taiwan and her first sip changed everything. Together they run what they call a 24-hour company: Clarissa in Taiwan, Christine in Brooklyn, an introvert running marketing and an extrovert running numbers.
Caitlin and the co-founders dig into the origin of HEYDOH, how consumer surveys shaped the product lineup, and the packaging disaster that led to a complete rebrand — and ultimately three Dieline Awards including Best in Food. They also get into the operational realities of shipping glass bottles, how a 25% breakage rate got fixed, and the creative shipping rate hack that helped them stay in the green on D2C.
Listen in as they discuss:
Why the $40–59B global soy sauce market has no single origin options in major US retailers — and how HEYDOH is filling that gap
How Christine went from "absolutely not" to co-founder after one factory visit in Taiwan
The consumer survey process that shaped the classic vs. silky SKU split — and why low sodium was a no-brainer
The Robinhood-app branding disaster, the pivot to a studio, and three Dieline Awards including Best in Food
Running a 24-hour company across time zones — and why the introvert/extrovert flip actually works
How Startup CPG buyer meetings led to Happier Grocer, Good Stuff Distributor, and more
The 3PL breakage crisis: 25% of glass bottles shattering and the wine shipper insert that saved them
How Christine forced their 3PL to shop against her own shipping rates — and cut costs by $3–4 per package
Why chemistry with partners matters more than a resume
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
#251 - Scaling the Brand: Ops, Systems, and Simplicity with Mezcla and Doss
02 Jun 2026
00:47:58
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Yoga Charya, President and COO of Mezcla, and Sebastiaan Debrouwe from Doss, the operations cloud built for fast-growing CPG brands. Together, they trace the rise of Mezcla — one of the breakout brands in the crowded protein bar category — and unpack the operational philosophy that made it possible: simplicity scales.
Yoga shares how Mezcla has grown 2–3x annually for several years running, earned a cult following in specialty retail before breaking into Target, Publix, Costco, and Whole Foods (where they've expanded from 3 SKUs in 3 regions to 11–12 SKUs nationwide), and recently closed a Series B to fuel continued growth. The secret? Relentless focus on product quality, an ultra-lean team of tier-one operators, and a deliberate effort to keep the supply chain as simple as possible at every stage.
Sebastiaan adds the systems perspective — what Doss sees across the fast-growing brands they work with, why the real danger isn't complexity itself but the failure to design against it, and what separates brands that scale cleanly from those that get buried in operational debt.
Whether you're just figuring out your ops model or wondering what breaks when you hit hypergrowth, this episode is full of hard-won insight.
Listen in as they discuss:
How Mezcla cracked the protein bar category with a product-led growth model and a "bar made by foodies for foodies" brand ethos
Why showing the actual product on front-of-pack — not flavor cues — became a competitive advantage
The "land and expand" playbook that took Mezcla from 3 Whole Foods regions to full national distribution
Why Yoga consolidated from two 3PLs to one Midwest warehouse — and why emerging brands almost always should
How a fully turnkey co-manufacturer relationship gives Mezcla cost visibility without operational overhead
The Crunch Council: how Mezcla brings structure to product quality and ingredient decisions as they scale
Why sample orders were eating 5–10 hours a week — and how Doss helped collapse that
The Google Sheets → Airtable → Doss journey, and what you actually gain at each step
Why traceability and a reliable system of record matter even when — especially when — things are going well
Sebastiaan's advice for brands implementing new systems: peel the onion, build road before you drive on it, and never lower your standards
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
Investor Spotlight: Graham Garzon, Ground Force Capital — Growth Stage Investing, Business Fundamentals, and What It Takes to Build an Acquirable Brand
30 May 2026
00:39:39
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Graham Garzon, Vice President at Ground Force Capital — a consumer focused growth equity fund with deep roots in food and beverage. Graham brings a background in investment banking and private equity to a firm whose two founding partners are CPG entrepreneurs themselves, giving Ground Force a rare combination of financial rigor and operator empathy. He plays a key role in sourcing, evaluating, and diligencing new opportunities, as well as supporting portfolio companies as they scale toward an eventual exit.
Ground Force invests at the growth stage, typically writing checks between $10 and $40 million in brands doing north of $15 to $20 million in revenue. They are minority investors by default, focused on being the last institutional capital before an exit, and they lean in as active board members and thought partners — not passive check writers. Their portfolio spans food and beverage, fast casual restaurants, and the consumer enablement technology that powers emerging brands.
Hannah and Graham get into what growth stage investing actually looks like from the inside — what acquirers care about, why profitability has become non-negotiable, and what the journey from first institutional check to exit really involves. Graham also shares what the best founders and operators he has worked with all have in common, why the P&L is the fastest way to understand any business, and what he wishes he had known earlier in his career about balancing quantitative rigor with the willingness to take a bet.
Listen in as they cover:
What growth stage investing looks like and how it is different from early stage venture
The difference between minority and majority investment — and what it means for founders thinking about dilution and control
Why profitability has become the most important shift in how investors evaluate CPG businesses in the last two years
What acquirers are actually looking for today: scale, margins, and omnichannel execution
The milestones brands go through during a growth stage hold period — and what needs to happen before an exit
Why understanding your consumer purchasing journey is just as important as understanding your P&L
The founder and operator traits Graham respects most: deep business knowledge, humility, and genuine curiosity
Why Graham made a bet on meat sticks with Righteous Felon — and what it says about how Ground Force thinks about riding trend waves without overexposing
What the first investor meeting actually looks like — and the three things you need to communicate clearly
Advice for anyone looking to break into CPG investing and how to set yourself apart
Whether you are fundraising, approaching a growth stage raise, or just trying to understand how later stage investors think about your business, this episode is packed with practical and honest insight.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
Founder Feature: Bringing Froyo Back, Building in Public, and Why Pressure is a Privilege - Ashley Whalen of Chara
29 May 2026
00:27:00
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Ashley Whalen, founder of Chara — a Greek frozen yogurt brand bringing back the joy of froyo with a modern, better-for-you twist. High in protein, packed with certified living probiotics, naturally sweetened with maple and agave, and completely lactose free, Chara is the frozen treat today's health-conscious consumer has been waiting for. Ashley started the brand during her senior year at USC, launched less than a year ago, and is already in retail, doing pop-ups across SoCal in a renovated vintage Volkswagen bus, and landing brand collaborations with everyone from Fabletics to the Bureau Padel Classic.
Caitlin and Ashley get into all of it — from the college apartment origin story and the seven roommates who inspired the product, to how Ashley is differentiating Chara in a crowded protein frozen dessert space by leaning into joy, natural ingredients, and a Mediterranean-inspired stripe aesthetic that nobody else in the freezer aisle has thought to own. Ashley also shares how she landed her first retail chain through a connection made at Nootopia Now, why she bought a vintage VW bus instead of running ads, and the founder mindset shift that changed everything for her: pressure is a privilege.
Listen in as they cover:
How Chara was born in a college apartment with seven roommates and a lot of Greek yogurt bowls
Why Ashley chose maple and agave over artificial sweeteners — and why that decision is paying off
How Chara is differentiating from the protein ice cream category by decentralizing the narrative of protein
The story behind the name Chara — and what the Greek word for joy has to do with frozen yogurt
Why Ashley bought a vintage Volkswagen bus and renovated it into a froyo pop-up vehicle
How cold outreach on LinkedIn led to brand collaborations with Fabletics, Shopbop, and celebrity Padel tournaments
Landing the first retail chain at Lunds and Byerly's through a connection made at Newtopia Now
Why building in public on TikTok is one of the most powerful tools a young founder has
The advice that stuck: pressure is a privilege — and how that mindset shift changes the way you build
Chara's 2026 goals: scaling the supply chain and expanding into natural retail nationwide
Whether you're a young founder just getting started, a brand navigating the frozen category, or someone who just wants a better froyo, this episode is for you.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
#250 - Jacob Trumbull of Roaring Fork Mill: Heritage Grains, Regenerative Organic Certification, and How Startup CPG Opportunities Unlocked 700 Stores
26 May 2026
00:30:14
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Jacob Trumbull, founder of Roaring Fork Mill — a family owned and operated stone flour mill based in Carbondale, Colorado. Jacob is the only Regenerative Organic Certified mill in the Mountain West, a recent recipient of the Greg Stoltenpohl Pragmatic Visionary Award, and someone who went from exhibiting at his first trade show with Startup CPG to unlocking 700 plus stores in just a month and a half. He also just launched the first-to-market line of Regenerative Organic Certified cookies — and two days before this recording, those cookies won a major award he is not yet allowed to announce.
Jacob has a background in Environmental Education, helped launch the Wendell Berry Farming Program at Sterling College, and holds a Master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Behavioral Decision Sciences. He moved to the Roaring Fork Valley for a desk job, quickly realized it was not for him, and started milling flour in his garage while still on work calls. What followed is one of the most quietly remarkable origin stories in the Startup CPG community.
Caitlin and Jacob get into all of it — why stone milled heritage flour is fundamentally different from what is on most grocery shelves, what Regenerative Organic Certification actually requires and why it is harder to get than you think, and how Jacob is reintroducing a wheat variety called Defiance Wheat that has not been grown in the Roaring Fork Valley for 60 to 70 years — starting from one single pound of seed. They also talk about the Shelfie Award win that put Roaring Fork Mill on the map, the Unify trade show that unlocked 700 plus retail doors, and why farmer's markets remain one of the most underrated places to sharpen your pitch.
Listen in as they cover:
Why stone milled heritage flour is easier to digest — and why 32% of Americans think they are gluten sensitive when only 3% are celiac
Why a shorter shelf life on flour is actually a sign of quality, not a problem
What Regenerative Organic Certification requires, why it is harder to get than organic, and why it is the fastest growing clean label certification in retail
The challenge of building a regenerative supply chain when there is not a single dairy provider in the world that is ROC certified
How Jacob is reintroducing Defiance Wheat to the Roaring Fork Valley from one pound of seed
Why Roaring Fork Mill won a Shelfie Award for their rye flour — the first ROC certified flour in the US
Going from the first trade show at Unify to 700 plus stores in a month and a half
Launching the first-to-market Regenerative Organic Certified cookie line
Why farmer's markets are one of the best places to sharpen your pitch — and how Jacob used them to build the foundation for retail
The business to business opportunity: why brands looking for ROC certified flour have almost nowhere else to go
Whether you are a founder thinking about certifications, a retailer looking for what is next in regenerative, or someone who has never thought twice about the flour on their shelf, this episode will change the way you look at the baking aisle.
Roaring Fork Mill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roaring-fork-mill/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
R&D Radio: Lara Tiro of Rebel CPG — The PB&J Framework, COGS, and How to Scale a Food Product the Right Way
25 May 2026
00:31:21
In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by food scientist Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Lara Tiro, founder of Rebel CPG — a commercialization and innovation agency helping food entrepreneurs bridge the gap between a great recipe and a retail-ready product. Lara is a food scientist with over 20 years of experience in food manufacturing, quality assurance, product development, and commercialization. She has worked with brands across baking, frozen foods, refrigerated products, plant proteins, and value-added food categories, and is known for her practical, business-first approach to helping founders scale without bleeding money.
Lara started her career grading organic eggs at a tiny local farm, moved on to processing raspberries at a jam facility, built her foundation in food safety and quality assurance, and eventually moved into product development for a commercial bakery before launching Rebel CPG in 2021. Along the way she picked up a degree combining food science and economics at the University of British Columbia — a combination that shapes everything about how she thinks about this industry.
Adam and Lara get into all of it — why getting cozy with COGS is the single most important thing a food entrepreneur can do, how the PB&J framework gives founders a structure for thinking about their product, brand, and business, and why your formula is always going to change at scale and that is not a failure. Lara also shares a real client story about scaling a frozen baby food product from a home kitchen recipe to a commercially viable product — and what that process actually looks like when done right.
Listen in as they cover:
Why COGS is the most important and most overlooked thing early stage food founders need to understand
The PB&J framework: Product, Packaging, Pricing, Process, Brand, Buyer, Baseline, and Joy
Why your formula will always change at scale — and how to be okay with that
The real difference between a recipe and a commercially scalable formula
How Lara helped Wholesome Yum founder Megan take a frozen baby food concept from home kitchen to retail-ready product
Why food safety is the foundation of everything — and why it does not get celebrated enough
The role of packaging in product development — and why it has to be developed in parallel with formulation
What hydrocolloids and tamarind seed gum are doing in the sauce and dressing category right now
A palm oil fat replacer made of dietary fiber that Lara is helping launch at a sauce conference
Why done is better than perfect in product development — and what that actually means in practice
Whether you are a founder trying to scale your first product, a food entrepreneur who has been told it will be cheaper when you scale, or someone who just wants to understand what a food scientist actually does, this episode is for you.
Munching on Molecules Podcast: available on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
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Investor Spotlight: Luba Safran of Mondelēz SnackFutures Ventures — How Corporate Venture Capital Works and What It Means for CPG Founders
23 May 2026
00:39:49
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Luba Safran, Venture Capital Lead at Mondelēz International's SnackFutures Ventures — the corporate venture capital arm of one of the world's largest snack companies. Luba brings nearly a decade of experience at AB InBev, where she helped build their Disruptive Growth Organization and spent seven years doing corporate venture capital, before joining Mondelēz two years ago to lead all deal-related activity for SnackFutures Ventures. She invests at the intersection of snack innovation, enabling technology, and the evolving consumer behaviors shaping how people discover and eat snacks.
SnackFutures Ventures operates with a two-sided thesis: investing in enabling technologies that make Mondelēz better, faster, and stronger, and investing in snack brands that are either aligned with Mondelēz's current core categories — cookies, crackers, bars, and baked snacks — or represent where the category is headed. Luba has a preference for companies with solidly two-digit revenues and a credible path to profitability, and she is flexible on check size, focused on meaningful equity stakes, and deeply attuned to the strategic fit between a brand and Mondelēz's long-term direction.
Hannah and Luba get into everything founders need to understand about corporate venture capital — how it is fundamentally different from traditional VC, why every CVC is its own special snowflake, and what the internal stakeholder management process at a company like Mondelēz actually looks like. They also dig into how Luba thinks about trends versus fads, why she loves a better mousetrap as much as a disruptive idea, and what the most dangerous thing a founder can do in an investor meeting actually is.
Listen in as they cover:
How corporate venture capital works and why every CVC is different — and what founders need to ask to understand who they are actually talking to
The difference between a strategic and a financial CVC — and why it matters for how you pitch and what you expect
Why CVC deals can take longer than traditional VC and what is actually happening internally during that time
How Luba thinks about trend versus fad — and why supply matching demand is the real question
Why she loves a better mousetrap just as much as a disruptive idea — and what that means for founders who are not building something novel
The diligence process at SnackFutures Ventures from first meeting to investment committee
Why the ideal company profile does not actually exist — and what that means for how investors make bets
Why Luba asks founders how they respond to her doubts — and what she actually learns from that response
What to bring to a first investor meeting — and why the answer is simpler than most founders think
Where Mondelēz is leaning in right now: interesting crackers, premium indulgence, functionality, and net new snacking formats
Advice for founders who want to get into CPG investing — and why you should ask yourself why before you start the search
Whether you are fundraising, want to understand how corporate venture capital actually works from the inside, or are just trying to figure out how investors evaluate opportunities in today's market, this episode is packed with practical and refreshingly honest insight.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
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Founder Feature: The OB/GYN Formulating Pharmaceuticals for Period Care - Margo Harrison of Wave Bye
22 May 2026
00:36:52
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Margo Harrison, founder and CEO of Wave Bye — a menstrual health company developing a proactive, OB/GYN-formulated treatment for period pain and bleeding. Margo is a board-certified OB/GYN, former NIH-funded academic researcher at the University of Colorado, Planned Parenthood provider, and founder of a femtech consulting firm that served over twenty venture-backed women's health companies. She brings a rare combination of clinical expertise, research credentials, and startup experience to one of the most underserved categories in consumer health.
Wave Bye is not a supplement and it is not a conventional OTC pain reliever. It is a pharmaceutical-grade product designed to be taken premenstrually — before the pain and bleeding start — shifting women from a reactive approach to their period to a proactive one. With an FDA meeting on the horizon and a pipeline that could reach market as early as 2027, Margo is building something that has never existed before in the over-the-counter space.
Caitlin and Margo get deeply personal in this one — from Caitlin's own experience with PCOS and the impact of Wave Bye's Bioregularity supplement on her cycle, to what it means to grow up never having been taught to track your period, to why TikTok has done more for women's health than medical school curriculums ever did. Margo also walks through the science behind her formulation, what it actually means to seek FDA approval for a drug versus selling a supplement, and why she views the FDA meeting not as something to fear but as the next move in the game.
Listen in as they cover:
Why bodily autonomy begins with understanding your menstrual cycle — and why that matters for human potential
How Inositol works for PCOS and why it outperforms Metformin in Canadian clinical guidelines
What makes Wave Bye different from everything else on the market: timing, formulation, and packaging
The difference between a reactive approach to period pain and a proactive one — and why it changes everything
What FDA approval actually means for a consumer health product and why it matters for trust
How to prepare for an FDA meeting — and why Margo's approach is less war room, more game theory
Why TikTok is pushing women's health forward faster than the medical establishment
The moment Margo put a cardboard sign on a lemonade stand table at a Greek festival and the dads were the ones who stopped
Why tracking your cycle is one of the most empowering things a woman can do — and how our daughters will have it better than we did
Wave Bye's timeline to market: late 2027 to early 2029 depending on the FDA outcome
Whether you're a founder building in femtech, a consumer navigating your own menstrual health, or someone who has simply never been taught to track their cycle, this episode will leave you informed, empowered, and ready to wave bye to period pain.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Chiara Munzi, co-founder of ChiChi Foods — the winner of Startup CPG's first-ever Expo West Pitch Slam, powered by Advantage FDM Sales. ChiChi makes the world's first chickpea hot cereal: a shelf-stable, high-protein, high-fiber breakfast that cooks just like instant oatmeal but delivers everything oatmeal doesn't — more protein, more fiber, and none of the sugar crash.
Chiara shares the full story: how she and co-founder Izzy started mushing chickpeas in their college dorm room after realizing their morning oatmeal was leaving them hungry and crashing an hour later, how they applied to every pitch competition at Expo West instead of paying for a booth, and what it felt like to walk into a room of 200 people and a panel of top retail and distribution judges expecting eight.
Daniel and Chiara walk through the entire Pitch Slam experience — from the application strategy to the five-minute pitch, the surprise questions from the judges, the tight deliberations, and the moment ChiChi was named the winner. A huge thank you to Advantage FDM Sales for making this possible by awarding ChiChi Foods their FDM Brand Accelerator Program — a $150,000 prize package designed to help emerging brands build velocity in retail through demos, field support, and brand-building services. They also get into exactly how ChiChi plans to use the prize — primarily for in-store demos as they head into new regional retail launches this summer and fall — and why demos are the single best marketing tool for a product people need to taste to believe.
Listen in as they cover:
How ChiChi Foods started in a college dorm room and why chickpeas beat oatmeal on every nutritional metric
The strategy of applying to every Expo West competition instead of buying a booth — and why it paid off
What the judging panel looked like: Sprouts, Whole Foods, Hannaford, UNFI Up Next, and Advantage FDM Sales
What it felt like to pitch in front of 200 people when you were expecting eight judges
The honest answer Chiara gave Sprouts about organic and non-GMO certifications — and why it didn't hurt them
Why ChiChi won: product differentiation, a genuine origin story, and grit that came through in every moment
How the FDM Brand Accelerator Program could translate to thousands of in-store sampling events across new retail doors
Why founder-led demos create a different kind of consumer connection — and why it matters for early-stage brands
The long game of building relationships at shows: why the people you meet now might change your business three years later
Whether you're an early-stage brand wondering whether to spend money on a booth, a founder about to pitch to retail buyers for the first time, or someone who just needs a reminder that applying for everything is always worth it, this episode is for you.
Episode Links: ChiChi Foods Website: https://chickpeaoats.com Chiara Munzi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiaramunzi/ ChiChi Foods on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chichifoods/ Advantage FDM Sales: https://www.advantagefdm.com
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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Investor Spotlight: Bill Schultz, Beliade Consumer Partners
16 May 2026
00:38:16
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Bill Schultz, Partner at Beliade Consumer Partners — a venture fund focused exclusively on founder-led consumer brands across food and beverage, personal care, beauty, and lifestyle. Bill brings a rare combination of Wall Street pattern recognition and early-stage brand investing experience to the table, having spent the first decade of his career at Goldman Sachs covering publicly traded consumer and retail companies before joining Beliade, where he's now in his seventh year backing breakout challenger brands.
Beliade invests at seed to Series A, writing first checks into companies approaching $1M in revenue and supporting them through the $1–10M growth phase. What sets them apart is a laser focus on disruptor brands in large, established categories — think Little Sesame in hummus or Coterie in diapers — and a deep conviction that the rise of the modern American family is the most powerful structural consumer shift happening right now.
Bill and Hannah dig into everything founders need to know about the fundraising process: how investors actually think about unit economics and contribution margins, why financial savviness is one of the strongest predictors of founder success, and how to come into a raise with a clear, specific ask that builds conviction fast. They also get into the mindset questions every founder should ask themselves before raising a single venture dollar — and why honest self-reflection about what kind of business you want to build matters more than most people realize.
They also walk through Beliade's full diligence process, from first conversation to term sheet, with clear, practical insight founders can use to prepare.
Listen in as they cover:
Bill's path from Goldman Sachs covering public consumer companies to backing early-stage challenger brands at Beliade
Beliade's investment thesis: categories, stage, check size, and what makes a disruptor brand worth backing
The rise of the modern American family — and why it's the structural shift driving the best consumer opportunities right now
Why founders should think less about trends and more about enduring long-term changes
The honest question every founder should ask themselves before raising venture capital
Why financial savviness is one of the strongest predictors of long-term founder success
Unit economics and contribution margin — what they mean, why they matter, and what Beliade uses as a north star
The diligence process from first conversation to funded — what happens at each step and how long it takes
Why building investor relationships before you have a capital need is the smartest fundraising strategy
What Beliade looks for in a founder: the ability to operate at 50,000 feet and zoom into the details
Whether you're a founder preparing to fundraise, an operator trying to understand how investors underwrite opportunities, or just someone who wants a clearer picture of how early-stage CPG capital actually works, this episode is packed with practical, hard-won insight.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Marc Brown, founder of ONOIN — a line of shelf-stable, pre-chopped and flavored onions in 100% olive oil designed to save you time and tears in the kitchen. ONOIN comes in four flavors — original, garlic and herb, jalapeño lime, and ginger and lemongrass — and is designed to go on or in anything, from eggs to meatballs to savory oatmeal bowls.
Marc is a food scientist with a master's degree from Drexel University and a seriously stacked background: R&D and industrialization at Danone, Head of R&D as employee #8 at Clio Snacks, and R&D and contract manufacturing work at Hain Celestial. He came to founding ONOIN with a rare 360-degree view of the food industry — from bench science to co-manufacturer negotiations to retailer conversations — and shares hard-won lessons throughout this conversation.
Together, Caitlin and Marc dig into why chopped onions in a jar hadn't been done before (and why it should have been), the origin story of the ONOIN name (credit goes to his brother-in-law at a backyard grill), and what makes a co-manufacturer relationship truly work. Marc breaks down the three-part pricing transparency framework every brand should demand from their co-man — raw, pack, and toll — and explains why trust and belief in your vision are just as important as the contract.
They also get into the realities of early-stage distribution, how to build a velocity story with the right retail partners, and why knowing your product well enough to tell a buyer exactly why they need it on the shelf is non-negotiable.
Listen in as they cover:
How a graduate school innovation exercise sparked the idea for ONOIN
Why shelf-stable pre-chopped onions solve a problem that fresh never fully could
The naming journey from "Yun" to ONOIN — and why the name works on shelf
The three things every brand must demand from their co-manufacturer: raw, pack, and toll
Red flags when vetting a co-man and why trust is the ultimate filter
How Marc's background at Danone, Clio Snacks, and Hain Celestial shaped his approach to founding
Building a velocity story with retailers who actually believe in your product
Why knowing your product's ideal placement in store can change your whole sales conversation
Reducing food waste — one of ONOIN's often-overlooked benefits
Whether you're a founder navigating co-manufacturer relationships, a food scientist thinking about making the jump to your own brand, or a buyer looking for the next smart pantry staple, this episode is for you.
Episode Links: ONOIN Website: https://eatonoin.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eat.onoin/ Marc Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-brown-41500546/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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#248 - How to Work with a Formulator with Rebecca Urciuolo from BevSource (FB Solutions Group)
12 May 2026
00:48:44
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Rebecca Urciuolo, a formulator with over 23 years of food and beverage experience at BevSource (FB Solutions Group), to dig into one of the most exciting and most misunderstood parts of building a CPG brand: working with a formulator to bring your product to life. From how to write a great project brief to what happens when things go sideways at the co-manufacturer, Rebecca shares hard-won lessons and insider knowledge that every founder — at any stage — needs to hear.
Rebecca opens with a clear message: the best founders are partners, not passengers. They come with a firm goal in mind, stay present through the iteration process, and actively want to learn — because understanding what you don't know will inevitably make your product better. Daniel reflects on his own experience formulating a beverage during the early pandemic days, calling it one of the most joyful parts of his CPG career.
The conversation covers the most common early-stage mistakes founders make when approaching a formulator: coming in too vague, being too rigid, or not understanding the regulatory and packaging constraints that shape what's actually possible. Rebecca explains how to write a strong project brief, why reference products are half the job, and how the tasting and feedback process works — including the vocabulary founders need to give useful, actionable notes.
They also get into the nuances that make beverage formulation uniquely complex: the chicken-and-egg relationship between formulation and co-manufacturer selection, how packaging constraints shape your formula, what to do when an ingredient gets discontinued, and how your product will continue to evolve on shelf over its entire life. Rebecca walks through the gold standard process at first production, what to watch for at the co-man, and how to think about COGS and ingredient exposure from the very beginning.
Whether you're developing your first SKU, scaling to a co-manufacturer, or trying to understand why your formula tastes different six months in, this episode gives you the practical framework you didn't know you needed.
Listen in as they discuss:
Why your project brief is the single most important thing you can bring to a formulator — and what it needs to include
How reference products and flavor inspiration cut feedback cycles and unlock a formulator's creativity
The vocabulary of tasting: body, brix, mouthfeel, and why learning to give articulate feedback changes everything
Why packaging and co-manufacturer selection can't be decoupled from formulation — and how to think about the chicken-and-egg problem
What happens at the first production run: the gold standard process, what to watch for, and when to bring your formulator on-site
How your product changes over time on shelf — and how shelf life studies help you understand what you're actually selling at month nine or twelve
COGS 101: novel ingredients, ingredient exposure, and why "welcome to capitalism" is the honest answer
FB Solutions Group (FBSG) is the strategic partner for food & beverage entrepreneurs, providing end-to-end development, production, and sourcing solutions. Through our specialized divisions—BevSource, AlcSource and iTi Tropicals—we offer the operational expertise and infrastructure needed to optimize supply chains and accelerate growth for emerging brands.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by food scientist Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Monte Ammons, founder of Liquid Sherpas. With more than 30 years spanning food service, Coca-Cola, Community Coffee, and natural ingredient sales at Dohler, Monte brings a uniquely operational lens to product development — one built not in a lab, but on the floor of real businesses learning hard lessons the hard way.
Monte makes the case that most founders jump straight into formulation when they should be doing the opposite: starting with a product brief, understanding the business, and doing the competitive homework before a single ingredient is sourced. He walks through how one client nearly launched into a saturated market — then pivoted his entire proposition 35 degrees by doing the upfront work first.
Listen in as they discuss:
Why formulation should be one of the last steps in product development, not the first
What a technical product brief is and how it prevents costly downstream surprises
How a client shifted consumer target, functional benefit, format, and channel — before spending real money
The realities of natural ingredient supply chains: seasonality, tariffs, sedimentation, and more
Why founders should start small, stay flexible, and invest as little as possible early on
How to research your category by talking to founders, breweries, and operators who've done it
The role of AI as a research accelerator — and why you still shouldn't ask it to develop your formula
Why the beverage industry's failure rate is so high, and what separates founders who make it
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
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Founder + Funder: Anabel González, Founder of Good Bacteria and Hayden Williams, Partner of BrandProject
09 May 2026
00:43:38
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Anabel González, founder of Good Bacteria, and Hayden Williams, Partner at BrandProject, for the podcast's first-ever founder and funder episode—a behind-the-curtain look at what the investment process actually looks like from both sides of the table.
Good Bacteria is the first rotating probiotic system delivering a new blend of prebiotics, probiotics, and a postbiotic each week. Dr. formulated with clinically studied ingredients, it's designed to expose your body to different microbes over time to build up gut resilience—a smarter, science-backed approach to gut health that actually fits into your daily routine. BrandProject is an early-stage consumer fund partnering with founders building standout consumer-first brands, investing pre-seed and seed with check sizes of $500K–$3M and a hands-on, operator-minded approach.
Anabel shares how a postpartum healing journey led her to a Johns Hopkins doctor via cold LinkedIn outreach, over 200 investor cold emails, and ultimately a pre-launch investment from BrandProject—a fund she had specifically targeted because of their portfolio. Hayden walks through what drew him to Good Bacteria before there was even a product in hand, how he validated the science, and why Anabel's personalized cold outreach stood out in a sea of generic pitches.
Together, they cover:
How a postpartum healing journey became the founding story of Good Bacteria
Why Good Bacteria was originally a beverage—and how it pivoted to a rotating probiotic system
What 200+ investor cold outreaches actually looks like, and how the BrandProject introduction happened
What BrandProject looks for in pre-launch founders when there's nothing but a deck and a story
Why Anabel invested in brand and story before product—and why that was the right call
The diligence process: validating the science, the market, and the founder's operating instincts
The "sense of inevitability" principle—and why the best founders make investors feel the train is leaving the station
What a healthy founder-investor relationship actually looks like day to day
How many people from a company should be involved in fundraising—and who
Good Bacteria's product roadmap: four products coming, a master brand in the making
Whether you're a founder preparing to raise, trying to build the right cap table, or just want to understand what investors are really evaluating before they write a check, this episode is essential listening.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Sean Knecht, co-founder of Tantos—the first and only puffed pasta chip. Tantos is built on a simple but revolutionary idea: a snack whose base ingredient is wheat and water, the true definition of pasta, bringing a brand new category to the salty snack aisle alongside business partner and celebrity chef Joe Sasto.
Sean shares how a pasta lesson, a birthday gift, and a pop-up dinner led to a bromance-turned-business partnership, what it's really like to appear on Shark Tank not once but twice, and the reality of the Shark Tank effect—including the cash flow hit nobody talks about. He also walks through his strategy for convincing Whole Foods that the snack aisle is overloaded with tortilla chips and desperately needs something new.
Together, they cover:
How a DM about flour-to-egg ratios started a business partnership with celebrity chef Joe Sasto
What "first and only" really means—and why Sean wouldn't have launched Tantos without it
Appearing on Shark Tank twice: what changed, what didn't, and how to actually prepare
The real Shark Tank effect: 3,000 orders in three days, a 3x sales floor increase, and the cash flow hit nobody warns you about
Why Amazon held their money for over a month after the episode aired
How their co-packer became their lead investor—and why that's an underrated startup strategy
The Whole Foods pitch: how Sean counted every SKU in the snack aisle and used the data to make his case
What it's like building a brand alongside a celebrity chef and reluctantly getting in front of the camera
Tantos is available online at eattontos.com and on Amazon, with national retail ambitions and a Whole Foods conversation in progress. If you've ever wanted to bring something truly new to the snack aisle, this episode is for you.
Episode Links:
Sean Knecht on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-knecht-a1398b11/
Tantos on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eattantos/
Tantos Website: https://www.eattantos.com
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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#247 - How to Build a Board with Seth Goldman, JUST ICE Tea
05 May 2026
00:48:10
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Seth Goldman—co-founder of Honest Tea, co-founder and CEO of Just Ice Tea, and one of the most experienced board members in the CPG space, having served as chair of Beyond Meat, Plant Burger, and Mission Guardians of Tony's Chocolonely—to answer the questions most founders never get a straight answer on: When do you actually need a board? Who should be on it? How do you manage it? And how do you protect yourself?
Seth walks through every stage of the board journey—from the friends-and-family raise where you probably don't need one yet, to the angel round where you do, to the institutional raise where investors will ask for seats and you need to know how to vet them back. He shares the story of a would-be investor he turned away after learning they wanted management options to install their own CEO, how he recruited legends like Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield and Jeff Swartz of Timberland to an Honest Tea board when the company was doing a few million in sales, and why splitting your lead investment between two partners isn't just smart—it's protective.
Daniel and Seth also dig into what makes a board meeting actually useful, how to avoid the nightmare scenario of surprising your board with bad news in the room, why diversity of opinion matters more than cheerleaders, and what it looks like to navigate a CEO transition as a board member. Plus: Seth's advice on how to position yourself if you want to become a board member someday—and the unsexy pallet configuration insight that saved Just Ice Tea hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Together, they cover:
When you actually need a board—and when you don't
How to vet investors who want board seats before you say yes
How Seth recruited Gary Hirshberg and Jeff Swartz to the Honest Tea board
Board composition: why you want A players, former CEOs, and real diversity of thought
Compensation: options, terms, vesting, and the 1% rule of thumb
The "nose in the tent, hands outside" principle of healthy board governance
How to run a board meeting that passes the test—OKRs, no surprises, every voice heard
Protecting control: why splitting your lead raise between two investors matters
CEO transitions: what makes a founder-CEO hit a ceiling, and how boards navigate it
How to position yourself to become a board member
Just Ice Tea is now the top-selling bottled tea in the natural channel, launching nationally this year with Kroger, Safeway Albertsons, and Publix—and Seth has a lot more to say about how governance helped get them there.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Khalil Khamis, CEO of Crafty Ramen—a brand reimagining what frozen ramen can be by bringing restaurant-quality bowls to the freezer aisle. No water, no assembly. Just heat and eat in seven minutes.
Crafty Ramen started as a 24-seat ramen shop in Canada, founded by husband-and-wife duo Jared and Mickey Farrell—a red seal chef and his partner who trained at the Yamato School of Ramen in Tokyo. Khalil joined the business eight years ago, leveraging his background in franchise restaurants, and officially came on as CEO in 2021 to take the brand into retail. Today, Crafty Ramen is in nearly 3,000 retail doors across Canada, partnered with every major Canadian retailer, on HelloFresh's marketplace as their first branded product, and gearing up for a nationwide U.S. launch later this summer.
Caitlin shares how she tested the product as a toddler mom looking for something fast, fresh, and high quality—and how the frozen puck format (a layered block of broth, noodles, protein, and real toppings, blast-frozen from fresh ingredients) completely delivered. Khalil and Caitlin dig into the origin story that grew out of pandemic-era meal kits, the decision to never use plastic trays, what kaizen means in a CPG context, and how Crafty Ramen approaches SKU development using the restaurant as a living innovation lab.
Together, they cover:
How a 24-seat ramen restaurant became a pandemic-born retail brand
The "fresh frozen puck" format and why it stands apart in the freezer aisle
Why Crafty Ramen refuses to use plastic trays—and what that means for manufacturing partnerships
The challenge of scaling a Michelin-trained chef's recipes to 10,000 units a day
What kaizen looks like as a core value in CPG vs. restaurants
How the restaurant acts as a testing ground for new retail SKUs
Navigating tariffs and cross-border logistics as a Canadian brand entering the U.S.
The Costco roadshow experience—and the realities of a 13-week rotation
Khalil's advice to CPG founders: seek out people who've done it before
Crafty Ramen just took second place in the pitch competition with Advantage Solutions at Expo West—and Khalil has a lot more in the pipeline.
Khalil Khamis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalilkhamis/
Crafty Ramen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/craftyramen/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Lex Evan, founder of LEXINGTON BAKES, a luxury baked goods brand serving protein cookies, protein oat bars, and dessert brownies. But the luxury isn't in the price — it's in the ingredients. Lex just won a NEXTY Award at Expo West for best vegan product, and he's bringing that energy into this conversation.
Caitlin and Lex dig into his 20-year career as a graphic designer, how he taught himself to bake from scratch, and why he trademarked both "radical ingredient transparency" and "no naughty ingredients" — two philosophies that sit at the heart of everything LEXINGTON BAKES does. From printing supplier logos directly on packaging to sharing every award with his ingredient partners, Lex has built a brand that puts integrity above everything else.
They also get into the realities of being a solo founder — protecting your time, setting boundaries with your community, and why putting your head down and staying true to your vision is what ultimately led to winning the NEXTY Award. Plus, Lex drops some breaking news: his co-manufacturer just went out of business, and he's back to self-manufacturing while the brand continues to grow.
Listen in as they discuss:
How a 20-year design career at Johnson & Johnson laid the foundation for LEXINGTON BAKES
Why Lex taught himself to bake and how community feedback pushed him to turn a hobby into a brand
What radical ingredient transparency means — and why he trademarked it
Why LEXINGTON BAKES prints supplier logos directly on packaging and shares every award with ingredient partners
What "no naughty ingredients" means and why Lex avoids the word "clean" entirely
The serendipitous story of how Artisana came to him right as he was developing his nut butter-powered protein cookies
How being a solo founder shapes every decision he makes about time, energy, and generosity
Why putting his head down and ignoring the competition led directly to his NEXTY Award win
Advice for first-time CPG founders: stay true to your vision and don't let unexpected opportunities derail where you're going
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with John Craven, founder and CEO of BevNET, to trace the remarkable 30-year journey of one of CPG media's most essential platforms. From a college web project in 1996 to a full media empire spanning BevNET, Nosh, Brewbound, live events, and multiple podcasts, John shares the origin story, the industry inflection points, and the hard-won wisdom that comes from watching hundreds of brands rise, pivot, and exit.
John opens with a vivid picture of the CPG world he entered — one where Snapple and Arizona Iced Tea were the disruptors, where beverage founders looked up co-packers in the Yellow Pages, and where getting press meant waiting six months for a magazine to maybe run your story. He explains how BevNET was born out of a simple college assignment to build a webpage, and how the speed and accessibility of the internet gave emerging brands something legacy trade media simply couldn't: real-time visibility.
The conversation covers the major inflection points that shaped the emerging CPG ecosystem — from landmark acquisitions like Snapple and Vitamin Water that fueled the next generation of founders, to the mid-2000s natural food boom that made Expo West a legitimate launching pad. John and Daniel dig into why the barriers to entry have never been lower, yet the standards have never been higher, and what that means for founders trying to break through today.
They also get into what separates brands with staying power from those that flame out — why incremental innovation over existing consumer behavior almost always wins, why scarcity-to-ubiquity transitions are so dangerous (see: Prime), and why the most successful brands, like Celsius, Poppy, and Siete, are often 20-year overnight successes. John shares his perspective on the current M&A cycle, why he's bullish on CPG despite the turbulence, and why economic uncertainty historically makes CPG look like a safe bet.
And in a candid closing stretch, John opens up about the loneliness of entrepreneurship, the weight of responsibility that comes with building a team, and why compartmentalizing — maybe to an unhealthy degree — is just part of surviving as a founder.
Listen in as they discuss:
How BevNET started as a college web project in 1996 and grew into CPG's leading media platform
The state of the industry when John started — and the landmark acquisitions that changed everything
Why the barriers to entry are lower than ever, but the standards are higher than ever
How to spot brands with real staying power vs. those riding a hype wave
The danger of going from scarcity to ubiquity too fast — and what Prime illustrates
Why incremental innovation over existing behavior almost always beats truly novel ideas
John's read on the current M&A cycle and why he's still bullish on CPG
The loneliness of entrepreneurship, founder mental health, and the art of compartmentalizing
How to get your brand featured on BevNET and Nosh — and why you shouldn't wait until you're "ready"
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
R&D Radio: Colleen Cottrell, Independent Consultant at C Cottrell Consulting
27 Apr 2026
00:24:51
In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by food scientist Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Colleen Cottrell, independent consultant at C Cottrell Consulting. With over a decade of experience spanning ingredient suppliers, finished CPG brands like RXBAR, and now independent consulting, Colleen breaks down one of the most underappreciated forces in product development: ingredient functionality — and why understanding it early is the difference between a product that scales and one that falls apart at the co-manufacturer.
Colleen explains why the same protein can behave completely differently depending on how it's been processed — heat, pressure, and shear all play a role — and walks through simple, low-cost assays that founders can run themselves to compare ingredients before committing to a formula. She also shares the inside story of helping RXBAR expand beyond bars into oats and other categories by working closely with ingredient suppliers to engineer egg white functionality at scale.
Listen in as they discuss:
What ingredient functionality actually means — and why it impacts your product more than you think
How heat, pressure, and shear change protein behavior (using eggs as the perfect example)
Liquid vs. dried egg whites: shelf life, moisture content, and functional tradeoffs
Why two pea proteins with the same label can perform completely differently
Simple DIY assays for foaming, gelling, and solubility — no lab required
The RXBAR oats story: engineering egg white functionality for new categories
How to set your non-negotiables before you scale
Current trends: protein and fiber maxing, the return to whole/real ingredients, and food-as-health
PDCAAS scores and why protein quality matters more than protein quantity
Why soy is dominating the protein trend — and what fibers are showing up most
Episode Links:
Colleen Cottrell — Independent Consultant, C Cottrell Consulting
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
Opportunity Knocks: Get Direct Access to Top Retailers
26 Apr 2026
00:25:42
In this special episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff and Caitlin Bricker — a former retail buyer and managing editor at Startup CPG — pull back the curtain on the biggest thing Startup CPG has ever built: Opportunity Knocks. This is a brand new platform designed to give emerging CPG brands a direct line to some of the most exciting retailers, distributors, and industry stakeholders in the game — no broker required.
Opportunity Knocks drops exclusively in the Startup CPG newsletter every other Friday, starting May 1st. Each opportunity opens a two-week submission window for brands to apply directly. Featured retailers include names like Raley's, The Fresh Market, Hungryroot, and Whole Foods UK — with more on the way. Many opportunities will also include a virtual fireside chat with the retailer or stakeholder, giving brands a chance to hear exactly what they're looking for before submitting.
Daniel and Caitlin walk through everything brands need to know to make the most of this new platform — from what gets an application noticed to what quietly kills it. Caitlin brings her buyer lens to break down the basics that too many brands overlook, and Daniel shares the incrementality story that actually moves buyers and the mindset shift that separates brands who get picked up from the ones who keep getting passed over.
Listen in as they cover:
Why Opportunity Knocks exists — and how it evolved from the retail tracker and review calendar
How the submission process works: two-week windows, fireside chats, and what happens after you apply
Which retailers and stakeholders are already involved — and what kinds of brands they're looking for
Why your ingredient list, product packaging, and founder story all need to be on your website before you submit
How to tell an incrementality story that actually gives a buyer confidence Why knowing the retailer's set — and speaking their language — can 10x your chances
What consistent rejection is really telling you — and when it's time to take a hard look The ingredient and formulation trends brands should be paying attention to right now
How to reach out if you're a retailer, distributor, or investor interested in participating
Retailers and other industry stakeholders interested in becoming part of this campaign initiative can reach out to OK@startupcpg.com.
If you’re a brand looking to submit your products to individual campaigns, sign up for our newsletter and Slack via startupcpg.com. Make sure you do it before 5/1 so you don't miss out on the first opportunity!
Interested in sponsoring Startup CPG, Opportunity Knocks, and other initiatives? Reach out to partnerships@startupcpg.com.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
Investor Spotlight: Rogers Healy, Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners
25 Apr 2026
00:35:33
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Rogers Healy, Founder and CEO of Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners—a consumer-focused venture firm backing some of the most iconic CPG brands of this generation. Rogers is a serial entrepreneur with over two decades of experience building and scaling businesses, including one of Texas's largest independently owned real estate firms. After years of investing on the side while running his real estate companies, Rogers made the leap to venture capital full time, founding Morrison Seger—named after his two favorite musicians, Van Morrison and Bob Seger—with a mandate rooted in personal conviction, family values, and gut instinct.
Morrison Seger operates through SPVs, writing checks from $500K to $10 million across all stages, with a particular love for beverage. Rogers brings a deeply personal lens to every deal—if he isn't a consumer of the product, his family is. His portfolio includes Waterloo Sparkling Water and Sanzo, among others, and he actively backs brands he believes can earn a place in people's everyday lives.
Hannah and Rogers dig into what it really takes to build a brand investors get excited about, how to navigate the founder-investor relationship, and what separates the deals Rogers jumps into from the ones he passes on. He also shares hard-won lessons from a long career in entrepreneurship—on communication, patience, staying true to your why, and betting on yourself even when the odds feel stacked against you.
Listen in as they cover:
Rogers's path from real estate grinder to full-time venture capitalist—and why it took him until 41 to make the leap
How Morrison Seger was founded, what the name really means, and the SPV model that powers it Investment criteria: personal consumption, family values, check size, and what gets Rogers excited
Why branding has to pop immediately—and the difference between a brand with real pull and one that's trying too hard
The stacking-by-stage strategy Rogers uses across verticals like sparkling water and pistachios
What Rogers looks for in founders: communication, details, presence, and the ability to not act like they're doing you a favor
Why the founder-investor relationship is like a marriage—and how to do your diligence before you're in too deep
The questions founders should be asking investors before they sign
What kills a deal during diligence—and why getting someone's name wrong is a red flag
Lessons learned: trust your gut, burn the ships, and always ask how you can help
Episode Links:
Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners: https://www.morrisonseger.com
Rogers Healy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogershealy/
Rogers Healy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rogershealy/
Morrison Seger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/morrison-seger/
Morrison Seger on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morrisonseger/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Maria Velasquez, founder of Purple Drop — a Peruvian super drink made from purple corn grown high in the Andes. Maria is bringing chicha morada, a staple in every Peruvian household, to the US market for the first time as a better-for-you RTD. And she is doing it with her mother-in-law's recipe, organic agave, and zero compromise on the integrity of the original.
Caitlin opens with a passage from her personal library on ancient fermentation that captures just how deep the history of chicha actually goes. Maria meets that with her own origin story: a Moroccan woman who married into a Peruvian family, fell in love with the culture and the cuisine, and had a lightbulb moment in Lima over Christmas that turned into a brand. She also explains why the one RTD version already on the market — packed with sugar, additives, and coloring — was exactly what she did not want to make.
From there the conversation covers the functional story behind purple corn (studies show it has 10 times more antioxidants than blackberries), the co-packer journey that eventually landed at a brewery, a rebrand that brought llamas and vibrant color to life, and a launch strategy built around winning Peruvian Americans first before casting a wider net. Maria spent a decade in B2B cybersecurity marketing and it shows — in the community-first approach, the food service play she is already running with Peruvian restaurants in the NYC tri-state area, and the PR box she is designing to transport people straight to Peru.
Listen in as they cover:
How a Christmas trip to Lima and a mother-in-law's recipe became the foundation of Purple Drop
The functional benefits of purple corn and why anthocyanins make this more than just a great-tasting drink
The co-packer challenge of commercializing a product that American manufacturers had never made before
How Maria is building community by winning Peruvian Americans first
The rebrand that brought the brand's personality to life
What's next: lucuma flavors, concentrated antioxidant shots, energy ideas, and a spring launch on Shopify
Whether you are a founder navigating the beverage aisle with something truly new, a buyer looking for the global flavor story your customers are asking for, or someone who has always wanted to try chicha without booking a flight to Lima, this episode is for you.
Episode Links:
Purple Drop Website: https://www.thepurpledrop.com
Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-vepa/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
#245 - Growing Your Brand with Influencer Marketing with Joybyte
21 Apr 2026
01:01:16
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Myriah Castillo, president of Joybyte, and Val Ponce De Leon, head of influencer at Joybyte, to dig into one of the most talked-about topics in the Startup CPG Slack: influencer marketing. Not the celebrity post-and-pray version — but the strategic, scrappy, content-engine approach that actually moves the needle for early stage CPG brands.
Myriah opens with a reframe that changes how you think about the whole category: stop thinking about influencers as a conversion tool and start thinking about them as a content engine. From there, she and Val walk through what a real creator-led growth strategy looks like — from nano creator gifting and first-round testing to long term ambassador relationships, content repurposing through whitelisting, and the brief that took a creator who wasn't converting to $10,000 in sales in a single weekend.
They share real brand examples — including Jackson's Chips and Ice Barrel — that show what it looks like when the strategy actually works. And they get into the specifics brands at every stage need to hear: what nano and micro creators actually cost, how to set expectations from day one, when to introduce budget, and how to get the most out of every piece of content you commission.
Whether you're a founder who has never run a creator campaign, a brand that tried influencer marketing and wasn't sure if it worked, or someone trying to figure out how to stretch a limited budget, this episode is the foundation you need.
Listen in as they discuss: Why long term creator relationships beat one-off posts — and how to get there through a structured test and learn approach — What nano and micro influencers actually cost, what gifting can realistically get you, and how to set clear expectations from day one — How to repurpose creator content across paid media, organic social, email, and PDPs through whitelisting and collaborative posts — Why the content itself is the ROI and how to think about creators as a content engine rather than a conversion tool — The brief that actually works: how Joybyte analyzes a creator's existing content to find the storyline that will perform — How TikTok Shop differs from influencer marketing and why Joybyte treats them as two completely separate programs — What Joybyte's retainer model looks like and why they pass through creator costs directly to brands with no overhead markup — Ice Barrel and Jackson's Chips: two real examples of what it looks like when creator-led growth catches lightning in a bottle
Val Ponce De Leon – Lead Strategist, Joybyte LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-ponce-de-leon-3a962a143/
Joybyte Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joybyte/ Website: https://joybyte.com/
Download the free Creator-Led Growth Playbook: https://joybyte.com/creator-led-whitepaper
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
How to Make the Most of Expo West as an Emerging CPG Brand | Little Latke, Gato Dates & Hola Mija Chips
20 Apr 2026
00:32:33
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host and managing editor Caitlin Bricker sits down with three emerging brands to unpack what Expo West really looks like on the ground — from first-time exhibiting to scrappy Alley Rally wins to landing a yes from a buyer on the spot.
First up is Taylor Blue, founder of Little Latke, the first shelf-stable potato crisp inspired by the crispy edges of a traditional potato latke. Taylor shares what it was like to exhibit at Expo West for the first time, why she chose the Startup CPG section, and how she used the show to launch not just a new and improved formula (now non-GMO and seed oil free), but two brand new flavors — Garlic Parmesan and Spicy Honey Dijon. She also opens up about what she'd tell any first-time exhibitor who's on the fence.
Next, Caitlin talks to Gabriella Labi and Tonya Reznikovich, co-founders of Gato Dates — dark chocolate covered, nut butter stuffed Medjool dates in four flavors. Gabriella shares the full emotional story of attending Alley Rally on a shoestring, including a broken washing machine, sample packs that wouldn't open, shirtless models with QR code tattoos at a Venice event the night before, and a vote count that first broke their hearts before ultimately delivering the news that they'd won a free booth at Expo West 2027.
Finally, Jesse Suarez, founder of Hola Mija Chips — one of the first tallow tortilla chips on the market, made with nixtamal corn and beef tallow — breaks down his experience with Startup CPG's one-on-one retailer meetings, including how a meeting at Winter Fancy Food in San Diego helped close a deal with Buy Rite a week later, and how a 10-minute conversation at Expo West ended with a buyer saying yes on the spot.
Listen in as they cover:
What it's actually like to exhibit in the Startup CPG section for the first time, from sampling strategy to sample counts to the community energy on the floor
How Gato Dates went from a washing machine disaster and second place to winning a free Expo West 2027 booth
Why one-on-one retailer meetings are open to all Startup CPG community members, not just brands exhibiting in the section
How Jesse's patience with Sprouts, Buy Rite, and Mother's Market paid off over months and multiple touch points
Why showing up repeatedly — even when you hear no — is one of the most powerful things a founder can do
Whether you're a first-time exhibitor trying to figure out how to make Expo worth it, a brand who's never heard of Alley Rally, or a founder who keeps getting passed over for one-on-ones and is starting to lose hope, this episode is for you.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Craig Dubitsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Happy Products — a modern beverage brand reimagining how coffee can make us feel. Craig is one of CPG's most iconic brand builders, having created category-defining household staples like eos and hello. With hello, he built the fastest-growing oral care brand in North America before its acquisition by Colgate, where he went on to serve as Chief Innovation Officer. His newest venture, Happy Products, was co-founded alongside Robert Downey Jr. and launched in partnership with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) — the largest grassroots mental health organization in America.
Craig brings decades of hard-won experience across brand building, capital management, fundraising, and navigating strategic partnerships through acquisition. In this episode, he shares the lessons that shaped him, what founders should have in place before embarking on a fundraise, and the mental models he uses to build things people genuinely fall in love with.
Craig and Hannah dig into the full arc of building a brand from zero: why advisory boards are one of the most underused fundraising tools, how to pitch investors without your hat in hand, and why the obsession with valuation and dilution often misses the point entirely. He also unpacks what made hello attractive to Colgate, why "exit" is the wrong word for what happens when a strategic acquires your company, and why everything costs more and takes longer than you think — no matter how many times you've done it.
Listen in as they cover:
Craig's winding career path: derivatives trading, relocation startups, Method, eos, hello, Colgate, and now Happy Products
Why Happy isn't a coffee company — it's in the "Happy business," with coffee as the delivery system
How NAMI ended up on Happy's cap table from day zero — and what makes that different from typical purpose-driven brand partnerships
Why the magic of a brand is harder than the math — and why getting the magic right usually takes care of the math
The advisory board strategy: how to stack the deck before you have traction, revenue, or a full team
What investors actually want to see: identified manufacturers, cost of goods, margin assumptions, retailer interest, and team
Why founders who obsess over valuation and dilution are asking the wrong questions
The story of hello's first toothpaste bottle — a packaging pivot that almost never happened, and why it's a masterclass in listening to the market
What made hello irresistible to Colgate: cross-channel distribution, strong repeat, brand differentiation, and a team that could execute at pace
Why Craig calls the Colgate deal an "entrance," not an exit
His most important piece of capital advice: always plan for it to cost more and take longer
Whether you're a first-time founder or on your fourth company, this episode is a masterclass in building with intention, raising with humility, and creating things people want to have in their lives forever.
Episode Links:
Happy Products: happyproducts.com
Craig Dubitsky on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/craig-dubitsky-40612
Happy Products on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/we-are-happy-products
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
Founder Feature: Matt Beaman of Goodburn Sauce Co.
17 Apr 2026
00:26:26
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Matt Beaman, co-founder of Goodburn Sauce Co., a regenerative, farm-focused hot sauce brand based in Austin, Texas with a deep love for rare and exotic chili peppers from around the world.
Matt shares how a career that took him from writing for kids' television to Disney marketing to Facebook brand management ultimately led him back to Austin — and into the world of hot sauce. He introduces co-founder Carson Hoovestol, a reggae dub producer and longtime natural products retail veteran who has been plant-based for decades and brings an encyclopedic knowledge of produce and ingredients to the brand.
Together, they dig into the origin of Goodburn's anchor ingredient — the Papa Dreadie Scotch Bonnet pepper, a legendary Austin variety with roots in Jamaica and a backstory that involves a beloved local character, a reggae scene, and a frozen stash of heirloom seeds that arrived like something out of Jurassic Park. Caitlin shares her own personal favorite, the Arbol Primo, and makes a strong case that the hot sauce market is far less saturated once you actually taste what's inside the bottles.
Listen in as they cover:
How a friendship, a garden, and a legendary pepper variety became a hot sauce brand — How dates and fruit replace sugar in Goodburn's sauces — and why there are zero natural flavors, artificial flavors, or preservatives — The regenerative farming philosophy behind the brand and the Texas and California farm partners making it possible — What the "Goodburn zone" actually means and why finding that heat sweet spot is harder than it looks — The branding story behind Goodburn's standout label, from the OG designers to creative director Zach Shapiro — Where Goodburn is currently carried, including a recent acceptance into Central Market — What's coming next: South American, African, and Chinese pepper-inspired sauces and a first funding round
Whether you're a founder navigating a crowded condiment aisle, a buyer looking for a premium hot sauce with a real story behind it, or a heat lover who's tired of sauces that are either too mild or too punishing, this episode is for you.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
#244 - Live Pitch Practice & Feedback
14 Apr 2026
00:50:32
In this special episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff and Managing Editor Caitlin Bricker — a former retail buyer — run a live pitch practice session recorded on YouTube Live, where founders jumped up to deliver their 30-second pitch and got direct, actionable feedback in real time. The result is one of the most broadly useful episodes we've ever put out: whether you pitched or just watched, the feedback applies to you.
Eleven brands across food, beverage, supplements, and pet stepped up: an Ayurvedic wellness tea, a kava seltzer, a low-carb donut and cookie brand, an umami seasoning, a women's hormonal health supplement powder, a pet training treat in a portable tube, a dessert butter, and a salon-quality cuticle oil line. Every pitch got something different — and every piece of feedback is worth hearing.
Together, Daniel and Caitlin break down the mechanics of a strong pitch: why your energy matters more than your talking points, how to proactively answer the buyer's unspoken questions, why uptalk will quietly kill your credibility, and what it means to actually lead with your product.
Listen in as they cover:
Why energy and confidence beat a perfectly memorized script every time
The single question every buyer is thinking but won't always ask: will this actually sell?
Camera setup, lighting, and the small technical details that make a big impression on Zoom pitches
Why "first ever" is a phrase to avoid — and what to say instead
How to use proof points, velocity data, and repeat purchase rates to earn trust fast
What adaptogenic actually means — and why you need to know before you say it
When your founding story helps you and when it costs you valuable pitch time
Why D2C traction and social following should come up earlier than most founders think
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
R&D Radio: Travis Zissu from Scale Food Lab
13 Apr 2026
00:28:54
In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Travis Zissu, founder of Scale Food Labs — an FDA-registered pilot food manufacturing facility in Golden, Colorado helping emerging brands turn benchtop formulas into scalable, production-ready products. With over a decade of food industry experience spanning culinary school at the CIA, GNT Natural Colors, and Chew Innovation, Travis has made it his mission to democratize the product development knowledge he's accumulated and make scalability a first principle, not an afterthought.
Travis walks through his end-to-end process — from ingredient sourcing and prototype development to consumer testing, pilot runs, and full production — and explains why discovering problems before you hit a manufacturer is worth far more than any single formula tweak. He also shares why 90% acceptance is the real launch threshold, and what founders get dangerously wrong when they fall in love with their home kitchen recipe.
He also dives into two standout client stories: a founder who came to Expo West with four vague ideas and left with a launched, distributor-ready hot-filled acidified product — and a farmer's market entrepreneur who went from buying spice jars at Whole Foods to opening a $12 million facility.
Listen in as they discuss:
Why sourcing from scalable suppliers must happen before you ever touch the bench
The danger of switching ingredient suppliers at scale — and the real cost of finding out too late
Why you'll never launch exactly what you made at home, and why that's okay
How Scale Food Labs stress tests pilots: turning up heat, skipping stirs, and pouring off at multiple intervals
Protein trends: the rise of animal-based protein, BLG (beta-lactoglobulin) whey, and a supply chain already running dry through 2027
Fiber as a parallel trend — and why GI distress is the thing that kills fiber-forward products
Cell-based meats: what it's actually like to taste cultured chicken, and why Travis is rooting hard for the category
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
Investor Spotlight: Elly Truesdell, New Fare Partners
11 Apr 2026
00:38:44
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Elly Truesdell, founder and Managing Partner at New Fare Partners — a seed and Series A venture fund investing exclusively in food and beverage across the value chain. Elly brings one of the most distinctive full-stack perspectives in consumer investing: she spent nearly a decade at Whole Foods leading local brands and product innovation across the Northeast region and then globally, ran a co-manufacturing facility for 18 months, and co-founded Made by Nacho — a premium cat food brand launched with Bobby Flay that recently closed a successful acquisition. That rare combination of retail buying, operating, and founding experience is the backbone of what New Fare brings to its portfolio.
New Fare Fund 1 is a $20M vehicle (plus a couple of SPVs, bringing total AUM to around $25M), and the fund writes first checks of $500K to $1M at seed and Series A, with the intention of getting to know founders for months — and often years — before investing.
Hannah and Elly dig into what the Venn diagram between retail buying diligence and investor diligence actually looks like, how founders should adjust their pitch when moving from buyer conversations to investor conversations, and what the right team structure looks like when gearing up for a fundraise. They also tackle the question straight from the Startup CPG Slack community: what matters more — sales growth or profitability?
Listen in as they cover:
Elly's path from Whole Foods local brands and innovation to co-manufacturing to co-founding Made by Nacho with Bobby Flay to launching New Fare Partners
New Fare's fund structure, check size, stage focus, and investment thesis around the modern eater and premiumization
The Venn diagram between retail buyer diligence and investor diligence — where they overlap and where they diverge
How founders should adjust their pitch when moving from buyer conversations to investor conversations
The power dynamic difference: why your investor relationship should not look like your retailer relationship
What Elly looks for in founders — motivation, conviction, and why she wants to see a little pushback in term sheet negotiations
Team structure advice: two paths to building — formidable infrastructure from day one vs. lean and fractional with finance as the non-negotiable first hire
The Slack community case study question answered: sales growth vs. profitability — and why it's life stage dependent
Why the overcorrection toward profitability has not lowered growth expectations — the bar is just higher now
Consumer behavior and macro trends driving New Fare's thesis: premiumization, time collapse, and the shift in how people receive food
Whether you're a founder preparing for your first fundraise, an operator navigating the retail-to-investor pivot, or someone building in food and bev who wants to understand how the smartest investors in the room are actually thinking — this episode is a must listen.
Episode Links:
New Fare Partners: https://www.newfarepartners.com Elly Truesdell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elly-truesdell-5106b65b/ New Fare Partners on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-fare/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
Founder Feature: Hannah Pollack of Nightingale Ice Cream
10 Apr 2026
00:30:01
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Hannah Pollack, founder and CEO of Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches—a high-quality ice cream novelty brand celebrating its 10th anniversary. Nightingale crafts elevated ice cream sandwiches using non-GMO, sustainably sourced ingredients in flavors like key lime pie, banana pudding, and caramel churro that melt the way real ice cream should.
Hannah shares how leaving the Marine Corps led her to culinary school, where she met her husband—a classically trained Belgian chef she lovingly calls Belgian Santa Claus—and how a dessert on their restaurant menu became the foundation of a nationally distributed brand. Caitlin shares how she first encountered Nightingale at the UNFI trade show in June 2025, courtesy of a very enthusiastic fellow exhibitor, and has been a devoted fan ever since.
Together, they dig into what real ice cream actually is (and what frozen dairy desserts are trying to get away with), the strict temperature logistics of scaling a frozen novelty from Richmond, Virginia to California, and why doing site visits with distribution partners is non-negotiable. Plus, Hannah shares breaking news about Nightingale's expansion into 175 Whole Foods center store locations.
Listen in as they cover:
How a restaurant dessert became a nationally recognized ice cream sandwich brand
The real difference between ice cream and frozen dairy desserts—and why it matters
Why Nightingale's ice cream melts like ice cream should, and the challenge of keeping it that way through distribution
The red flags and green flags Hannah looks for when vetting distribution partners
How a culinary background and mise en place mentality shaped the way they run their facility
Seasonality in frozen: what April through August looks like for a brand like Nightingale
The breaking news on their Whole Foods center store expansion into 175 locations
What 10 years of growth looks like—from hand-stamped packages at farmers markets to Food Network and Food & Wine recognition
Whether you're a founder navigating the frozen aisle, a buyer looking for the next standout novelty brand, or someone who's been burned by a frozen dairy dessert pretending to be ice cream, this episode is for you.
Episode Links:
Nightingale Ice Cream Website: https://www.nightingaleicecream.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nightingaleicecream/ Hannah Pollack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-pollack-a231b12b2/ Nightingale Ice Cream on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nightingale-ice-cream-sandwiches/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
#243 - Building Your Team Legal Considerations with Giannuzzi Lewendon
07 Apr 2026
00:53:42
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Blake Horn and Ryan Hall, both partners at CPG-exclusive law firm Giannuzzi Lewendon, to dig into one of the most overlooked parts of building a brand: doing it legally right from day one. From horror stories at the closing table to the nuances of vesting schedules and co-founder agreements, Blake and Ryan share hard-won lessons and cautionary tales that every founder — at any stage — needs to hear.
Blake opens with a jaw-dropping story of a founder at a multi-hundred-million-dollar exit who got a call from someone they hadn't thought about in 20 years claiming to own half the company — based on a napkin agreement. Ryan follows with a tale of informal equity promises that produced costly litigation and wiped out a significant chunk of sale proceeds. Both stories drive home the same lesson: the problems you ignore early on don't disappear — they compound.
The conversation covers the most common early-stage mistakes: misclassifying employees as independent contractors, failing to put basic offer letters and IP agreements in place, and making informal equity promises without documentation. Blake and Ryan explain why these issues are the number one thing that surfaces in investor and acquirer diligence — and why cleaning them up gets exponentially harder the longer you wait.
They also get into the nuances that make CPG uniquely complex: hourly vs. salaried employees, field reps vs. office staff, co-manufacturer relationships, and why co-founder vesting looks very different in CPG than in tech. Blake and Ryan walk through how to structure equity grants using performance-based and time-based vesting schedules, what acceleration clauses mean at exit, and what to say — and not say — when you have to let someone go.
Whether you're hiring your first employee, bringing on a co-founder, or getting ready to raise a round, this episode is the legal foundation you didn't know you needed.
Listen in as they discuss:
Why informal equity promises and napkin agreements can resurface at the worst possible moment — decades later
The real risks of misclassifying employees as independent contractors, and why it's the #1 thing acquirers look for in diligence
The essential documents every early-stage brand should have in place: offer letters, IP/NDA agreements, equity plans, and employee handbooks
Why CPG companies face unique employment complexity — hourly vs. salaried, field reps, contract manufacturers, and more
How vesting schedules work — and when to use performance-based vs. time-based structures
The co-founder vesting conversation: why it's different in CPG, and why you still need to have it
What to do (and what not to do) when you have to terminate an employee — and why a separation agreement is a powerful cleanup tool
How to audit your employment practices before a fundraise or acquisition so you're not scrambling at the last minute
Why using AI or generic templates for employment documents is a false economy — and what it actually costs to fix them later
Ryan Hall – Partner, Giannuzzi Lewendon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-hall-3517344/
Giannuzzi Lewendon Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giannuzzi-lewendon-llp/ Website: https://gllaw.us/ or email either of them at blake@gllaw.us and rhall@gllaw.us.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
Investor Spotlight: Denise Lambertson, Constellation Capital
04 Apr 2026
00:35:37
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Denise Lambertson, founder and Managing Partner at Constellation Capital — a boutique follow-in venture fund investing in consumable CPG and wellness brands. Denise brings one of the most distinctive backgrounds in consumer investing: she began her career as Madonna's executive assistant, spent six years producing world tours and brand partnerships, then built LMS, a pioneering celebrity and influencer marketing agency that served nearly 250 businesses over 15 years. That experience became the foundation for Constellation Capital, where she pools celebrity, athlete, influencer, and operator LPs to deploy both capital and deep marketing expertise into emerging brands.
Constellation's Fund 1 ($10M, fully deployed, launched 2018) concentrated heavily on consumable CPG, and Fund 2 (targeting $25M) is currently in market. The fund writes initial checks of ~$250K as a follow-in investor — meaning Denise doesn't lead rounds or set terms, but invests alongside institutional or angel leads and brings differentiated value through what she calls her "network capital advantage."
Hannah and Denise dig into what it really means to be a follow-in investor, what Denise's diligence process looks like through a marketing lens, and what she's seeing work — and not work — in digital and influencer marketing today. They also tackle the growing importance of AI literacy for CPG founders, what pre-launch marketing done right actually looks like, and what team structure should look like before an early-stage fundraise.
Listen in as they cover:
Denise's path from Madonna's executive assistant to pioneering celebrity/influencer marketing to venture capital
Constellation Capital's fund structure, LP base (celebrities, athletes, influencers, operators, independent grocers), and investment thesis
What a follow-in investor actually does — and how it differs from a lead investor
How Denise sources deals, collaborates with co-investors, and adds value post-check
The "network capital advantage" and why celebrity alone does not make a business
A standout portfolio company that built 30,000 qualified email subscribers before launch — and why it worked
What founder EQ looks like: the portfolio founder who consistently does exactly what she says she'll do
Why AI literacy is now a core diligence criterion in Fund 2 — and how it can add 12–18 months of runway
Influencer marketing reframed: building it as a performance channel and distribution network, not just getting posts
Why "we haven't spent anything on marketing" is not a flex — and what investors actually want to see
Team structure advice: no more than four people pre-fundraise, lean into fractional talent and AI tools
How to reach Denise, co-invest with Constellation, and get started in CPG investing
Whether you're a founder preparing to fundraise, an operator building out your marketing strategy, or someone curious about what non-traditional paths into venture capital look like, this episode is full of sharp, practical insight from someone who's been in the room — and on the stage — from the very beginning.
Episode Links:
Constellation Capital: [constellationcapital.com]
Denise Lambertson on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deniselambertson
Denise Lambertson on Substack: Constellation Capital
Connect with the guest: Denise Lambertson — Founder & Managing Partner, Constellation Capital 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deniselambertson/ 📧 Pitch: diligence@constellationcapital.com 📧 Connect/co-invest: info@constellationcapital.com
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
Founder Feature: Gabriella Labi and Tonya Reznikovich of Gato Dates
03 Apr 2026
00:34:32
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Gabriella Labi and Tonya Reznikovich, co-founders of Gato Dates—dark chocolate covered, nut butter stuffed Medjool dates in four decadent flavors: pistachio butter, cashew butter and walnut, almond butter, and peanut butter.
Gabriella shares how years of working with functional medicine doctors, studying nutrition, and hosting Friday night Shabbat dinners led her to create a treat she could eat every day without guilt—one that just happened to blow every guest's mind. Tonya shares how one bite at that dinner table sent her straight to the freezer for seconds and eventually to writing a full business plan email.
Together, they built Gato Dates from a home kitchen staple into a brand with celebrity fans, a loyal DTC following, and major retail accounts on the horizon—all while staying true to the premium, giftable identity that sets them apart in a crowded snack landscape.
Caitlin and Gabriella and Tonya dig into why quality ingredients are non-negotiable, how five months of LA farmers markets became their proof-of-concept lab, and why organic celebrity discovery (think: LeAnn Rimes sharing with Kristin Cavallari) beats any influencer gifting strategy. They also cover the logistics of co-packing whole Medjool dates, the case for local delivery as a farmers market transition, and what it really looks like to go full-time on a food brand in year two.
Listen in as they cover:
How a Shabbat dinner dessert became the foundation of a luxury confection brand
Why Medjool dates are the perfect vessel—and why size really does matter
The farmers market strategy that generated $1,500 on day one and proved the concept
How LeAnn Rimes, Kristin Cavallari, and Addison Rae found Gato Dates completely organically
The giftable format strategy that's turning customers into brand ambassadors
Their retail expansion playbook: knocking on doors, building buyer relationships, and landing major grocery accounts
What being invited into a giveaway with Fishwife, Poppy, and Loops Beauty meant to them
The upcoming healthy Nutella spread and what's next for the brand
Why year two is the hardest—and what separates brands that survive from those that don't
Whether you're a founder figuring out how to scale a premium food product, a buyer looking for the next breakout confection brand, or a date obsessive who just needs to know where to get your next fix, this episode is for you.
Episode Links: Gato Dates Website: https://gatodates.com Gabriella Labi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriella-labi-25a3079b/ Tonya Reznikovich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonya-reznikovich/ Gato Dates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gato-dates/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Brian Chau, founder of Chau Time — an R&D operations consulting firm lowering the barrier to entry in the food industry. With a team of 12 spanning every U.S. time zone and experience across 20+ countries, Brian walks through the full concept-to-commercialization process and shares why setting clear parameters — with ranges — is the single most important thing an entrepreneur can do before working with a food scientist.
Brian breaks down his four-phase R&D process, explains the trade-offs between cost, flavor, nutrition, and shelf life that every founder inevitably faces, and makes a bold prediction: fiber will eventually surpass protein as the dominant functional ingredient trend.
He also shares two standout case studies in better-for-you chocolate: Dirty Gut (prebiotic/probiotic chocolate using fiber stacking from upcycled cocoa husks, acacia fiber, and chicory inulin) and Femme Health (a women's health chocolate using lactoferrin for improved iron absorption) — both developed during the global cacao supply crisis.
Listen in as they discuss:
Why you should create a parameter list with ranges before engaging any food scientist
The four phases of R&D and why three rounds of development is the magic number for an MVP
Fiber stacking: what it is and why it makes functional chocolate work
How to navigate the cacao supply crisis by going direct to smaller and heirloom farmers
Why fiber is poised to surpass protein over the next decade
Bioactives trending in women's health, sexual wellness, and mushroom-derived nutraceuticals
How startups vs. large companies prioritize trade-offs very differently
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
#242 - KeHE Grocery Run Recap
31 Mar 2026
00:32:42
In this special episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with the three winning brands from Startup CPG's biggest-ever Grocery Run event — held the night before the KeHE Summer Show in Denver. Kiki Couchman (co-founder of Sourmilk), Cam Loyet (founder of Honeymoon Chocolate), and Ryan Raish (founder of Fave) share what it was like to compete among 70 vetted brands in front of 400 buyers and KeHE account managers, and what the night led to for each of their businesses.
Kiki describes how the Grocery Run served as the perfect training ground before Expo West — her brand's very first trade show experience — and how every single conversation felt worth the flight to Denver. Cam shares how the reaction to his brand-new honeycomb chocolate product completely blew away his expectations compared to years of selling bars at Whole Foods. And Ryan reveals how a 15-minute huddle at the event turned into a verbal commitment from Sprouts for a national launch into their innovation set in June — completely reshaping Fave's go-to-market strategy.
Throughout the episode, the founders share hard-won advice on how to stand out at a trade show: bringing a physical hook to the table (like a raw honeycomb frame or a cocoa pod), using bright visuals and branded tablecloths, asking questions instead of pitching, and keeping the energy low-pressure and relationship-first. Ryan also opens up about what made him finally launch his own brand after years in the industry — and why his 4-year-old daughter naming the company "Fave" during a preschool taste test was the sign he needed.
Whether you're preparing for your first trade show, evaluating whether KeHE is the right distribution partner, or just trying to understand what these Grocery Run events are all about, this episode is packed with real, actionable insight from founders who just lived it.
Listen in as they discuss:
What it actually feels like to exhibit at a Grocery Run event — the energy, the camaraderie, and the buyer openness
How Sourmilk used the event to identify which regions were responding best to their product without paying for SPINS data
Why Honeymoon Chocolate's new honeycomb product stole the show — and what it means for their product strategy going forward
How Fave secured a verbal commitment from Sprouts for a national innovation set launch — all from a 15-minute conversation at the event
Booth setup tips: physical hooks, branded tablecloths, tall pitchers, and light leave-behinds buyers will actually carry
How to get a buyer's attention without being pushy — asking for feedback instead of selling, calling out the double-take, and keeping it friendly
Why Ryan spent years in CPG before launching his own brand — and the personal criteria he required before doing it
What early-stage brands can realistically expect from a KeHE onboarding opportunity
Episode Links:
Thank you to KeHe Distributors and our sponsors from our Denver Grocery Run!
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Josh Resnick, co-founder and General Partner at OpenSky Ventures—an early-stage consumer venture firm investing in food, beverage, health, wellness, lifestyle, and the technology that powers growth for consumer brands. Josh brings a rare combination of serial entrepreneurship, deep operating experience, and investor pattern recognition to the table, having built a video game studio (Pandemic Studios) that he sold to Electronic Arts, co-founded the luxury confections brand Sugarfina, and spent years as an angel investor before launching OpenSky.
OpenSky invests at the pre-seed stage with opportunistic Series A involvement, writing checks of $100K–$200K in Fund 1 and scaling to $500K checks in Fund 2 (targeting $25M). What sets them apart is that both partners are former operators — a background that shapes how they access deals, how they evaluate founders, and how they show up as partners over the long haul.
Josh and Hannah dig into everything founders need to know about the fundraising process: how valuations work (and why they're more art than science), why chasing the highest valuation can actually hurt you down the road, and how to think about runway, dilution, and building a cap table that genuinely adds value. They also explore what separates the brands that break through from the ones that don't — from storytelling and brand community to unit economics and must-have product positioning.
They also walk through the full spectrum of funding stages, from the friends-and-family round all the way to Series A, with clear, practical definitions founders can actually use to locate themselves on the journey.
Listen in as they cover:
Josh's journey: from Malibu lemonade stands to Pandemic Studios, Sugarfina, and OpenSky Ventures
OpenSky's investment thesis: stage, categories, check size, and what's changing in Fund 2
The parallels between founders fundraising and VCs fundraising — and what that reveals about what investors need to see
Why valuation is more art than science — and the real risks of setting it too high too early
What a down round signals to investors and how it can trap a brand in a cycle
The case for slowing down: why jumping straight into Costco might not be the right first move
How to think about runway — and why you should always raise a little more than you think you need
The founder traits Josh sees in every successful company he's backed: problem solving, storytelling, authenticity, and "must have" positioning
A founder spotlight: Becca at Fishwife, and why lean cost DNA and branding instincts are a winning combination
What makes a great investor partner — and the specific questions founders should ask before they sign
A clear breakdown of the funding stages: friends & family, pre-seed, seed, and Series A
Advice for anyone who wants to break into CPG investing — and why becoming an LP first might be the smartest move
Whether you're a founder preparing to fundraise, an operator thinking about the jump to investing, or just someone who wants to understand how early-stage CPG capital actually works, this episode is packed with practical, hard-won insight.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin, Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
Founder Feature: Edouardo Jordan of The Food with Roots
27 Mar 2026
00:27:40
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Edouardo Jordan, founder of Food with Roots—an ethnic food brand based in Seattle, Washington, celebrating Black food ways through products like their award-winning pimento cheese and Southern cornbread mixes.
Edouardo shares how a love of cooking with his mom and grandmother in St. Petersburg, Florida led him through an unlikely path: a college degree in sports management, a stint with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, culinary school against his mother's wishes, and eventually a career cooking at some of the world's most celebrated restaurants—including the French Laundry and Per Se. He went on to open his own restaurants in Seattle, becoming the first African American to win two James Beard Awards in a single night.
When the pandemic shuttered his restaurants, Edouardo saw an opportunity. Customers who loved his pimento cheese—a staple on his restaurant menu—wanted to keep getting it at home. That question sparked the launch of Food with Roots, which quickly landed on shelves at Whole Foods and local Pacific Northwest markets.
Caitlin and Edouardo dig into why he put chitlins on his fine dining menu as a deliberate act of reclamation, how he's building a brand around the motto "sharing soulful stories through food," and why he intentionally resists making Food with Roots a "Black-owned brand" first—and a quality product second. They also cover his nonprofit Soul of Seattle, which has raised over $1 million for youth of color in the greater Seattle area, and his long-term vision to take his pimento cheese from the Pacific Northwest to coast-to-coast distribution.
Listen in as they cover:
How a childhood show-and-tell moment involving chitlins shaped Edouardo's identity as a chef and storyteller
Why foods like oxtail and pimento cheese were "poverty food" to his grandparents—and how he's working to reclaim and celebrate them
The tension between leading with Black identity versus leading with product quality in CPG retail
How Food with Roots got its start during the pandemic and landed in Whole Foods and Metropolitan Market
His expansion targets: California and Texas, markets already familiar with pimento cheese
The story behind Soul of Seattle and why he pays vendors to participate rather than charging booth fees
Why Food with Roots' pimento cheese retails at $9.99—and why it's worth every penny
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
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Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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#241 - Breaking Into Misfits Market: What the Buying Team Actually Wants
24 Mar 2026
00:51:28
Think Misfits Market is just a place to offload short-coded inventory? Think again. In this episode, Daniel Scharff sits down with the Misfits Market buying team — Steve Edelman, Jessie Kimsey, and Emma Dineen — to pull back the curtain on the "new" Misfits Market and what it really takes to get your brand into their curated assortment.
From the treasure hunt experience they've built for subscribers to the live brand pitching session at the end, this one is packed with insight for any emerging CPG brand looking to crack e-commerce.
You will learn:
How Misfits evolved from rescued produce to a tightly curated grocery destination of ~1,100 SKUs
The three pathways to get on their platform: opportunity buys, LTOs, and replenishment
What a winning pitch email actually looks like (hint: know their assortment before you reach out)
Why transparency about your pricing, MOQs, and operations matters more than a perfect margin
What categories they're actively looking to fill right now: dairy, frozen, charcuterie, and more
Why some brands that underperform elsewhere absolutely soar on Misfits — and the "1 in 1,100" advantage
Live brand pitches from the audience — and which ones made the Misfits team's eyes go wide
Episode Links:
Brands who pitched:
Vital Halva — Brooklyn sesame bar, 19g fiber, 12g protein: https://vitalhalva.com/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Mollye Santulli, Principal at Springdale Ventures—an early-stage consumer venture firm investing in food, beverage, beauty, pet, personal care, and supplements. Mollye brings a rare combination of brand-side operating experience and investor pattern recognition to the table, having started her career at RXBar, gone on to General Mills and Simple Mills, and joined Springdale during her MBA before coming on full time in 2024.
Springdale invests in brands doing $1–$15 million in revenue, with a sweet spot of $1–$5 million, partnering with founder-led brands at the seed and Series A stage. What sets them apart isn't just the check—it's that every person on the team, from founding partners Genevieve and Dan to Mollye herself, has operated inside consumer brands. That operating DNA shapes everything from how they evaluate deals to how they show up for founders over a five-to-ten year investment relationship.
Mollye and Hannah dig into what Springdale is actually looking for when they underwrite a deal: repeat purchase data, velocity across retail and DTC, a clear path to $100M+ in revenue, and a believable exit story. But just as important as the metrics is the founder—someone who understands their unit economics cold, can attract and inspire a team, and responds to feedback in a way that signals they'll be a good long-term partner.
They also tackle one of the trickiest questions in early-stage fundraising: how do you communicate scale potential when you're building in an unproven or emerging category? Mollye's answer is practical—get retailer feedback, find tangential comps, and make it as easy as possible for investors to see where your product lives on shelf.
Throughout the conversation, Mollye and Hannah discuss the investment journey from first check to exit, why cash management and hiring are the two things Springdale spends the most time on post-investment, and what founders should be asking investors before they sign anything.
Listen in as they cover:
Springdale's investment thesis: categories, check sizes, stage, and what "early stage" really means
Why the team's operating background shapes how they partner with founders
How trends factor into (and don't drive) Springdale's investment decisions
Current areas of excitement: protein, GLP-1 tailwinds, fiber, and frozen
The diligence pillars Springdale anchors on — repeat data, velocity, scale path, and exit potential
Why understanding your own unit economics might be the single most important founder trait
How to communicate category size when you're building something genuinely new
What the company profile looks like at investment vs. exit
Why $100M in revenue is Springdale's general threshold for believable exit conviction
A Slack community case study: how long do you actually need to show traction?
How to build a relationship with Springdale before you're ready to raise
Advice for anyone who wants to break into CPG investing
Whether you're a founder preparing to fundraise, an operator thinking about making the jump to the investing side, or just someone who wants to understand how early-stage CPG capital actually works, this episode is packed with actionable insight.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Jessica Hamel, founder of PlantChi, a new type of pantry staple made from superseed blends mixed with flavorful ingredients that you can sprinkle on anything for effortless nutrition from real food. No optimization required.
Jessica shares how growing up in a "weird food house" in the 90s, running long distances without a watch, and a doctor's simple advice to sprinkle hemp seeds on everything all converged into a brand built on one core belief: nourishment shouldn't be stressful. PlantChi isn't trying to make you a Greek God. It's trying to make you feel a little more nourished—one sprinkle at a time.
With a background in marketing and a previous natural frosting company whose customers included some of the top ultra runners in the world, Jessica brings both creative instincts and hard-won CPG experience to PlantChi. She's self-funded, scrappy, and deeply intentional—using farmer's markets as live market research, updating packaging based on real customer feedback, and choosing to slow down on retail expansion in early 2026 to first build a strong online community and education foundation.
Caitlin and Jessica dig into why 62% of consumers no longer believe health claims, why seeds don't need to be revolutionary to be powerful, and why PlantChi's positioning—real food that just happens to be nutritious—is landing at exactly the right cultural moment. They also cover Jessica's honest take on protein label deception, the underrated power of independent retailers, and why anyone starting a food business just to make fast money is, in her words, what's wrong with the industry.
Throughout the conversation, they discuss the parallels between PlantChi and the broader consumer fatigue with wellness as performance, the buzz around fiber and protein heading into 2026, and why a product toddlers keep coming back to at a vegan festival might be the ultimate market validation.
Listen in as they cover:
Why Jessica built PlantChi as an antidote to wellness optimization culture
How farmer's markets became her most valuable (and actionable) market research tool
The packaging update that came directly from customer feedback
Why seeds are an underrated, nutrient-dense answer to the protein and fiber craze
The truth about misleading protein claims and consumer trust in food brands
Her strategy of pausing retail growth to invest in community and education first
What independent retailers like Happier Grocer and Levers Locavore taught her about launching smart
Her advice to founders: follow your heart, stay resourceful, and don't ruin the industry
How PlantChi compares to everything but the bagel seasoning—and why it wins on nutrition
Whether you're a founder looking for a grounded approach to brand building, a buyer searching for a joyful new addition to the spice aisle, or a consumer who's exhausted by wellness culture and just wants to eat good food, this episode is for you.
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
R&D Radio: Rachel Zemser, Founder of A La Carte Connections
19 Mar 2026
00:28:29
In this debut episode of R&D Radio, a series hosted by Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Rachel Zemser, founder of A La Carte Connections. With 30+ years in the field and hundreds of products brought to market, Rachel shares the advice that stops most entrepreneurs in their tracks: before you spend a dime on R&D, find your co packer.
Rachel explains why the manufacturing process represents 60% of what you're actually building, walks through how to use platforms like Keychain and PartnerSlate to start that search, and shares the real story of bringing Island Vibe — musician Pretty Kenny's cocktail mixer — from kitchen concept to award-winning pasteurized beverage. She and Adam also dig into the sweetener landscape: why allulose and erythritol are letting formulators down on functionality, why small amounts of real sugar are quietly making a comeback, and date sugar's surprising FDA classification.
Listen in as they discuss:
Why co packer conversations should come before any R&D
How having a food scientist gets you taken seriously by manufacturers
The Island Vibe cocktail mixer story: concept to production run
Co packer negotiating dynamics — and why founders need to bend more than they think
The "cleanish label" trend: small amounts of real sugar returning for functionality
Why allulose won't crystallize and erythritol won't brown
Date sugar's status as a non-added sugar under current FDA guidance
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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Mini Episode: Extracts and Essences (Tea, Coffee, and more) with Vibrant Ingredients
18 Mar 2026
00:11:56
In this bonus mini episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Bill Hayes, Director of R&D Applications at Vibrant Ingredients, to finally answer a question that trips up a lot of product developers: what's the actual difference between a tea extract and a tea essence?
Bill breaks it down in the most satisfying way — that irresistible aroma that hits you the second hot water meets a tea bag? That's your essence. The body, color, astringency, and mouthfeel that makes a tea beverage actually taste like tea? That's your extract. Together, they're what makes a great RTD tea tick.
Vibrant Ingredients is the world's largest private equity-owned natural ingredients provider, and they're doing a lot more than tea. The conversation covers cold brew coffee extracts, natural flavors, functional ingredients like L-theanine, EGCG, and natural caffeine — all using a pure water-based extraction process that keeps things clean and natural. Bill also shares his tips for formulators and brand founders on how to move quickly from concept to commercialization by knowing your "must haves" vs. your "nice to haves" and partnering with ingredient suppliers who actually understand your brand's mission.
If you're working on a tea, coffee, or functional beverage — or just curious how your favorite RTD gets that fresh-brewed character — this one's for you.
About Startup CPG: Startup CPG is the largest community for emerging CPG brands: 35,000+ Slack members, the #1 podcast in CPG, 100+ events per year, and award-winning resources to help brands grow. Join free today: https://startupcpg.com/sign-up
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
#240 - Introducing Startup CPG's R&D Radio with Adam Yee
17 Mar 2026
00:16:36
Host Daniel Scharff introduces the newest addition to the Startup CPG Podcast family: R&D Radio, a brand new segment hosted by food scientist, serial entrepreneur, and podcast veteran Adam Yee. Going forward, Adam will be interviewing product developers, formulators, and R&D experts to bring emerging brands deep into the world of research and development—without requiring a technical background to follow along.
Adam brings 12+ years of food science experience, having founded two food businesses (Better Meat Company and Sobo Foods), hosted 300+ episodes of the My Food Job Rocks podcast, and built his consultancy UmaiWorks around helping people turn ideas into real products. In this introductory episode, Daniel and Adam talk about what R&D Radio is, why it exists, and what brands can expect from upcoming episodes.
Listen in as they discuss:
Why Startup CPG launched R&D Radio and what it aims to do for emerging brands
Adam's background as a food scientist, entrepreneur, and podcast host
The launch of Startup CPG's first-ever Product Developer Directory—and how it was built
What makes a great formulator-brand relationship, and why personality matters as much as technical skill
The different ways product developers work: from 0-to-1 concept development to co-packer navigation to hands-on lab assets
Adam's own "passion ingredient" focus on Asian flavors—and why finding a formulator who's excited about your product changes everything
What brands should pay attention to as they listen to upcoming R&D Radio episodes
Episode Links:
Adam Yee – Food Scientist, Entrepreneur & R&D Radio Host
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)