Hardware Podcasts

Founder Feature: Leanne Viola and Jesse Barruch of WHIMS

The Startup CPG Podcast · 4 Oct 2024 · 38m · Episode 83

What this episode covers

Leanne Viola and Jesse Barruch, co-founders of WHIMS Delights, explain how personal health crises led them to create low-sugar, gluten-free, and dairy-free confectionery products like peanut butter cups and caramel cookie bars. They detail their journey from prototyping in a home kitchen to securing a pastry chef and manufacturing partners, emphasizing the importance of financial responsibility and unit economics from day one. The founders discuss their retail strategy of self-distributing to independent stores, using aggressive sampling to drive trial, and preparing for Expo West 2025 to expand distribution partnerships while maintaining long-term relationships.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
WH Smith
Products
WHIMS Delights
Also
Expo West, Fair and Air Goods

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