#65 Mid-Day Squares - National Target Launch, Business Therapy, and Dance Vibes with Jake Karls

The Startup CPG Podcast · 18 Oct 2022 · 49m · Episode 42

What this episode covers

Jake Karls, Co-Founder and Chief Rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares, discusses the company's national launch at Target, its transition to self-manufacturing, and the critical role of founder therapy in navigating business challenges. He details the decision to pause US e-commerce shipments due to prohibitive cold-chain shipping costs, the team's structure with co-CEOs handling operations while he focuses on brand building, and their strategy to become a 'world-class' legacy chocolate brand rivaling Hershey or Cadbury.

Mentioned

Companies
Target, Hershey, Cadbury, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Mondelēz International, Erewhon, Wegmans, Sobeys, Instacart, Moscow Group
Products
Mid-Day Squares, Peanut Butta, Cookie Dough, Fudge, Almond Crunch, Brownie Batter
Also
SnackFutures CoLab

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • 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.'

  • People of Packaging · 38m

    129 - Kirk Visola (Mind the Font) and Jake Karls from Mid-day Squares drops in on a live interview on LinkedIn

    Jake Karls, co-founder of Mid-Day Squares, and Kirk Visola of Mind the Font discuss the brand's bold marketing strategy, including a $65,000 parody music video targeting Hershey's to assert their identity amidst packaging infringement disputes. Karls details the emotional and operational chaos of a rapid packaging redesign due to legal threats, highlighting the company's commitment to authenticity through handwritten notes and transparent storytelling. The conversation also covers the company's current operational struggles with high demand, leading to online sold-out status, and Karls' personal journey with founder burnout and mental health.

  • 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.

  • How I Built This · 1h 11m

    Guayakí Yerba Mate: David Karr and Chris Mann

    Guayakí co-founders David Karr and Chris Mann explain how they built a $100 million beverage company by introducing yerba mate to the U.S. market, starting with hand-packing loose tea and touring in a VW bus to demo the product. They detail the strategic pivot to bottled and then canned ready-to-drink formats, which allowed them to scale beyond niche natural food stores into broader retail channels. The founders also describe the difficult decision to build their own direct store distribution network using Chevy Bolts to maintain control over their brand and supply chain relationships.

  • How I Built This · 50m

    Aden + Anais: Raegan Moya-Jones (2019)

    Raegan Moya-Jones, co-founder of Aden + Anais, explains how she identified a gap for cotton muslin blankets in the US market, sourcing manufacturing from China and securing a major retail deal with Target. She details the painful dissolution of her partnership with Claudia, which led to her buying out the other founder and taking on private equity that eventually resulted in her being fired as CEO. In an updated segment, Moya-Jones discusses her recovery from that trauma and her launch of a new company, St. Luna Spirits, a premium rye-based moonshine brand.

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.