Recipe to Revenue – Details, episodes & analysis

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After a twenty-year career as an international civil servant, Cynthia Coutu faced an unexpected career crossroads at age fifty. Her solution involved pursuing her passion for wine, getting her certification, and building a boutique wine tourism company.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Cynthia Coutu, founder of Delectabulles. Cynthia shares her journey from moving to Paris for an art history degree to launching a champagne networking club. She explains the mechanics of transitioning into a highly scalable, audience-based wine tourism model.

Listen to learn:

🍷 How a passion for wine and cheese turned into a specialization in champagne.
🥂 Why exclusively serving champagnes made by women sets Delectabulles apart.
🧘‍♀️ How bringing in activities like yoga and playing pétanque drives innovative educational events.
💻 The shift from a digital communications background to hosting online champagne tastings during the pandemic.
📈 The operational blueprint for listening to your audience to build a customer-centric business.

Whether you operate a new venture or want to scale an existing brand, Cynthia breaks down the exact plays needed to build a purposeful and predictable revenue engine.

Learn more about Delectabulles:
🌐 https://www.delectabulles.com/en/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodtruck #stadiumonwheels #cateringbusiness #franchising #entrepreneurship #businessstrategy #foodbusiness #phoenixaz #scalingbusiness #foodandbeverage

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When the pandemic hit, Steven Guistolise’s Chicagoland food trailer faced an existential crisis. His solution involved moving across the country, rebranding, and building a franchise.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Steven Guistolise, founder of Stadium on Wheels. Steven shares his journey from starting a humble food trailer in 2019 to navigating a massive strategic relocation to Phoenix, Arizona. He explains the mechanics of moving away from unpredictable street traffic and transitioning to a highly scalable, event-based catering model.

Listen to learn:

🚚 How moving to a new market saved and transformed a struggling food trailer
⚾ Why serving "stadium style" full meals sets them apart from typical food trucks
🤝 How giving 10% of sales back to youth leagues drives guaranteed event bookings
🌭 The shift from chasing foot traffic to an innovative event-based catering model
📈 The operational blueprint for franchising a mobile food concept

Whether you operate a single mobile unit or want to scale a food concept nationally, Steven breaks down the exact plays needed to build a predictable revenue engine.

Learn more about Delectabulles:
🌐 https://www.delectabulles.com/en/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodtruck #stadiumonwheels #cateringbusiness #franchising #entrepreneurship #businessstrategy #foodbusiness #phoenixaz #scalingbusiness #foodandbeverage

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Sometimes the hardest decision in business is turning down revenue—especially when you’re just starting out.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Meghan Luck, founder of Fable Fish Company, about how she transformed a commodity by-product into a premium CPG brand—and why she rejected a massive private label contract to do it.

Listen to learn:

🐟 How to turn supply chain waste into a premium CPG brand
🛑 Why saying “no” to easy revenue protected long-term equity
🤝 The reality of finding a manufacturing partner who truly cares 
🧪 How to scale from kitchen recipes to industrial production
🛒 Why simple trade show presence beat big budget booths
🧠 How to balance daily fires with proactive growth strategy
🎣 Why authentic founder stories win retail partnerships

Whether you’re a bootstrapped founder, a CPG operator, or navigating a family business transition, this episode offers a blueprint for prioritizing long-term value over short-term cash.

Learn more about Fable Fish:
🌐 https://fablefish.co/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #cpgstrategy #brandbuilding #fablefish #wildsalmon #sustainablebusiness #foodsupplychain #upcycledfood #manufacturing #privatevsbrand #founderstories #businessstrategy #bootstrapping #retaildistribution #womenincpg

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Most companies think they have a sales problem. In reality, they have an alignment problem.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with DeAnn Petersson, founder of Sunburst Sales Innovation, about how companies can build predictable revenue without adding headcount by fixing what’s broken between sales, marketing, leadership, and operations.

Listen to learn:

📈 Why most sales challenges are actually alignment issues
🧠 How to move from instinct-driven growth to intentional, repeatable execution
🤝 Why sales needs a seat at the strategy table
💰 How compensation plans often work against growth initiatives
🧩 What true sales and marketing alignment looks like in practice
📊 How companies can grow up to 32% without increasing spend or headcount
🏗️ How to build scalable revenue systems without killing speed or hustle

Whether you’re a founder, sales leader, or operator trying to scale responsibly, this episode offers a clear framework for creating growth that’s predictable, sustainable, and aligned.

Learn more about Sunburst Sales Innovation:
🌐 http://sunburstsi.com 

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #predictablerevenue #salesalignment #revenuegrowth #gotomarket #salesleadership #businessstrategy #revops #scalablesystems #salesandmarketing #growthwithoutheadcount #b2bsales #leadershipdevelopment #commercialstrategy #founderinsights #entrepreneurship

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The coffee industry is massive — but it’s also structurally broken.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina sits down with Andy Kleitsch, co-founder and CEO of Atomo Coffee, to unpack how his team is approaching disruption in a $450B market without alienating consumers, retailers, or the industry itself.

Listen to learn:
☕ Why disrupting coffee requires working within existing consumer rituals
📉 The structural problems inside the global coffee system
🧠 Why market entry strategy matters more than technical perfection
🚀 How Atomo shifted from product innovation to business model innovation
🏪 What Andy learned from launching through cafés and specialty operators
📊 How sustainability became a growth advantage — not a cost
🤝 Why blending into existing products may scale faster than standing alone
🌍 How mission alignment attracts better talent, partners, and investors

Whether you’re building a food or beverage brand, navigating a legacy industry, or trying to turn a mission into a scalable business, this episode offers a clear look at how disruption actually works in practice.

Learn more about Atomo Coffee:
🌐 Website: https://atomocoffee.com 

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodtech #beverageindustry #coffeeindustry #marketdisruption #businessstrategy #foodandbeverage #sustainablebusiness #startupstrategy #founderstory #categorycreation #innovationeconomy #goToMarket #missiondriven #entrepreneurship

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What happens when someone with no distilling background buys a failing rum distillery and rebuilds it into a Louisiana cultural staple?
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Doug Miller of Wildcat Brothers Distilling about how he transformed a struggling operation into a craft rum brand rooted deeply in local agriculture, Cajun and Creole heritage, and true Louisiana terroir.

Listen to learn:
🥃 Why Wildcat Brothers uses raw Louisiana sugar instead of molasses
🌾 How Louisiana terroir shapes the flavor, aroma, and identity of their rum
🧪 What open-air fermentation brings to the spirit (and why it’s so hard to control)
🔥 How Doug rebuilt a failing distillery with zero industry experience
🛢️ The art of aging rum in bourbon barrels and local woods like hickory and persimmon
📉 Why “go smaller to grow bigger” became their guiding business philosophy
📈 How private label projects and small-batch innovation fuel sustainable growth
🏪 The reality of OND season — and how they built year-round revenue to survive it
🤝 Why mentorship and community matter so much in the craft spirits world

Whether you’re building a CPG brand, entering the craft beverage space, or scaling a heritage-driven business, Doug’s story offers a powerful blueprint for growing with authenticity and purpose.

Learn more about Wildcat Brothers Distilling:
 🌐 Website: https://wildcatbrothers.com/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #craftspirits #rumdistilling #louisianaculture #americanrum #craftdistillery #foodandbeverage #founderstory #entrepreneurship #growthmindset #businessstrategy #terroir #artisanrum #cpgroundtable #smallbusinessgrowth

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Most people think water kefir is just another kombucha. It’s not even close. And for Fermenteria founder Jade Chang Sheppard, that misunderstanding became the opportunity to build an entirely new functional beverage category.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Jade about how Fermenteria went from a small taproom to a fully self-manufacturing fermentation brewery producing a zero-sugar, multi-strain probiotic beverage unlike anything else in CPG. Jade reveals why water kefir requires scientific rigor, why no co-packer can make it correctly, and how vertical integration and rapid innovation have become Fermenteria’s biggest strategic advantages.

Listen to learn:
🥤 What water kefir actually is — and why it’s not kombucha
🔬 Why Fermenteria built its own brewery, lab, and 45-barrel system
⚙️ How self-manufacturing protects culture integrity and product quality
🚀 How Fermenteria iterates faster than big beverage brands
🧪 Why a microbiologist is essential to producing real water kefir
🏪 How retail partners respond to a totally new category
💡 How innovation and education drive consumer adoption
👥 The founder mindset behind building something that didn’t yet exist

Whether you’re a CPG founder, a functional beverage innovator, or simply curious about what it takes to build a category from scratch, this conversation pulls back the curtain on the science, discipline, and creativity behind Fermenteria.

Explore more about Fermenteria:
🌐Website: https://fermenteria.com/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fermenteria/ 

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodentrepreneur #cpg #foodandbeverage #waterkefir #functionalbeverages #fermenteddrinks #probioticdrinks #zerosugarbeverages #founderstory #entrepreneurship

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What separates the best-performing teams from the rest, especially in fast-moving and ultra-competitive industries like produce, grocery retail, and CPG?
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Don Klusendorf of D&W Marketing, a leader with decades of experience in fresh produce, category strategy, leadership development, and team building. Don breaks down how strong teams really operate, why clarity and preparedness matter, and how value is the real differentiator in commodity-driven categories.

From building better internal teams to helping retail and foodservice partners solve problems before they arise, Don shares practical leadership lessons shaped by years in the food and beverage industry.

Listen to learn more about:
👥 Why the best teams share definitions, language, and expectations
🚀 How taking initiative helps people build confidence and competence
🥕 What most brands misunderstand about selling in produce and CPG
💡 Why value (not price) is the true competitive edge in commodity categories
📈 Why you should think like a businessperson, not a salesperson
🏆 What turns vendors into trusted problem-solving partners

Whether you lead a sales team, manage produce or CPG accounts, or want to strengthen your leadership skills, this episode offers straightforward tips on building teams that perform and relationships that last.

Explore more about Don:
🔗LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-klusendorf-57909513/ 

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodandbeverage #produceindustry #cpgindustry #teambuilding #businessleadership #selling #b2bfood #categorygrowth #retailmerchandising #valuecreation #entrepreneurship #growthmindset #businessstrategy #leadership

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When every dessert you make is handcrafted from scratch, how do you scale that into a national brand trusted by airlines, cruise lines, hotels, and distributors?
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In this powerful episode of Recipe to Revenue, Autumn Cullen, CEO of Whole Story Meals, shares how she went from stay-at-home mom of five to building a category-defining health company. What began as a mother’s fight to save her child’s life has become a movement changing how hospitals, dietitians, and insurance providers think about medical nutrition.

In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with David Kratchman of Symphony Pastries about how his family-led business has become a premium powerhouse in the dessert industry. From the rise of the viral Dubai chocolate to mastering consistency, value creation, and speed to market, David shares the strategies that fuel Symphony’s growth.

Listen to learn more about:
🍰 Why handmade quality is still their winning differentiator
⚡ How “speed wins” became Symphony’s competitive advantage
🏆 The role of consistency in building trust with major clients
👨‍👩‍👦 How family values shape leadership, culture, and execution
🔍 Turning trend-spotting into real product innovation
🤝 Why value is what truly sets premium brands apart
🚀 The mindset needed to scale handcrafted products nationwide

Whether you’re building a CPG brand, scaling a foodservice business, or leading a team in a fast-moving industry, this episode offers insights about leadership, operational excellence, and premium brand positioning.

Explore more about Symphony Pastries:
🌐 Website: https://www.symphonypastries.com/index.cfm 

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodentrepreneur #cpg #foodandbeverage #foodservice #premiumdesserts #gourmetbakery #dessertindustry #scalingbusiness #foodmanufacturing #b2bfood #entrepreneurship #growthmindset #founderstory #businessstrategy

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When Autumn Cullen discovered her daughter's tube feeding formula was 55% sugar, she didn't simply accept this reality. Instead, she revolutionized an entire industry. After being fired by her doctor for refusing to accept processed formulas, she founded Whole Story Meals,  the only real food nutrition company covered by insurance for tube-fed patients.
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In this powerful episode of Recipe to Revenue, Autumn Cullen, CEO of Whole Story Meals, shares how she went from stay-at-home mom of five to building a category-defining health company. What began as a mother’s fight to save her child’s life has become a movement changing how hospitals, dietitians, and insurance providers think about medical nutrition.

Listen to learn more about:
🚀 How a backpacking trip sparked a medical nutrition revolution
🎯 Why hospital formulas are 55% sugar (and how to fight the system)
💡 The strategy that got insurance companies to cover real food
📊 How patients are reversing chronic kidney disease in just 2 weeks
🔍 Building a national company with zero business experience
💰 From $0 investment to distribution across multiple states
🏥 Breaking hospital contracts to get patients real nutrition
👥 Why she hired other special needs moms to build her team

Whether you’re a parent, entrepreneur, or healthcare professional, this episode is a masterclass in resilience, innovation, and impact.

Explore more about Whole Story Meals:
🌐 Website: https://www.wholestorymeals.com/
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wholestorymeals#
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholestorymeals/ 

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodpodcast #beveragepodcast #foodentrepreneur #founderstory #womeninbusiness #foodinnovation #healthcareinnovation #cpggrowth #nutritionstartup #foodindustry #medicalnutrition #healthtech #missiondrivenbusiness #founderjourney #startuplife #foodandbeverage #realfoodmovement #startupstory

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