Hardware Podcasts

#55 Nationally Launching the Reimagination of Jam with Chia Smash

The Startup CPG Podcast · 2 Aug 2022 · 33m · Episode 32

What this episode covers

Anna Peck, co-founder of Chia Smash, explains how she reimagined the jam category by creating a product with 75% fruit content and no added sugar, bypassing the FDA's 55% sugar requirement for 'jam.' Starting as a side hustle in a commercial kitchen, she and co-founder Steve Ford scaled the brand through early retail partnerships with Whole Foods and Thrive Market before executing a national launch with Sprouts. Peck details the critical rebranding process, the shift to upcycled ingredients, and the importance of direct consumer feedback in shaping their packaging and marketing strategy.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Blue Apron, Whole Foods, Thrive Market, Sprouts, Hot Bread Kitchen, Misfits Market, Upcycled Food Association, Little Fury, Startup CPG
Products
Chia Smash

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • How I Built This · 1h 14m

    SmartSweets: Tara Bosch

    Tara Bosch, founder of SmartSweets, explains how she developed a low-sugar gummy candy recipe in her grandmother's basement and secured debt financing to launch the brand. She details the critical decision to pivot from 'Stevie Sweets' to 'SmartSweets' after investor rejection, and the subsequent challenge of finding a reliable manufacturer after a partner attempted to steal her formula. Bosch describes scaling production, securing a national deal with Whole Foods, and eventually selling a majority stake to TPG for $360 million to accelerate global growth.

    Starting a product companyMaterials & manufacturing processes
    9 chapters

  • How I Built This · 21m

    How I Built Resilience: Justin Gold of Justin's

    Justin Gold, founder of Justin's, explains how he launched his nut butter brand by experimenting with flavors in his kitchen and differentiating through portable squeeze packs. He details the grueling early years of manually packing jars at a co-packer to gain retail traction before the company was acquired by Hormel. Gold also discusses how the pandemic shifted consumer behavior toward home consumption, impacting sales of impulse items versus staple jars, and offers advice on validating product-market fit and expanding distribution.

    Starting a product companyValidation & product-market fit
    8 chapters

  • People of Packaging · 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

  • People of Packaging · 37m

    244 - Jody Polishchuk from Sundays on how they made the first zero sugar creme cookie

    Jody Polishchuk, founder of Sundays, discusses his journey from previous CPG ventures like The Juice Box and Yuga to creating the first zero-sugar creme cookie. He details the extensive R&D process, which involved three co-packers and three R&D teams over three years and $100,000, to replicate the taste of an Oreo without sugar. Polishchuk also explains his strategic decision to launch with a strong, affordable brand identity designed by Christine Brown and Django Jim, rather than spending heavily on a traditional agency.

    Starting a product companyMaterials & manufacturing processes
    7 chapters

  • How I Built This · 21m

    How I Built Resilience: Kara Goldin of Hint

    Kara Goldin, founder and CEO of Hint, explains how she launched the unsweetened flavored water brand after quitting diet soda to improve her health. She details the challenges of entering the saturated beverage industry without prior experience, specifically the difficulty of convincing retailers to stock a new category and the technical hurdle of creating a preservative-free product using real fruit. Goldin also discusses how Hint navigated the pandemic by leveraging its automated US-based manufacturing and pivoting aggressively to direct-to-consumer sales, which tripled during the crisis.

    Starting a product companyMaterials & manufacturing processes
    7 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.