# #101 Celebrating 10 Years of Growth: Family, Foodservice, and Forging your Own Path with Soom's Amy Zitelman

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2023-08-01
- Length: 56m
- Episode: 78
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-08-01-101-celebrating-10-years-of-growth-family-foodservice-and-forging-your-own-path
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/aef34ed5

## Summary

Amy Zitelman, co-founder and CEO of Soom Foods, discusses the company's 10-year journey from a college project to a national CPG brand. She explains how Soom prioritized the foodservice channel for eight years to build credibility before launching nationally in Whole Foods and Sprouts. Zitelman details the strategic rebranding with agency Pulp & Wire, the decision to raise capital in 2021, and the operational shifts required to support retail growth while managing family life.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Soom Foods and Tahini Product Line
2. Founding Story and Sister Co-Founder Roles
3. Foodservice Strategy and Early Distribution
4. Financial Lessons and the 2021 Fundraise
5. Retail Launch and Rebranding with Pulp & Wire
6. Family Planning and Founder Wellbeing
7. EOS Implementation and Team Structure
8. National Retail Launch and Future Outlook

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Soom Foods (company)
- Pulp & Wire (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Sprouts (company)
- Zahav (company)
- Traction (other)
- EOS (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [What It Really Takes To Build a Food Business: Part 2](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-10-25-what-it-really-takes-to-build-a-food-business-part-2) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali of Chomps](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-02-19-advice-line-with-pete-maldonado-and-rashid-ali-of-chomps) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Sarah Kauss of S'well](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-06-20-advice-line-with-sarah-kauss-of-swell) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Mark Ramadan of Sir Kensington's](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-06-27-advice-line-with-mark-ramadan-of-sir-kensingtons) (How I Built This)
- [What It Really Takes To Build a Food Business: Part 1](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-10-18-what-it-really-takes-to-build-a-food-business-part-1) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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