# Founder Feature: Becca Wright of Piedmont Pennies

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2025-01-17
- Length: 33m
- Episode: 112
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-01-17-founder-feature-becca-wright-of-piedmont-pennies
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/4cba2466

## Summary

Becca Wright, founder of Piedmont Pennies, explains how she turned her grandfather's North Carolina cheese cracker recipe into a bootstrapped CPG brand now sold in 35 states. She details the decision to self-manufacture to protect product quality, describing the transition from hand-pinch production to semi-automated packaging and the challenges of finding affordable commercial real estate. Wright also discusses her retail strategy, focusing on boutique and gifting channels rather than mass grocery, and her use of grants to fund early equipment purchases.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Becca Wright and Piedmont Pennies
2. From Corporate America to Family Recipe
3. Bootstrapping and Early Production Challenges
4. Self-Manufacturing vs. Co-Packers
5. Retail Strategy and Sampling
6. Scaling, Real Estate, and Grants
7. Company Culture and Future Goals

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Piedmont Pennies (product)
- Deloitte Consulting (company)
- Facebook (company)
- UNC Chapel Hill (other)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Fancy Food Show (other)
- Good Morning America (other)
- North Carolina Chamber (other)
- Total Wine (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Aviator Nation: Paige Mycoskie](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-01-aviator-nation-paige-mycoskie) (How I Built This)
- [Live From The HIBT Summit: Stacy Madison of Stacy's Pita Chips](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-12-live-from-the-hibt-summit-stacy-madison-of-stacys-pita-chips) (How I Built This)
- [Perfect Snacks: Bill and Leigh Keith](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-06-09-perfect-snacks-bill-and-leigh-keith) (How I Built This)
- [Live Episode! Milk Bar: Christina Tosi (2019)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-10-25-live-episode-milk-bar-christina-tosi-2019) (How I Built This)
- [360 - Beyond the Die Line - The pitch was awful. They liked the bar! Tom Seymour and Ree Dolnick](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r) (People of Packaging)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-01-17-founder-feature-becca-wright-of-piedmont-pennies. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Startup CPG Podcast.
