In 2024, Sarjesa , founded by Alexandra Sangster announced that she acquired Buzzd Nutrition , a superfood creamer brand founded by Lauren and Alex Burrows. What’s really exciting is that Sarjesa is an emerging brand itself and co-manufactured the Buzzd product. I had a lot of questions for Alexandra about what it looks like for one emerging brand to acquire another, and we break down all the details in this episode. Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emer...
Dec 04, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 199
As a startup you need a bank account to transact business, but who should you partner with? Retail banks like Chase and Wells Fargo? Or online banks? Let’s talk with one of my favorite partners, Aion Financial that offers free online banking tools for businesses of all sizes including: Banking Debit Cards Bill Pay Receivables Credit and Lending Watch Video Here Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources ...
Dec 02, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 198
Discover the latest Amazon marketing tools and strategies designed to help your brand thrive this holiday season. In this episode, we explore Amazon Brand Tailored Promotions, a powerful feature that enables you to connect with targeted audiences, including: New Customer Acquisition: Convert customers interested in your brand. Customer Retention: Boost loyalty by engaging existing customers. Re-engagement: Win back lost or churned customers. Cross-sell Opportunities: Promote complementary produc...
Nov 27, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 197
One of the biggest challenges growing a brand is aligning sales and operations. What systems did you put in place to do so? I talk with Corey Stary, VP Revenue & Ops at Kahawa 1893 on when their spreadsheets broke, and how they set the business up for the next stage. Joining us is Wiley Jones, co-founder of Doss to talk through how to build your operational system. Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great re...
Nov 25, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 196
Debt financing is a tool that can be incredibly useful for emerging CPG brands, but is also fretted with questions. When is debt the right tool for you? What are the different financing types? How much should I take out? For this episode I invited Daniel Taylor, CEO of Bags to help break down these answers. Interested in connecting with Bags? Book a free financial growth session with their team here ! Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, bever...
Nov 18, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 195
Do you have a set plan on how to launch into new retailers? If not, this episode is for you. We break down how to plan your first 30-60-90 day selling periods, how to drive traffic to store, increase velocity, and measure data along the way. I’m joined by Tate Glasgow and Harrai Khalsa , both with extensive CPG sales experience to discuss everything you need to know. Sponsor: This episode is supported by Promomash , a company that helps CPG brands better plan and execute your trade and promotion...
Nov 11, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 194
The intersection of digital and retail marketing is made easier with digital sampling. Now you can use trackable digital marketing tactics to drive customers to purchase in store, while simultaneously intercepting customers in-store through demos and adding them to your digital marketing and loyalty program. Join me for a conversation on how to use advanced digital product sampling and rebate programs to drive sales and velocity for your brand. We discuss: The Key Opportunities for Using Digital...
Nov 04, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 193
AI is taking over every industry, which begs the question, can AI act as your Bookkeeper? I invite on Alice Zhang, founder of MyPocketCFO who’s been integrating AI into their accounting software for CPG Brands. In this episode we discuss what AI can and can’t do, and what the future may hold. Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn...
Oct 28, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 192
Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Isabel Washington , the founder of Laurel's Coffee, a brand that’s redefining canned coffee. Isabel's journey from concept to cup has been one of passion, persistence, and purpose. Her focus on ethically sourced, high-quality beans paired with using A2 dairy makes Laurel's Coffee stand out in a crowded marketplace. Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and...
Oct 24, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 191
Running a family business comes with a lot of benefits, and a few challenges along the way. You know you have someone you can trust, but what happens when you have different ideas on how to grow? I talk with Josh and Shlomo, two of the 2nd generation owners of Josh Packaging about how they navigated joining their family business. We also discuss their share values around always delivering for the customer. They share some practical advice on how to work with multiple family members over decades ...
Oct 21, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 190
I delve into the often misunderstood world of distributor partnerships and explore how brands can build strong, productive relationships with their distributors. Our discussion tackles the common misconceptions brands have about working with distributors, shedding light on what often goes awry and how to set the foundation for a successful collaboration. I interview Elizabeth Hemphill-Burns is a seasoned sales leader and business strategist with over a decade of experience in the natural, specia...
Oct 17, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 189
Let’s break down exactly how to get a buyer to agree to take your meeting and then get them to say “yes” to bringing your product in store. For this conversation I talk with James Pippin with Good Now Foods and share actionable tips and tricks to stand out. Looking for a Directory of Retail Buyers, Category Reviews, and Review Schedules? Check out Harvest Hub. Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources a...
Oct 14, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 188
As a CPG founder, you’ll encounter new risks at each stage of your business. I spoke with Russ Taylor of SecureCPG to share a roadmap for anticipating potential challenges and proactively addressing them, ensuring that your brand is resilient and prepared for success at every stage of your journey. Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to...
Oct 07, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 187
Plastic storage containers for food and home organization are a fairly commoditized category. I spoke with Pall Musaev about how he purchased the Mr. Lid brand from the original founders and is transforming it into a fun brand that supports sustainable storage solutions. Learn More at https://mrlid.com/ Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.c...
Oct 02, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 186
So, you’re growing in retail and think you may be ready to start searching for a system to manage your trade spend, deductions and promotions. Have you thought about what you need internally to be ready for such a system? Do you have the right team in place? Does that team have the skill sets needed? How much guidance are you going to need? I invited on Chris Ambarian, Co-Founder of Promomash, to provide his perspective after working with dozens of brands through this transformation. Startup to ...
Sep 30, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 185
Just a few years ago it seemed like Compostable packaging was hitting mainstream, even with large multinational corporations starting to implement. Now, there are few CPG products with compostable packaging on the market. I talk with Shlomo and Elie from Josh Packaging about the state of the Compostable Packaging industry, the challenges and opportunities, along with what you can do to make your packaging more sustainable. Need help with flexible packaging for your brand? Josh Packaging is a fam...
Sep 23, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 184
We take hundreds of photos of our products, but often times we keep coming back to using the same dozen or so. But why do these photos stand out more than others? It’s often because they share a compelling narrative about your brand/products that the others don’t capture. So how do we take more of these effective photos? It starts by understanding the role of each photograph, why you’re taking it, and the point you need it to get across. I talk with Carrington Crothers of Prospect Street Studio ...
Sep 09, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 183
We’re at a pivotal time in the CPG industry right now. The dry spell of capital has put a lot of VC funded companies out of business and is preventing the launch of many more. So what’s a founder to do? I’ve invited on Howie Sher, who’s been in the food industry for decades and has seen it all. Howie grew up in the grocery store business before starting his own CPG nut business, What-A-Ya Nuts, which he ran for 10 years. Now he consults with CPG founders and runs JPG’s Founder Cohort program. I ...
Aug 19, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 182
Getting funding to support your business growth is the #1 concern I hear from founders. How do you get access to the financing you need to make an impact? I’ve invited on Matthew Featherstone, founder of Hiatus Cheesecake to share their story on how a line of credit from Aion Financial gave them the cashflow to fund inventory to expand into hundreds of new retailers. Need working capital for your business? Sign up with Aion Financial and access credit lines from $10,000 to $5,000,000. As a speci...
Aug 12, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 181
As a founder, it’s important to have a strong grasp on your business financials, but when do you actually hire someone to help? In this episode, we talk through what is the role of a CFO, Controller, and Bookkeeper, and when’s the right time to hire them as a contractor or full time role. Joining me for this conversation is Brad Ebenhoeh, founder of Accountfully to provide his expert experience. Need help with bookkeeping or CFO Strategy for your CPG Brand? Check out Accountfully, who specialize...
Aug 05, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 180
Getting insurance can be a little bit of a black box for companies, what coverage do you need? How do your application answers affect pricing? What are common red flags or issues that can delay or complicated the application process? I invite on Russ Taylor with SecureCPG to discuss how to apply and audit your insurance coverage to make sure you’re getting the best coverage and pricing. Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG fo...
Jul 29, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 179
Developing a food or beverage product is deceptively hard. Anyone can whip up a batch of say, BBQ sauce or cookies in their home kitchen, but commercializing them takes a lot of time, nuance, and consideration. I’m joined today by Jamie Valenti-Jordan , founder of Catapult Consulting to discuss the new product development process for CPG brands. Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to ...
Jul 22, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 178
Kristin Taylor is the co-founder of Mom Juice, a unique wine brand that's reshaping the narrative around motherhood and wine. Kristin, inspired by her Southern roots and a memorable visit to an Italian vineyard, co-created Mom Juice to bring women and mothers together over a glass of wine. With a commitment to authenticity and simplicity, Mom Juice has grown rapidly, offering wines made with just eight ingredients. Join us as we dive into Kristin's journey, the story behind Mom Juice, and how it...
Jul 08, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Debbie Wei Mullin, founder and CEO of Copper Cow Coffee , the sustainably sourced and (soon to be) very first certified organic Vietnamese coffee company. Debbie founded Copper Cow in 2016 out of her sister’s garage with a mission to transform Vietnamese coffee farming via sustainable practices – now, they’ve sold 20 million+ coffees to date, all while supporting farmers in Vietnam. they've certified Vietnam's first-ever organic coffee farms, and later this year Copper Cow will become the first ...
Jul 01, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 176
Tip Top Proper Cocktails is an Atlanta-based beverage company that is making delicious cocktails available on the go. The company co-founders, Yoni Reisman and Neal Cohen, are music industry veterans who identified quality cocktails as a missing piece in the beverage offering at festivals, music venues and other high volume events. Join me as I talk with Neal on building the business during the pandemic, launching with Delta Airlines, and testing out product innovation and pack size. Learn more ...
Jun 24, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 175
Imagine you finally get to a point as a beverage company where you can upgrade to your first printed cans. You had to secure a new contract with a can company and co-packer to make it happen. Everything is all set for your production run, and the co-packer starts running your product through the line. But then, disaster strikes. All 10,000 cans come out of the tunnel pasteurizer with labels peeling off. All that product is unsellable, and effectively lost. The copacker blames the can company, an...
Jun 17, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 174
Alex Matthews is the co-founder and CEO of De La Calle , a brand that's bringing tepache—a fermented pineapple drink with roots dating back to pre-Columbian Mexico—to the forefront of the beverage industry. Alex's journey is one of passion, innovation, and a deep respect for cultural heritage. We'll dive into how Alex discovered tepache, the challenges he faced in bringing this unique beverage to market, and how De La Calle has grown to become a beloved brand among consumers looking for authenti...
Jun 12, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 173
You need to know where you’re going in order to get there. For CPG brands this means creating a brand strategy, knowing your business, and then mapping a path to getting where you want to go. I’ve been pitched by agencies who charge $50,000 for this service, but if you’re like me, you have no where near that budget to pay for strategy. So how can you do it yourself? I’ve invited on Ashley and Sarah, co-founders of The Squeeze, a strategic brand, marketing & retail consultancy to share how yo...
Jun 10, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 172
Launching a CPG brand is definitely hard, but competing in the highly competitive snacking category is comes with it’s own unique challenges. Laurel Orley, the co-founder of Daily Crunch just launched her sprouted nut snacks in over 450 Target stores nationwide. In this episode you’ll learn about how she and her team hold themselves accountable through KPIs and weekly check-ins, how to acquire new customers for retail, and more. Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to ...
Jun 03, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 171
It’s no secret that money is tight for CPG brands. The era of surplus investor funding is gone for now, and businesses need leaner operations. That said, you still need cash to grow, so when and how can you get it? I’ve invited on Jim and Carly from Aion to discuss when you should access working capital as a CPG Brand. Learn more about Aion Financial Here Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy , an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and pa...
May 27, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 170
