Hardware Podcasts

Orgain: Andrew Abraham

How I Built This · 7 Aug 2023 · 1h 13m

What this episode covers

Andrew Abraham, founder of Orgain, explains how a teenage battle with cancer led him to create an organic nutritional shake as an alternative to conventional products like Ensure. Bootstrapping the business while completing his medical residency, he secured a pivotal national launch with Whole Foods after a chance encounter at Expo West. Despite facing a critical product failure where shakes solidified on shelves, Abraham persevered, eventually expanding into Costco and selling a majority stake to Nestlé in 2022.

Most relevant to

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

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Whole Foods, Costco, Nestlé, Kaiser, Butterfly Equity
Products
Orgain, Ensure
Also
Expo West

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 34m

    Founder Feature: Grace Mittl of Absurd Snacks

    Grace Mittl, co-founder of Absurd Snacks, explains how a college entrepreneurship course and a classmate’s severe food allergies inspired the brand’s allergen-free, protein-rich snack mixes. She details the operational pivot from self-manufacturing in New Jersey to an outsourced partner to enable volume, and the strategic launch of Amazon sales alongside existing retail partnerships with Whole Foods Market, Kroger, and Publix. Mittl highlights the importance of community-driven marketing, including a brand ambassador program and FAIR Pact Alliance membership, while discussing their angel-funded growth and plans for future fundraising rounds.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringCrowdfunding & preorders
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 44m

    #252 - The Rise of Laurel's Coffee: Whole Foods, Wegmans & 1,800 Target Stores in Two Years

    Isabel Washington, founder of Laurel's Coffee, explains how she leveraged her McKinsey background to launch an A2 dairy canned latte brand and secure national distribution in Whole Foods and Target within six months of leaving consulting. She details the operational challenges of scaling from a garage startup to a 1,800-store Target launch, including sourcing A2 milk from suppliers like Alexandria Family Farms and managing logistics through partners like Rainforest and UNFI. Washington also discusses her flavor strategy, noting that Dirty Chai became a bestseller at Whole Foods by filling a gap in the refrigerated beverage aisle, and shares advice on fundraising and the risks of accepting large purchase orders with limited capital.

    Scaling productionSourcing & supply chain
    6 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 27m

    Founder Feature: Erica Groussman of Trubar

    Erica Groussman, founder of Trubar, discusses scaling her vegan protein bar brand from door-to-door sales to nearly $100 million in revenue across 25,000 retail locations. She details the strategic reformulation of her product to remove seed oils and increase fiber, the launch of the Trubar Kids line, and a major collaboration with Universal for the movie Wicked. Groussman also shares advice on leveraging personal networks to break into retailers like Whole Foods and Costco, and emphasizes transparency with vendors and maintaining a positive founder mindset.

    Scaling productionMaterials & manufacturing processes
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 47m

    #118 From Bicycle Beginnings to Global Recognitions with Chlorophyll Water Founder, Matt Levine

    Matt Levine, founder of Chlorophyll Water, explains how he launched the first Clean Label Project certified bottled water in the US by starting with a single SKU and delivering product on his bicycle to New York yoga studios. He details his scrappy, bootstrapped approach to securing national distribution with Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Urban Outfitters by leveraging LinkedIn and RangeMe to build direct relationships with buyers without using brokers. Levine emphasizes maintaining profitability over rapid growth, using data-driven sales pitches on RangeMe, and evolving packaging to 100% recycled plastic with clean flake label technology to meet sustainability standards.

    Direct-to-consumer & e-commerceRetail, wholesale & distribution
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 27m

    Meet the Bone Broth Protein Bar with 20g Protein & No Protein Powder

    Mackenzie Muth and Nolan Spencer, co-founders of HOL Health Club, explain how the public backlash to the Siete Foods sale to PepsiCo inspired them to leave Wall Street and build a transparent, better-for-you brand. They detail their R&D process, which rejected protein powders in favor of bone broth to achieve 20g of protein without artificial ingredients, and describe their unique strategy of living nomadically in an RV to personally conduct retail demos. This boots-on-the-ground approach drove their rapid growth from zero to over 200 retail doors, including placements in Central Market and Sprouts, while they focus on building trust in the natural channel before considering larger conventional retailers.

    Validation & product-market fitMaterials & manufacturing processes
    7 chapters

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.