People of Packaging · 18 Aug 2022 · 34m
Zachary Stein, founder of SupplyCaddy, explains how his company helps Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) navigate supply chain disruptions by sourcing sustainable packaging from Europe, Turkey, and South America rather than the Far East. He details the operational challenges of replacing single-use items with new raw materials like sugarcane and the significant infrastructure hurdles facing reusable packaging systems. Stein emphasizes that SupplyCaddy wins business by offering faster lead times, custom branded solutions, and proactive inventory management to prevent stockouts during viral marketing campaigns.
early-stage companies
Other shows on the same ground, closest first.
Dan Provost and Tom Gerhardt of Studio Neat discuss the sudden shutdown of their injection molding supplier, Premier Source, and the resulting supply chain challenges. They detail the complex process of designing and iterating on packaging for the Mark 2 pen, balancing aesthetic goals with labor costs and waste. The episode concludes with a description of their 'merciless' fundraising campaign for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Tom Szaky, co-founder and CEO of TerraCycle, recounts his journey from a Princeton dorm room to building a multimillion-dollar recycling enterprise. He details the early pivot from selling worm poop fertilizer in reused soda bottles to solving the broader waste crisis by partnering with brands like Stonyfield and Clif Bar to collect non-recyclable packaging. Szaky explains the economics of voluntary funding for waste management and introduces Loop, TerraCycle’s reusable packaging initiative, which aims to make traditional recycling obsolete by enabling infinite reuse of containers from brands like Tide and Häagen-Dazs.
Renee Dunn, Founder of Amazi, and Joel, Operations Manager at partner Negonja Organics, discuss building a transparent, vertically integrated supply chain for tropical fruit snacks in Uganda. They detail the process of establishing a production facility, sourcing from smallholder farmers, and navigating logistics to launch with major retailers like Sprouts and Wegmans. The conversation highlights the challenges of scaling production, managing international shipping with reefers, and expanding into private label and ingredient supply to support the facility's volume.
Liam Casey, founder and CEO of PCH International, explains how the company’s asset-light, expertise-heavy model enabled a rapid pivot to sourcing and delivering vast quantities of PPE during the pandemic, including fulfilling a request from Bono for hospitals in Ireland. He details the operational challenges of navigating Chinese customs bottlenecks and negotiating air freight capacity to achieve 18-hour door-to-door delivery times. Casey also discusses the long-term industry shift toward ‘China Plus’ strategies, the collapse of pre-COVID PPE pricing due to massive new capacity, and the critical role of digital traceability and software in managing complex, distributed supply chains.
Yaniv Simpson, founder of The Conscious Bar, explains his mission to redefine the chocolate category by creating a date-sweetened craft chocolate bar with zero additives, ethical sourcing, and 100% compostable packaging. He details the nine-month struggle to source fully compostable two-piece packaging and the complexities of securing organic, Prop 65-compliant cacao directly from farms to ensure traceability and fair compensation. Simpson describes building an in-house creative agency to drive direct-to-consumer sales and educate consumers on the difference between fruit sugar and processed sugar, while preparing for a retail launch in early 2026.
The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by People of Packaging. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.