Hardware Podcasts

Beyond the Dieline - Ithaca Hummus founder Chris Kirby (part 1)

People of Packaging · 30 Oct 2026 · 37m · Episode 363

What this episode covers

Chris Kirby, founder of Ithaca Hummus, explains how his culinary background led him to launch a hummus brand at the Ithaca Farmers Market, capitalizing on a category shift where Sabra had made hummus mainstream but value engineering had degraded quality. He details the accidental origin of Ithaca's signature square packaging, which resulted from using LiDestri Foods' existing tooling to avoid $60,000 in retooling costs, and highlights the strategic advantage of High Pressure Processing (HPP) enabled by the FLX Foods partnership. Kirby emphasizes that his success relied on refusing to compromise on fresh ingredients and leveraging the right partners to turn financial constraints into a distinct market differentiator.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
LiDestri Foods, FLX Foods, Wegmans
Products
Ithaca Hummus, Sabra
Also
Cornell

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 40m

    Built to Scale: Lessons from a Founder Who Sold

    Zoë Sakoutis, Co-Founder and CEO of Bittman’s and founder of the now-acquired Blueprint, details her journey from bootstrapping a cold-pressed juice brand with a $5,000 loan to selling it to Hain Celestial, and her current efforts raising capital for Bittman’s whole grain sourdough bread. She explains how discovering High Pressure Processing (HPP) provided the necessary 'kill step' to make raw juice safe for retail shelves, unlocking national distribution and attracting strategic acquirers. Sakoutis discusses the complexities of the acquisition diligence process, particularly the burden of four production facilities, 120 employees, and 10-year leases, and offers advice on maintaining a clear business thesis while navigating investor feedback and team-building decisions.

    Crowdfunding & preordersFundraising & investors
    6 chapters

  • How I Built This · 1h 27m

    Justin’s Nut Butter: Justin Gold. He Was Waiting Tables, Then...He Reinvented Peanut Butter.

    Justin Gold, founder of Justin's Nut Butter, explains how he reverse-engineered flavored peanut butter in his Boulder apartment using a food processor and recipe journals, eventually securing $35,000 from family to launch. After struggling with low sales velocity in jars, Gold innovated a squeeze pack format, which initially failed in the energy bar aisle but succeeded when moved next to jars as a trial size and portion control product. The brand was acquired by Hormel for $280 million, leading to Gold's eventual firing and subsequent return as a board member under new ownership by Forward Consumer Products, aiming to revitalize the stagnant brand.

    Validation & product-market fitPrototyping & iteration
    10 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 30m

    Founder Feature: Tabi and Meena Hoshmand of Tursh

    Tabi and Meena Hoshmand, co-founders of Tursh, discuss bootstrapping their Afghan-inspired green chutney brand from their respective homes in New York and Los Angeles. They detail the product's development based on their mother's recipe, the strategic decision to hire an external designer to translate their cultural vision into commercial packaging, and their cautious, slow-and-steady approach to scaling into boutique retail. The sisters also reflect on the emotional journey of reconnecting with their heritage and the operational realities of running a two-person, side-hustle CPG business.

    Starting a product companyPricing, margins & unit economics
    7 chapters

  • How I Built This · 1h 26m

    Perfect Snacks: Bill and Leigh Keith

    Bill and Leigh Keith, co-founders of Perfect Bars, explain how they turned their father's homemade peanut butter and honey recipe into a major CPG brand, eventually selling to Mondelēz International. They detail the bootstrapped journey from hand-rolling bars in a Sacramento warehouse to securing deals with Whole Foods and Costco, and the critical decision to introduce a chocolate chip flavor to meet investor metrics. The episode highlights a major crisis when a false positive salmonella test forced a massive recall, nearly shutting down the company before they secured $15 million in investment from VMG Partners.

    Starting a product companyCrowdfunding & preorders
    9 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 29m

    Reinventing the Pizza Bagel: Bagelverse's Jacob Cooper on Nostalgia and CPG

    Jacob Cooper, founder of Bagelverse, explains his pivot from eight years as a CTO in AI to launching a nostalgic pizza bagel brand with flavors like spicy vodka and barbecue chicken. He details the complex supply chain requiring two separate co-packers for bagels and pizza assembly, and his strategy of validating demand through pop-ups before securing manufacturing. Cooper emphasizes the critical importance of high-quality packaging for emerging brands and his long-term, relationship-focused approach to securing retail placements with major retailers like Target and Whole Foods.

    Starting a product companyManufacturing partners & offshoring
    6 chapters

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.