Hardware Podcasts

Founder Feature: Brian Bethke of BEAR Maple Farms

The Startup CPG Podcast · 31 Jan 2025 · 34m · Episode 116

What this episode covers

Brian Bethke, founder of BEAR Maple Farms, explains how he combined sustainably hydroponically grown ginseng with maple water to create a zero-caffeine functional beverage. He details the pivotal moment at Bevnet where harsh feedback on his original packaging led to a complete rebrand with designer Paula Grant, which was crucial for shelf appeal. Bethke also discusses his strategy for national expansion in 2025, leveraging a dedicated field sales team and data-driven storytelling to secure tier-one retail placements like Whole Foods and UNFI.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
BEAR Maple Farms, Whole Foods, UNFI, Kehi, Body Armor
Products
Celsius, Red Bull
Also
Pearl Jam, Lenny Kravitz

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • People of Packaging · 31m

    259 - It's definitely NOT beer with Not Beer founder Dillon Dandurand

    Dillon Dandurand, founder of Not Beer, explains how he launched a zero-carb, zero-alcohol sparkling water in Dallas, Texas, leveraging his background at Brazi Bites and Jack Black. He details the operational challenge of sourcing a full truckload of 155,600 tall boy cans to meet minimum order quantities, opting for a turnkey manufacturer to simplify logistics. Dandurand discusses the brand's humorous packaging design, which mimics beer aesthetics, and his strategy of using sampling and influencer marketing to drive retail distribution in Texas before expanding nationally.

    Packaging designDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    8 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

  • 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.

    Starting a product companyScaling production
    8 chapters

  • People of Packaging · 28m

    346 - Sistine Spritz packaging aesthetic is unreal! w/ founder Kate McLamb and Lauren Alexander

    Kate McLamb and Lauren Alexander, co-founders of Sistine Spritz, explain how they built a beverage brand by treating it like a fashion house, prioritizing brand aesthetics and community before finalizing the liquid formula. They discuss the design of their 750ml champagne bottle with a hand-applied blue wax seal and the technical challenges of transitioning to a 222ml slim can while maintaining their 'sexy' brand identity. The founders detail how they achieved the drink's natural ruby-red color using beets and carrots to match their computer-generated ideal, and describe their strategy of launching through intimate events and LA retail partnerships rather than traditional alcohol distribution.

    Packaging designIndustrial & consumer product design
    6 chapters

  • People of Packaging · 44m

    48 - Aimy Steadman, Co Founder and CGSDO at Future Proof

    Aimy Steadman, Co-Founder and CGSDO at Future Proof, discusses the evolution of Beat Box Beverages from a local Austin startup to a national brand, highlighting their pivot from 5-liter boxed wine to single-serving 500ml Tetra Pak cartons. She details the company's crowdfunding campaign on WeFunder, their pursuit of B Corp certification to verify sustainability claims, and how they navigated the 2020 aluminum can shortage by relying on their Tetra Pak supply chain. Steadman emphasizes that Future Proof prioritizes carbon efficiency over perfect circularity, achieving plastic neutrality while maintaining a focus on fun and community engagement through the Naturally Network.

    Packaging designCrowdfunding & preorders
    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.