# How I Built Resilience: Justin Gold of Justin's

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2020-10-31
- Length: 21m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-10-31-how-i-built-resilience-justin-gold-of-justins

## Summary

Justin Gold, founder of Justin's, explains how he launched his nut butter brand by experimenting with flavors in his kitchen and differentiating through portable squeeze packs. He details the grueling early years of manually packing jars at a co-packer to gain retail traction before the company was acquired by Hormel. Gold also discusses how the pandemic shifted consumer behavior toward home consumption, impacting sales of impulse items versus staple jars, and offers advice on validating product-market fit and expanding distribution.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-10-31-how-i-built-resilience-justin-gold-of-justins#t=0) Introduction: Justin Gold and Justin's
- [1:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-10-31-how-i-built-resilience-justin-gold-of-justins#t=89) Origin Story: Kitchen Experiments and the Squeeze Pack
- [4:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-10-31-how-i-built-resilience-justin-gold-of-justins#t=295) Early Operations: Manual Packing and Retail Strategy
- [6:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-10-31-how-i-built-resilience-justin-gold-of-justins#t=380) Pandemic Impact: Supply Chain and Sales Shifts
- [12:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-10-31-how-i-built-resilience-justin-gold-of-justins#t=749) Entrepreneurial Advice: Passion and Validation
- [17:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-10-31-how-i-built-resilience-justin-gold-of-justins#t=1037) Distribution Strategy: Owning the Home Market
- [18:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-10-31-how-i-built-resilience-justin-gold-of-justins#t=1128) Brand Differentiation and Ingredients
- [21:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-10-31-how-i-built-resilience-justin-gold-of-justins#t=1281) Conclusion: Lessons on Family and Normalcy

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Justin's (company)
- Hormel (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- REI (company)
- Instacart (company)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- squeeze pack (product)
- peanut butter (product)
- almond butter (product)
- palm oil (material)

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