What happens when nostalgia meets innovation? Sarah sits down with Joe Nicchi, founder of CVT Soft Serve, who transformed a simple craving for East Coast soft serve ice cream into a nationwide success now in 3,000 stores. After investing $150,000 in a vintage 1961 truck to bring authentic East Coast soft serve to LA, Joe spent years building cult-like brand loyalty. Then came the pivotal moment: when Jeff Bezos installed CVT's machine in his home, Joe realized he needed to democratize access to ...
Jun 30, 2025•45 min•Season 15Ep. 153
Your inventory numbers are telling a story - but do you know how to read it? In this episode, Sarah answers listener questions about inventory turnover ratio - the metric that reveals whether your products are converting to cash or quietly draining your resources. She shows how to turn a confusing ratio like "2.75" into clear insights - that inventory turnover ratio means it takes your business 146 days to sell through the product on your shelves. The eye-opener: Sarah shares how a rapidly growi...
Jun 23, 2025•46 min
What happens when you choose to 'control your growth' instead of racing to expand? Sarah sits down with Ilay Karateke, co-founder and CEO of Bezi, the labneh brand redefining growth through meticulous data collection and strategic expansion. Ilay shares her unconventional approach: launching direct-to-retail in handpicked New York stores, doing her own distribution, and running 5-10 demos weekly while tracking every data point. Every retail partner and expansion move is calculated to maintain pr...
Jun 16, 2025•1 hr
You asked, Sarah is answering! We love these listener Q&A episodes, and today's cost of goods sold questions are absolute gold. First up: When Google gives you two different definitions for the same term, which one should you trust? Sarah breaks it down and explains gross profit margin vs. net profit margin and which should be your starting point for healthy food business cash flow. Then, we hear from a food founder who thinks they're "double charging" themselves for labor. Spoiler alert – t...
Jun 09, 2025•43 min
Ever wondered why finding a co-manufacturer feels impossibly difficult? Sarah sits down with Julia Megson, CEO of ReScale, who reveals the shocking reality that co-manufacturers receive about 100 inquiries monthly but only work with one to two brands from that entire pool. Julia's unique background – from auditing over 100 contract manufacturers at Trader Joe's to founding a tech platform specifically for emerging food brands – gives her unparalleled insight into what actually works in co-manufa...
May 26, 2025•48 min
In this eye-opening episode, Sarah breaks down the harsh food distributor chargeback reality that many founders don't discover until it's too late. Using a real-world example of a brand that invoiced KeHE for $68,267 but received only $13,345 (just 19.5%), she dissects exactly where that money went. From the surprising "initial PO" payment policy that can delay your first check for 3-6 months, to the specific chargebacks that consumed 80% of a brand's revenue, Sarah provides the financial transp...
May 19, 2025•41 min
Ever wonder how a food business thrives for four decades without compromising on quality? Sarah sits down with culinary visionary Ariane Daguin, who transformed America's specialty meat landscape with just $15,000 and an unwavering commitment to sustainability. Ariane shares the unvarnished truth about building D'Artagnan from the ground up. She walks us through those challenging first ten years managing tight cash flow, explains why turning down certain growth opportunities actually strengthene...
May 12, 2025•47 min
In this episode of The Good Food CFO Podcast, Sarah reveals the counterintuitive financial tracking system that successful food brands actually use to drive profitability. Responding to a listener's question about which financial reports matter most, Sarah challenges conventional wisdom by presenting a strategic hierarchy that puts cash flow management at the top of the priority list—not the P&L statement many founders obsess over. Sarah unpacks why most food entrepreneurs look at their fina...
May 05, 2025•53 min
In this Building a Business on Your Own Terms episode, Sarah sits down with Matt Cross, co-founder of Harvest Chocolate, a bean-to-bar chocolate company in Tecumseh, Michigan. Matt shares how he and his wife Elizabeth transformed their culinary expertise into a thriving chocolate business that started in their kitchen during the pandemic and now operates a successful retail location with multiple sales channels. Matt reveals how Office Hours helped confirm his business was financially healthy an...
Apr 28, 2025•53 min
Despite rising costs and economic uncertainty, Sarah brings her characteristic straight talk to food business finances in this timely episode: "All is not lost." Drawing from both historical patterns and current market insights, she explains why specialty food brands can still thrive during economic downturns as consumers continue treating themselves to small luxuries like artisan chocolate and premium coffee. "This is not a shelter-in-place moment," Sarah emphasizes, but rather a time to be str...
Apr 21, 2025•35 min
In this episode Sarah sits down with Christopher Hudson, the Arizona native behind Benny Blanco Tortillas. After years in food service, Christopher purchased the company in what he calls "a match made in heaven." Christopher's approach to building a business on his own terms combines premium quality ingredients with transparent sourcing, a premium pricing strategy and a willingness to say "no" to opportunities that don't make financial sense or support his vision for a thriving local food indust...
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Did you hear the episode where Sarah told her client they needed 70% product margins? Were you curious why it was so much higher than the usually recommended 51%? In this episode, Sarah pulls back the curtain on how she determines the right product margins for different food businesses, and guides you to finding yours. She reveals where your P&L is hiding crucial information and walks through her "orange slice" method for visualizing what's really happening with the revenue you earn. You'll ...
Apr 07, 2025•45 min
In a world where food startups chase rapid growth and quick exits, People's Choice Beef Jerky stands as a refreshing counterexample. This Los Angeles-based company has been crafting premium meat products since 1929, and is now thriving under fourth-generation leadership. Their story offers valuable lessons for food founders looking to build sustainable, profitable businesses that can withstand the test of time. In this episode of the Good Food CFO podcast, Sarah Delevan sits down with owners and...
Mar 31, 2025•52 min
After more than 10 years away, Sarah decided to return to natural foods' biggest industry event - but why now? In this candid Season 14 opener, Sarah takes you behind the scenes of her Expo West experience, revealing what's changed, what hasn't, and whether the industry hype actually lives up to reality. The conversation also explores the striking contrast between the big business of Expo West and the Intense Conference for farmers market founders, managers and vendors Sarah attended just days l...
Mar 24, 2025•45 min
In this eye-opening episode of the Good Food CFO podcast, Sarah Delevan talks with Stacy Mitchell, co-executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, about the myths of market consolidation and how food founders can fight back against corporate monopolies. Stacy Mitchell is a writer, strategist, and policy advocate whose work focuses on dismantling concentrated corporate power and building thriving local economies. As co-executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, s...
Mar 10, 2025•48 min
In this special episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, we’re sharing highlights from our live Q&A session with BABOYOT members. These quarterly events are an awesome opportunity to connect with Founders and answer their most pressing financial questions. Some of the topics we tackled: Food Service vs. Wholesale Pricing: Discover why conventional wisdom about which channel is most profitable doesn't always hold true. One founder shares how running her numbers completely changed her channel str...
Mar 03, 2025•39 min
In this episode of The Good Food CFO Podcast, Sarah Delevan shares candid insights from a recent meeting with the founder of a brand generating over $400 million in annual revenue, and doing it profitably. Through a series of powerful "sound bites" captured during their conversation, Sarah reveals how this founder's approach challenges traditional industry wisdom while delivering remarkable results. You’ll hear: Why marketing shouldn't drive your offers and how to structure profitable promotions...
Feb 24, 2025•51 min
In this episode of the Good Food CFO Podcast, Sarah Delavan sits down with Hope Lawrence, founder of Hudson Henry Baking Co., who shares her remarkable journey of building a profitable granola business on her own terms. From starting with just $4,000 in her farmhouse kitchen to reaching $1.25M in annual revenue, Hope's story proves that sustainable growth and profitability are possible without outside investment. In this conversation, Hope shares: The strategic reason she chose granola Why she w...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 4 min
In this episode, Sarah is sharing her favorite tool for quickly and easily transforming your basic data into actionable business intelligence - Pivot Tables. From helping you recognize sales patterns and trends, to identifying issues and opportunities, and seeing your customer and sales channel profitability, pivot tables are truly a secret weapon for improving your business profitability and cashflow! Tune into this episode to explore all of the valuable insights that pivot tables can provide a...
Feb 10, 2025•54 min
After a decade of national growth, Big Spoon Roasters made a decision that has the CPG industry talking: they're walking away from Whole Foods, UNFI, and other national grocery chains. But this isn't a story about failure – it's about what happens when a good food brand chooses values over volume. In this episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, we dive into the pivot that has founders across the industry applauding. Discover why this prestigious nut butter brand is saying goodbye to national distr...
Feb 03, 2025•29 min
When Bill Brinkerhoff and his wife stumbled upon a unique store model during a college drop-off trip, they had no idea it would lead them to transform an abandoned gas station into a revolutionary market that's paid out over $22 million to local farms. In this episode, discover how Argus Farm Stop flipped the traditional retail model on its head, giving farmers 70% of sales and complete control over pricing, and hear how they navigated legal battles over egg sales (and won!), and why farmers are...
Jan 27, 2025•55 min
Ready to dig into some questions that could transform the way you think about your business? In this episode, Sarah and Chelsea share six questions that every founder should ask themselves. They tackle everything from "If we close 100 more deals like this, will we be happy?" to "What's one thing I'm afraid to ask my team, but probably should?" Through real world examples and their own experiences, they explore how these questions can help you understand what your customers really want, when to k...
Jan 20, 2025•50 min
What’s worse? A $20,000+ legal battle, or having to completely rebrand your CPG company in 30 days? In this eye-opening episode, trademark attorney Nicole Swartz shares how losing her own brand to trademark issues led her to protect over 1,200 brands with a 99.8% success rate. Together with CPG brand strategist Kelly Bennett, they reveal their unique approach combining legal protection with strategic brand growth. Learn exactly when to trademark your brand name, what makes a name trademarkable, ...
Jan 13, 2025•55 min
Meet Sarah Nathan, founder of Nooish, who transformed traditional Jewish matzo ball soup into an instant comfort food sensation. On this episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, Nathan shares how her decade of experience in CPG and deep roots in Jewish culinary culture led her to invent freeze-dried matzo balls - a culinary breakthrough that turns an hours-long cooking process into a 2.5-minute preparation. Beyond the innovation, she reveals how authenticity in branding and patience during developm...
Jan 06, 2025•53 min
In this special bonus episode of the Good Food CFO podcast, Sarah Delavan shares a deeply personal moment as she prepares to leave the home office where her consulting business was born seven years ago. From an unexpected job loss that led to her first consulting gig, to launching a podcast that's grown into a thriving community, Sarah reflects on how this single room has witnessed hundreds of conversations with founders across the globe – from Los Angeles to New Zealand. With characteristic aut...
Dec 16, 2024•14 min
In this must-listen season finale, Sarah Delevan flips the script on typical year-end planning by exploring why looking back is crucial before looking ahead. Inspired by an Office Hours member's approach to evaluating progress, Sarah reveals how understanding your past performance in context can transform your decision-making. She challenges the "bigger is better" mindset, explaining why sometimes declining revenue in certain channels can actually signal success. Through real-world examples, Sar...
Dec 09, 2024•48 min
From accidental entrepreneur to confident business owner: Sydney, founder of French Squirrel, reveals how she transformed her healthy snack company by confronting hard truths about pricing and profitability. After years of underpricing her premium date-based treats and struggling with razor-thin margins, Sydney shares the pivotal mindset shifts that helped her raise prices, say "no" to unprofitable opportunities, and put her business health first. She candidly discusses overcoming people-pleasin...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 7 min
In this value-packed episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, we tackle three critical business questions asked by our BABOYOT Members. First, we reveal why your cash flow tools might not be delivering results (hint: it's probably not the tool's fault!). Then, we dive into a step-by-step guide for analyzing customer profitability – essential knowledge for any business owner wondering if their biggest customers are actually their most profitable. Finally, we explore how to evaluate new retail opport...
Nov 18, 2024•50 min
This week on The Good Food CFO podcast, we explore financial benchmarks for CPG brands, emphasizing that many common questions about business finances often lead to the answer 'it depends.' Sarah discusses the importance of understanding individual business contexts rather than relying solely on industry standards, challenges prevalent beliefs in the food industry such as the notion that founders must sell their businesses to achieve financial success, and encourages founders to create unique bu...
Nov 11, 2024•42 min
In this BABOYOT episode of The Good Food CFO podcast Sarah chats with Keesha, the vibrant founder of Live Loud Foods, a brand that’s redefining the nut market with bold, unique flavors. Keesha shares her fascinating journey from information systems engineer to culinary entrepreneur, highlighting the challenges of launching a food business, including crucial financial insights and marketing strategies. She emphasizes the importance of gathering customer feedback and adapting products for success ...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 10 min
