Tate's Bake Shop: Kathleen King

How I Built This · 16 Dec 2019 · 59m

What this episode covers

Kathleen King, founder of Tate's Bake Shop, recounts her journey from selling cookies at a family farm stand to building a brand sold for $500 million. She details the disastrous partnership with the Weber brothers that led to the loss of her original company, Kathleen's Bake Shop, and the subsequent legal battles. King explains how she rebuilt her business from scratch, focusing on product quality and strategic distribution, ultimately achieving a successful exit. The episode also briefly covers Thomas Althaus, who founded Canned Goods, a jewelry company made from recycled tin cans.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up and large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Mondelēz, Riverside, TM Capital, Whole Foods, Consumer Reports
Products
Tate's Bake Shop, Kathleen's Bake Shop, Canned Goods
Also
Rachel Ray, Gwyneth Paltrow

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 44m

    #100 Toasting to 100 Episodes of The Startup CPG Podcast with Our Favorite Moments

    Host Jessi Freitag counts down the top 10 moments from 100 episodes of The Startup CPG Podcast, featuring insights from founders like Seth Goldman of Honest Tea, Alexiou Gibson of The Sea Moss Transformation Factory, and Rosa Li of wildwonder. The episode highlights strategic decisions in fundraising, marketing, and product launches, including Sandra Velasquez’s Shark Tank experience with Nopalera and the collaboration between Partake Foods and Ben & Jerry’s. It emphasizes the importance of resilience, storytelling, and direct outreach in scaling consumer brands.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 21m

    Founder Feature: Lindsay Hancock of My Better Batch

    Lindsay Hancock, founder of My Better Batch, explains how a career in food retail and manufacturing, culminating in a company sold to Kind Snacks, provided the foundation for her solopreneur venture. She details the rapid growth of her clean-label cookie mix, from shipping the first DTC order in April 2024 to securing national distribution in Target, Sprouts, and Thrive Market. Hancock highlights the operational challenges of preparing for trade shows, including baking thousands of cookies in an Airbnb, and the strategic value of the Startup CPG section at Expo West in securing the Target Accelerator program and major press coverage.

  • Core77 Podcast · 54m

    Afterschool Podcast, Episode 9 - Rusty Meadows (10/21)

    Rusty Meadows, manager of the temporary tattoo company Tattly and founder of the Nearly Impossible conference, discusses the evolution of his business and the new event. He explains how Tattly emerged from a failed online store idea to focus on design-led temporary tattoos, navigating early challenges in shipping, packaging, and wholesale sales. Meadows details the structure of the Nearly Impossible conference, designed to help makers solve specific physical product hurdles through shared stories and expert labs.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 38m

    #115 Pure Gold Series: Lessons on Iterating from Seth Goldman + Updates on Eat the Change & Just Ice Tea

    Seth Goldman, Co-Founder of Eat the Change and Honest Tea, discusses the rapid scaling of his new beverage brand, Just Ice Tea, which has reached $16 million in gross sales and distribution in over 5,000 stores. He details the strategic decision to discontinue the company's first product, mushroom jerky, due to low velocity, and the subsequent packaging redesign of Cosmic Chews to improve consumer appeal. Goldman also covers the company's recent $14 million raise, the upcoming launch of a canned product line, and his leadership philosophy on mental health support and prioritization during hyper-growth.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 38m

    Founder Feature: Brenna Turner and Joey Labes of Sake High!

    Brenna Turner and Joey Labes, co-founders of Sake High!, discuss building a premium sake brand that bridges Japanese tradition with modern U.S. consumption habits. They detail the launch of their innovative Sake Hard Teas, the challenges of international sourcing from Japanese breweries, and their grassroots marketing strategy focused on community and education. The founders also share insights on navigating alcohol distribution, managing a couple-founded startup, and expanding their product line beyond traditional sake.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.