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People of Packaging

Conversations with people across the packaging industry, from packaging suppliers and designers to founders of consumer brands, on how products are packaged, bought and brought to market.

359 episodes · 200 hours · since 2019

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People of Packaging is filed under consumer products & cpg, design, supply chain & operations and interviews. Its most recent episode published on , so it is still actively publishing. Listeners have left 29 ratings on Apple Podcasts, averaging 5 out of 5.

Latest episodes

The 10 newest episodes of People of Packaging, each with a summary and chapters.

  • · 38m

    361 - Men have skin too and love good packaging design! W/ Freddie Sheridan from YCODE

    Freddie Sheridan, founder of YCODE, explains how his brand addresses the men's skincare gap by formulating products specifically for male skin biology, including 25% thicker skin and higher oil content. He details the design of the original matchbox-style packaging, which uses GF Smith paper and a glue dot, and the subsequent rebrand to a cleaner white aesthetic to avoid stereotypes. The episode highlights the Well Kept Advanced Eye Serum, noting its color-adaptive properties and the innovative 100% aluminum tube with a snap-off lid designed for sustainability and ease of use.

    Packaging designMaterials & manufacturing processes
    6 chapters

  • · 1h 09m

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

    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.

    Scaling productionPackaging design
    8 chapters

  • · 35m

    359 - The most interesting way AI is disrupting packaging design with Andy Kurtts from Buttermilk Creative

    Andy Kurtts, founder of Buttermilk Creative, explains how 'agentic shoppers'—AI tools that autonomously select products based on user intent—are disrupting packaging design by requiring brands to optimize copy and visual claims across all packaging panels. He demonstrates a live test using Google Gemini, showing how AI interprets product data from physical packaging OCR and retailer listings to make recommendations. Kurtts advises brands to ensure consistency between their physical packaging, e-commerce descriptions, and retailer dashboards to avoid being filtered out by vision models that scan thumbnails and text for specific keywords like 'seed oil free.'

    Packaging designAI & machine learning
    8 chapters

  • · 39m

    358 - Former NBA President/GM Tommy Sheppard drops some leadership NUGGETS!

    Tommy Sheppard, former President and GM of the Washington Wizards, discusses his 32-year career in the NBA, his transition to executive leadership coaching, and the importance of servant leadership. He shares anecdotes from his time with the Denver Nuggets, including the franchise's historic 11-71 season and the legacy of Joe Wolf, while emphasizing the value of building relational equity over transactional interactions. Sheppard also offers advice to young athletes and parents on maintaining a love for the game amidst increasing commercialization and stress.

    Leadership, teams & cultureCareers & education
    7 chapters

  • · 35m

    357 - Dustin Steerman is putting Vert on the map and changing how packaging is bought

    Dustin Steerman, founder and CEO of Vert, explains how his company is disrupting the flexible packaging industry by combining digital printing with a service-first model. He details Vert's expansion from a cannabis-focused startup into a broader supplier for sports nutrition and pet treats, supported by a new 35,000-square-foot facility in Longmont, Colorado. Steerman emphasizes that their competitive advantage lies in solving the friction of packaging procurement through 24-hour quote turnarounds and managing complex multi-state regulatory artwork versioning.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringPricing, margins & unit economics
    7 chapters

  • · 37m

    356 - A very bubbly interview with fellow CSU Ram and Bom Dia founder, Kevin Selvy

    Kevin Selvy, Founder and CEO of Bôm Dia, explains the 3.5-year journey of exporting the first canned Brazilian sparkling wine to North America. He details the engineering challenges of matching carbonation levels between glass bottles and aluminum cans to ensure identical taste, and the decision to use direct screen printing on glass to avoid label damage during ocean freight. Selvy also discusses the logistical nightmare of navigating complex US alcohol distribution laws and a surprise 50% import tariff that hit while their first shipment was at sea.

    Packaging designScaling production
    5 chapters

  • · 32m

    355 - Shark Tank Alum Olivia Abrams from Tick Mitt!

    Olivia Abrams, CEO and Co-Founder of TickMitt, discusses the journey of creating a chemical-free tick removal mitten and the Tick Sidekick with her father, Steve. She details their experience pitching on Shark Tank, where they received two offers but declined them due to valuation, and explains how they designed packaging to balance low D2C shipping costs with retail visibility using clear windows and pegboard hooks. The conversation highlights the operational challenges of scaling, including transforming shipping boxes into PDQs and navigating complex 136-page compliance manuals for big-box retail.

    Packaging designCrowdfunding & preorders
    7 chapters

  • · 47m

    354 - Beyond the dieline with the incomparable Jake Karls from Mid-Day Squares

    Jake Karls, co-founder of Mid-Day Squares, explains how the company evolved from hand-making bars in a condo kitchen to building a custom manufacturing facility producing 150,000 squares daily after facing rejection from 26 co-packers. He details the strategic decision to place their refrigerated snacks in the fresh aisle to avoid the 'sea of sameness' in dry nutrition bars and discusses the launch of their viral 'No-Bread PB&J' line, which was developed to mitigate cocoa price surges. Karls emphasizes the importance of radical social media transparency and storytelling to build an emotional connection with consumers, turning early pandemic crises into growth opportunities by going 'on offense.'

    Scaling productionMarketing & brand
    7 chapters

  • · 38m

    353 - Adam Page and Adam Peek discuss Packaging Market Trends!

    Adam Page, VP of Reports at Smithers, discusses the limitations of AI in market research and the necessity of human expertise for triangulating data across the packaging value chain. He highlights how e-commerce growth is driving flexible packaging but reducing corrugated volumes through AI-driven right-sizing, while a global shortage of Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) material threatens brand sustainability goals. Page explains that Smithers serves brands, retailers, and suppliers by providing primary research to navigate regulatory changes and supply chain complexities.

    AI & machine learningSourcing & supply chain
    7 chapters

  • · 36m

    352 - Are you ready to see the next revolution in packaging testing?!? Ankit Dhawan from Blue-Pill.ai

    Ankit Dhawan, founder of Bluepill.ai, explains how his software uses AI-driven digital twins to simulate consumer behavior for packaging testing, reducing costs from $15,000–$25,000 and weeks of time to under ten minutes. During a live demo, Dhawan analyzes Miss Essie’s BBQ Sauce packaging against competitors like Sweet Baby Ray’s and Stubbs, identifying strengths like practical dispensers and weaknesses like pale illustrations. The discussion highlights the software’s ability to provide objective, data-driven insights on shelf performance and claim effectiveness, addressing the high cost and slow iteration of traditional market research.

    Packaging designAI & machine learning
    10 chapters

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