# 217 - Erica Rankin on her packaging pivot at Bro Dough

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2023-10-10
- Length: 29m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-10-10-217-erica-rankin-on-her-packaging-pivot-at-bro-dough
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/217-erica-rankin-on-her-packaging

## Summary

Erica Rankin, founder of Bro Dough, explains her pivot from selling functional cookie dough in 6-ounce tamper-evident tubs to single-serve flow-wrapped bites to solve scaling and consumer experience issues. She details the operational nightmare of manual labor for tubs and the high minimum order quantities (MOQs) for printed packaging, which forced her to buy 20,000 manually labeled units at a premium. Rankin advises startup founders to prioritize buying for need rather than price per unit to avoid inventory risk and cash flow traps, a lesson she learned while navigating supplier pitches and SKU changes.

## Chapters

- [0:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-10-10-217-erica-rankin-on-her-packaging-pivot-at-bro-dough#t=38) Introduction and Bro Dough Overview
- [4:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-10-10-217-erica-rankin-on-her-packaging-pivot-at-bro-dough#t=243) From Fitness to Functional Snacks
- [12:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-10-10-217-erica-rankin-on-her-packaging-pivot-at-bro-dough#t=745) The Operational Nightmare of Tub Packaging
- [13:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-10-10-217-erica-rankin-on-her-packaging-pivot-at-bro-dough#t=826) Consumer Feedback and Retail Challenges
- [15:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-10-10-217-erica-rankin-on-her-packaging-pivot-at-bro-dough#t=908) Pivoting to Single-Serve Flow Wrappers
- [19:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-10-10-217-erica-rankin-on-her-packaging-pivot-at-bro-dough#t=1175) The MOQ Trap and Buying for Need
- [22:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-10-10-217-erica-rankin-on-her-packaging-pivot-at-bro-dough#t=1334) Advice for Founders and Future Plans

## Topics

- [Packaging design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/packaging-design)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Bro Dough (company)
- Specright (company)
- Green Mellon (company)
- Packaging Peeks (product)
- Alibaba (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [79: An Ever-Widening Funnel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-04-21-79-an-ever-widening-funnel) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [Advice Line with Serial Entrepreneur Marc Lore](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-26-advice-line-with-serial-entrepreneur-marc-lore) (How I Built This)
- [#260 - Packaging Changes as you Grow with Evie's Snacks and Belmark](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-08-04-260-packaging-changes-as-you-grow-with-evies-snacks-and-belmark) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#97 Co-Packing 101: Tapping into a Motherlode of Co-Packing Wisdom](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-07-04-97-co-packing-101-tapping-into-a-motherlode-of-co-packing-wisdom) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Bobo’s: Beryl Stafford.  A Single Mom Turns a Baking Project into a $100M Business](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) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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