# 345 - Beyond the Dieline - The secret success behind Junebar! Tom Seymour and Keith McCullough

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2026-04-17
- Length: 59m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-04-17-345-beyond-the-dieline-the-secret-success-behind-junebar-tom-seymour-and-keith-m
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/345-beyond-the-dieline-the-secret

## Summary

Keith McCullough, founder of Junebar, explains his pivot from a 20-year career in video game development to creating high-fiber, plant-based snack bars. He details the product's formulation, focusing on clean ingredients and a 4-month refrigerated shelf life, and discusses the strategic importance of fiber in the current CPG landscape. McCullough shares critical advice for early-stage founders, emphasizing the need for small initial packaging orders, the benefits of co-packing, and the emotional resilience required to handle consumer feedback and imposter syndrome.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-04-17-345-beyond-the-dieline-the-secret-success-behind-junebar-tom-seymour-and-keith-m#t=0) Introduction and Founder Background
- [2:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-04-17-345-beyond-the-dieline-the-secret-success-behind-junebar-tom-seymour-and-keith-m#t=153) Pivot from Gaming to CPG and Product Formulation
- [19:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-04-17-345-beyond-the-dieline-the-secret-success-behind-junebar-tom-seymour-and-keith-m#t=1141) Nutrition Trends: Fiber and GLP-1 Companion Foods
- [31:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-04-17-345-beyond-the-dieline-the-secret-success-behind-junebar-tom-seymour-and-keith-m#t=1891) Founder Grit, Imposter Syndrome, and Feedback
- [44:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-04-17-345-beyond-the-dieline-the-secret-success-behind-junebar-tom-seymour-and-keith-m#t=2694) Packaging Strategy: Small Batches and Co-Packing
- [55:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-04-17-345-beyond-the-dieline-the-secret-success-behind-junebar-tom-seymour-and-keith-m#t=3345) Closing Advice and Where to Buy Junebar

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Packaging design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/packaging-design)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Junebar (product)
- Sweet Pea Bar (product)
- RX Bar (product)
- Lori's Whole Food Market (company)
- Green Star (company)
- Cornell (company)
- RIT (company)
- Bison Bag (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Perfect Snacks: Bill and Leigh Keith](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-06-09-perfect-snacks-bill-and-leigh-keith) (How I Built This)
- [Ep. 8: Build a Food Business with Teeth - Chloe Sorvino, Forbes Magazine](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-08-13-ep-8-build-a-food-business-with-teeth-chloe-sorvino-forbes-magazine) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Live Episode! RXBAR: Peter Rahal](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-08-13-live-episode-rxbar-peter-rahal) (How I Built This)
- [Ep. 6: Co-Mans and Co-Packers 101 - Don't Skip the Small Stuff with Matt Suggs of PartnerSlate](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-06-25-ep-6-co-mans-and-co-packers-101-dont-skip-the-small-stuff-with-matt-suggs-of-par) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Sarah Nathan of NOOISH](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-06-28-founder-feature-sarah-nathan-of-nooish) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-04-17-345-beyond-the-dieline-the-secret-success-behind-junebar-tom-seymour-and-keith-m. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.