HIBT Lab! Yolélé: Pierre Thiam

How I Built This · 25 Aug 2022 · 41m

What this episode covers

Pierre Thiam, co-founder of Yolélé, explains how he transformed the ancient West African grain fonio into a global commodity to support Senegalese farmers and diversify the global food supply. He details the company's journey from a chef's personal mission to a scalable business, highlighting the critical breakthrough of partnering with a milling equipment manufacturer to mechanize processing and eliminate waste. Thiam discusses the strategic decision to brand fonio as a premium, drought-resistant superfood, leveraging his culinary platform and partnerships with retailers like Whole Foods to drive consumer adoption in the U.S.

Mentioned

Companies
Yolélé, Whole Foods, Woodlands, Taranga, Dean & DeLuca, Target
Products
Fonio, Quinoa

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 30m

    Founder Feature: Philip Teverow of Yolélé

    Philip Teverow, co-founder of Yolélé, and his business partner Chef Pierre Thiam discuss bringing Fonio, an ancient West African grain, to the U.S. market. Teverow explains how they secured Whole Foods as their first major retailer and subsequently expanded into pilaf mixes and Fonio chips to leverage retail display. He details the complex supply chain challenges, including building industrial processing capacity in Mali and Senegal with support from the World Bank and Gates Foundation, to serve both their CPG brand and B2B ingredient clients like Brooklyn Brewery and Guinness.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 23m

    #249 - Expo Pitch Slam Recap with ChiChi Foods

    Chiara Munzi, co-founder of ChiChi Foods, explains how she and co-founder Izzy launched the world's first chickpea hot cereal after realizing traditional oatmeal caused energy crashes due to high sugar and low protein. They won Startup CPG's Expo West Pitch Slam, beating competitors like Crafty Ramen, by applying to multiple pitch competitions instead of paying for a booth. The win secured a $150,000 prize package from Advantage FDM Sales, which they plan to use for in-store demos to support regional retail launches. Chiara emphasizes that founder-led demos create a unique consumer connection and that applying to every opportunity is crucial for early-stage brands.

  • 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 · 26m

    R&D RADIO: Brian Chau from Chau Time

    Brian Chau, founder of Chau Time, an R&D operations consulting firm, explains his four-phase process for taking food products from concept to commercialization. He details the concept of 'fiber stacking' used in functional chocolates like Dirty Gut and Femme Health, and discusses navigating the global cacao supply crisis by sourcing directly from heirloom farmers. Chau argues that fiber will eventually surpass protein as the dominant functional ingredient trend due to its multifunctional benefits in gut health and product formulation.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 44m

    Founder Feature: Ariel Altman and Ronny Berger of Figa Foods

    Ariel Altman and Ronny Berger, co-founders of Figa Foods, explain how they are introducing cupuaçu, a Brazilian superfruit seed, as a sustainable alternative to cacao in their chocolate bars. They detail the journey of overcoming skepticism from industry experts to develop a three-ingredient product with Louisa Abram, a chocolate maker in Brazil, while navigating the global cocoa crisis. The founders discuss their supply chain partnerships with agroforest farmers, their launch at Fancy Food, and advice for first-time CPG founders on product development and legal guidance.

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.