# Bobo’s: Beryl Stafford.  A Single Mom Turns a Baking Project into a $100M Business

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2026-03-09
- Length: 58m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-09-bobos-beryl-stafford-a-single-mom-turns-a-baking-project-into-a-100m-business

## Summary

Beryl Stafford, founder of Bobo's, explains how she turned a divorce-induced need for income into a $100M snack bar brand, starting with scrappy home baking and selling to local Boulder coffee shops. She details the operational challenges of scaling, including sharing a kitchen with Justin's Nut Butters, securing a $25,000 packaging machine, and navigating the strict requirements of Whole Foods and UNFI distributors. Stafford also discusses the strategic pivot to hiring CEO TJ McIntyre, raising $17M in outside capital, and managing the high-volume, low-margin pressures of Costco distribution.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-09-bobos-beryl-stafford-a-single-mom-turns-a-baking-project-into-a-100m-business#t=0) Introduction: Beryl Stafford and Bobo's Origin
- [8:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-09-bobos-beryl-stafford-a-single-mom-turns-a-baking-project-into-a-100m-business#t=499) From Divorce to Baking: The First Sales
- [23:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-09-bobos-beryl-stafford-a-single-mom-turns-a-baking-project-into-a-100m-business#t=1422) Scaling Operations: Shared Kitchens and Packaging
- [30:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-09-bobos-beryl-stafford-a-single-mom-turns-a-baking-project-into-a-100m-business#t=1825) Breaking into Whole Foods and National Distribution
- [46:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-09-bobos-beryl-stafford-a-single-mom-turns-a-baking-project-into-a-100m-business#t=2769) Burnout, Hiring a CEO, and Raising Capital
- [54:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-09-bobos-beryl-stafford-a-single-mom-turns-a-baking-project-into-a-100m-business#t=3261) The Costco Conundrum and Future Outlook

## 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)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Bobo's (product)
- Justin's Nut Butters (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- UNFI (company)
- Costco (company)
- Larabar (product)
- RX Bar (product)
- Clif Bar (product)
- General Mills (company)
- PepsiCo (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#252 - The Rise of Laurel's Coffee: Whole Foods, Wegmans & 1,800 Target Stores in Two Years](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-09-252-the-rise-of-laurels-coffee-whole-foods-wegmans-1-800-target-stores-in-two-ye) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Morgan Murdock of Unbothered Foods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-05-02-founder-feature-morgan-murdock-of-unbothered-foods) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#186 - Bootstrap Heroes: Bumpin Blends, Lentiful and Drink Wholesome](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-03-11-186-bootstrap-heroes-bumpin-blends-lentiful-and-drink-wholesome) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Erica Groussman of Trubar](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-12-05-founder-feature-erica-groussman-of-trubar) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Lindsay Hancock of My Better Batch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-02-27-founder-feature-lindsay-hancock-of-my-better-batch) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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