Building Strategic Partnerships with Mondelēz International's SnackFutures

The Startup CPG Podcast · 10 Nov 2021 · 27m · Episode 5

What this episode covers

Brigette Wolfe, Global Head of SnackFutures, and Jackie Haney, Innovation and CoLab Program Manager at Mondelēz International, explain the structure and philosophy of the CoLab program, a startup engagement initiative designed to support early-stage well-being brands. They discuss how SnackFutures, Mondelēz's innovation and venture hub, leverages its resources to help startups prepare for potential acquisition by building strong business fundamentals, clear positioning, and robust IP. The guests highlight specific pain points faced by founders, such as packaging issues during production runs, and detail how CoLab provides tailored mentorship, subject matter experts, and a peer community to solve these challenges. They outline the application criteria for the 2022 cohort, including the $500,000 annual sales threshold and the 12-week curriculum structure.

Mentioned

Companies
Mondelēz International, SnackFutures
Products
CoLab, Oreos, Ritz, Cadbury, Dirt Kitchen Snacks, Capal, Nokwait, Sour Patch Kids, Trident
Also
State of Snacking

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • 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.

  • People of Packaging · 59m

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

    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.

  • People of Packaging · 1h 10m

    350 - Beyond the Dieline - Dr Juan from PNuff Crunch joins Tom Seymour

    Dr. Juan Salinas, founder of Pnuff Crunch, discusses his transition from food science roles at Nabisco, Cadbury, Kraft, and Nestle to launching his own functional snack brand. He details the operational challenges of scaling production, specifically the costly mistake of over-purchasing long-run packaging film rolls and the strategic pivot to digital printing and smart plate design to manage inventory. Salinas also recounts his viral Shark Tank appearance, where Mark Cuban’s intervention saved the pitch, leading to Cuban’s investment, and explains how Pnuff Crunch’s high-protein, high-fiber formulation targets modern dietary trends including GLP-1 companion foods.

  • How I Built This · 1h 05m

    MadeGood: Salma and Nima Fotovat Lost Their First Business. They Grew Their Next One Into a Snack Giant.

    Nima and Salma Fotovat, along with their sister Saba, recount how they rebuilt their business after losing their family's co-packing company, Taste of Nature, in a 2012 buyout. They launched MadeGood, an allergen-free organic snack brand, by financing a $2 million factory with personal assets and bank loans. The episode details their early struggles, including manually reworking 200,000 mislabeled bars with alcohol wipes, and their strategy of saying 'yes' to difficult retailer requests to gain traction in Whole Foods and Costco.

  • How I Built This · 48m

    Advice Line with Ben Goodwin of Olipop

    Ben Goodwin, co-founder of the prebiotic soda brand Olipop, joins Guy Raz to answer calls from early-stage founders. Goodwin advises Darren Alpert of Gheelish on how to market ghee-based snacks by prioritizing taste over ingredient education, and helps Sarah Godfrey of Sarah's Gluten Free Goods navigate the scaling challenges of fresh, allergen-safe baked goods. He also counsels John Groner of the Bexley Natural Foods co-op on revitalizing sales through community engagement and curation rather than e-commerce.

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.