Jovial Foods: Carla Bartolucci

How I Built This · 7 Jun 2021 · 1h 17m

What this episode covers

Carla Bartolucci, co-founder of Jovial Foods, explains how she pivoted from distributing Bionaturae pasta to launching her own brand after a contentious lawsuit and partnership breakdown. She details the discovery of Einkorn, an ancient wheat, as a solution for her daughter’s gluten sensitivities, and describes the labor-intensive process of sourcing seeds and developing recipes. Bartolucci also outlines her unconventional marketing strategy of hosting cooking retreats in Tuscany to build community and trust with gluten-free consumers, while maintaining strict control over growth to remain independently owned.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 28m

    Founder Feature: Alyssa Fernandez of Ollin

    Alyssa Fernandez, founder of Ollin, explains how a personal health journey and a DIY wedding cake inspired her to create a gluten-positive baking brand using Texas-grown heritage grains. She details the formulation challenges of balancing ancient grain ratios to avoid off-flavors, such as an unintended banana taste in the 'Golden Hour' mix, and her decision to swap Einkorn for spelt. Fernandez discusses Ollin's 'Wild West' branding strategy, designed to counter the negative sentiment surrounding gluten-free diets by creating a celebratory, inclusive space for consumers who miss traditional baking.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 38m

    Founder Feature: Morgan Murdock of Unbothered Foods

    Morgan Murdock, founder of Unbothered Foods, explains her transition from clinical dietitian to CPG entrepreneur, focusing on creating a low FODMAP, long-fermented sourdough cracker. She details the operational challenges of self-manufacturing a living sourdough starter named 'Olivia' and the strategic decision to partner with a co-manufacturer to scale production from 240 to 3,500 bags per day. Murdock also discusses raising $220,000 via WeFunder to support retail expansion into major chains like Whole Foods and Sprouts, while navigating the complexities of being a solo founder with a targeted mentorship network.

  • Product Startup · 54m

    016: Gluten-free & allergy-friendly food with Luke Lucas of Foddies

    Luke Lucas, founder of Foddies, explains how he and his partner Chrissy launched a low FODMAP, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly food business with under $2,000, leveraging a cafe as a live testbed for product validation. They navigated the challenges of entering the food industry without prior experience by focusing on affordable pricing, rigorous cross-contamination protocols, and direct consumer feedback to refine their product line from baked goods to sauces. Lucas details their bootstrap marketing strategy using social media, their logistics setup with courier aggregators, and their plans to expand into the US market through co-packers to overcome local manufacturing limitations.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 23m

    Ep. 5: Flavor Unites with Clara Paye of UNiTE Foods

    Clara Paye, founder of UNiTE Foods, explains how she developed globally inspired, gluten-free protein bars like Churro and Mexican Hot Chocolate to address the lack of cultural diversity in the snack aisle. As a solo founder, she leveraged freelance partners and food scientists to formulate bars with functional ingredients like hemp seeds and chicory fiber, targeting specific macros while maintaining nostalgic, complex flavor profiles. The company, currently in the early stage of launch, sells directly to consumers online and via Amazon, with plans to expand into retail while crowdsourcing future flavors and charitable giving from its community.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 23m

    Founder Feature: Taylor Espinoza of Unicorn Bites

    Taylor Espinoza, founder of Unicorn Bites, explains how she transitioned from practicing law to building a 100% date-sweetened, allergen-free mini cookie brand. She details the product development process, which involved hundreds of recipe iterations at farmer's markets to find the right sweetener and texture, and discusses the specific challenge of keeping the soft-baked cookies durable during warm-weather shipping. Espinoza outlines her retail strategy, focusing on local expansion in New Jersey and New York before targeting major natural retailers like Whole Foods, while navigating the financial constraints of high ingredient costs.

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.