# 360 - Beyond the Die Line - The pitch was awful. They liked the bar! Tom Seymour and Ree Dolnick

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2026-10-08
- Length: 1h 09m
- Episode: 360
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch

## Summary

Ree Dolnick, founder of JECA Energy Bars, explains how she transitioned from cancer research to building a self-manufacturing CPG brand after co-packers rejected her clean-label recipe and demanded unfeasible run sizes. She details the company's pivot to in-house production developed with RIT engineers, which allowed JECA to control quality and offer short turns that retailers like Whole Foods and Wegmans prefer. Dolnick also discusses the iterative packaging journey, moving from plain film to digital printing and finally to ePac pouches, while emphasizing the importance of customer discovery at UB Cultivator to identify the true buyer profile.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r#t=1) Introduction: Ree Dolnick and JECA Energy Bars
- [2:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r#t=139) From Cancer Research to Kitchen Lab
- [4:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r#t=297) Naming JECA and Early Validation
- [12:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r#t=776) Ignite Buffalo Pitch and Farmer's Market Sales
- [25:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r#t=1556) UB Cultivator Customer Discovery
- [39:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r#t=2372) Why Co-Man Failed and Building In-House with RIT
- [53:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r#t=3198) Packaging Iterations: Film, Digital, and ePac
- [1:01:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r#t=3672) Retail Distribution and Direct-to-Consumer Strategy

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Packaging design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/packaging-design)
- [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)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- JECA Energy Bars (product)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Wegmans (company)
- Big Y (company)
- Tops (company)
- Amazon (company)
- UB Cultivator (company)
- RIT (company)
- Launch New York (company)
- ePac (company)
- John Lawson (other)
- Ignite Buffalo (company)
- 43 North (company)
- Top Seeds (company)
- Cornell Food Sparks (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#133 How to Make and Scale Your Product with Jamie Valenti-Jordan, Catapult Commercialization Services Part 1](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-03-19-133-how-to-make-and-scale-your-product-with-jamie-valenti-jordan-catapult-commer) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [MadeGood: Salma and Nima Fotovat Lost Their First Business. They Grew Their Next One Into a Snack Giant.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-08-10-madegood-salma-and-nima-fotovat-lost-their-first-business-they-grew-their-next-o) (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)
- [What It Really Takes To Build a Food Business: Part 1](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-10-18-what-it-really-takes-to-build-a-food-business-part-1) (How I Built This)
- [Reinventing the Pizza Bagel: Bagelverse's Jacob Cooper on Nostalgia and CPG](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-10-09-reinventing-the-pizza-bagel-bagelverses-jacob-cooper-on-nostalgia-and-cpg) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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