Hardware Podcasts

Janie's Life-Changing Baked Goods

The Startup CPG Podcast · 24 May 2021 · 22m

What this episode covers

Janie, founder of Janie's Life-Changing Baked Goods, explains how she transitioned from homelessness and addiction to building a CPG brand, leveraging support from the kitchen incubator Hot Bread Kitchen. She details the development of her signature pie crust cookie, her appearance on Food Network's Chopped Sweets, and her strategy of hiring historically marginalized community members. Janie also discusses her current scaling efforts, including moving into a new commercial kitchen in New York City and expanding distribution through Whole Foods and QVC.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Janie's Life-Changing Baked Goods, Hot Bread Kitchen, Whole Foods, QVC, Fresh Direct
Products
Chopped Sweets
Also
Queens Night Market, Janiebakes.com

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • How I Built This · 1h 04m

    Live Episode! Milk Bar: Christina Tosi

    Christina Tosi, founder of Milk Bar, explains how she transitioned from a pastry cook at WD50 to opening her own bakery in 2008 with the help of mentor David Chang. She details the creation of iconic products like Crack Pie and Cereal Milk soft serve, which emerged from kitchen experimentation and a desire to reinvent nostalgic American desserts. Tosi discusses the operational challenges of scaling from a single East Village location to 16 shops and a national mail-order business, including managing supply chains and maintaining product quality while keeping prices accessible.

    Starting a product companyPricing, margins & unit economics
    8 chapters

  • How I Built This · 59m

    Simple Mills: Katlin Smith

    Katlin Smith, founder of Simple Mills, explains how she launched a grain-free baking brand from her Atlanta apartment in 2012 after struggling with health issues as a Deloitte consultant. She details the early challenges of sourcing ingredients, securing a Whole Foods buyer with just 12 bags of product, and managing cash flow while bootstrapping with $70,000 of her own savings and a mortgage from her parents. Smith also discusses the pivotal role of influencer Danielle Walker in boosting Amazon sales, the difficulties of hiring and leadership, and the strategic decision to avoid 'natural flavors' to maintain product integrity.

    Starting a product companyValidation & product-market fit
    8 chapters

  • How I Built This · 46m

    Live Episode! Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Jeni Britton Bauer

    Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, recounts her journey from a perfume enthusiast to an ice cream innovator, detailing how she leveraged her background in scent and art history to create unique flavors like Cayenne Chocolate. She describes the early struggles of her first stall, Scream, and the pivotal decision to drop out of Ohio State University to pursue ice cream full-time. Bauer also explains how a 2015 Listeria recall forced a complete operational overhaul, leading to a stronger, community-focused company that now operates over 30 stores.

    Starting a product companyValidation & product-market fit
    7 chapters

  • How I Built This · 47m

    Healing through food with Danielle Walker of Against All Grain (2022)

    Danielle Walker, founder of Against All Grain, explains how her struggle with ulcerative colitis led to the creation of a multifaceted food business, including bestselling cookbooks, spice lines, and digital courses. She details her journey from a personal WordPress blog to a New York Times bestseller, emphasizing her strategy of putting her face on the cover to build trust with sufferers of autoimmune diseases. Walker discusses the operational challenges of sourcing niche ingredients like coconut flour in the early 2010s and her decision to expand into physical products to control quality and accessibility for her audience.

    Starting a product companyValidation & product-market fit
    12 chapters

  • How I Built This · 46m

    Advice Line with Jeni Britton of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

    Jeni Britton, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and her new fiber company Floura, advises three early-stage founders on marketing, fundraising, and PR. Jesse Koenig of Jesse & Ben’s discusses how to market his healthy frozen fries to grocery buyers without relying solely on the 'seed oil' narrative. Casey White of Jaju Pierogi asks how to sustainably grow her dumpling brand to big-box retailers like Costco without losing control to outside venture capital. Callie Zeher of Ube.co seeks guidance on hiring a PR firm for her purple sweet potato pet treats while balancing her full-time science career.

    Pricing, margins & unit economicsFundraising & investors
    5 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Startup CPG Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.