The Startup CPG Podcast · 12 Feb 2025 · 36m · Episode 121
Daniel Scharff, Patricia Menegoto, and Kiki Huddleston from Startup CPG discuss the 2025 Shelfie Awards, a free recognition program for emerging CPG brands designed to provide visibility and retailer connections. They detail the judging process, which involves evaluating over 1,500 products for innovation and brand story, and highlight success stories like Nowhere Bakery and Paioa who leveraged the award for distribution deals. The episode also introduces the new Sustainability Shelfie Award sponsored by Green Spoon Sales and offers tactical advice on submitting samples and packaging.
early-stage companies
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S'well founder Sarah Kauss joins Guy Raz to advise three early-stage founders on positioning and growth. She helps Chiara Moonzi of Chigi navigate grocery placement for a chickpea-based hot cereal, Jesús Rualcaba of Paper Tacos expand his Latino-inspired greeting cards beyond specialty stores, and Adam Barker of Bolt Skin and Shave determine his growth strategy for a razor brand targeting men who shave their legs.
Jeni Britton, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and her new fiber company Flora, advises three early-stage CPG founders on marketing, fundraising, and PR. Jesse Koenig of Jesse and Ben's discusses marketing frozen fries made with tallow and avocado oil, Casey White of Jaju Pierogi weighs the pros and cons of outside capital for scaling to big-box retailers, and Callie Sayher of ube.co seeks advice on hiring a PR firm for her purple sweet potato pet treats.
Guy Raz is joined by Kip Tindell, co-founder of The Container Store, to answer calls from early-stage hardware founders. Juliette Bruce of CoolaWand asks how to build awareness for her reusable cooling wand without ad spend; David Hyam of Hazel Grove Customs seeks advice on scaling his engraved gifts wholesale channel; and Caitlin Kale of Kaomi Sleep wants to turn her viral fitted sheet into a lasting brand. Tindell emphasizes patience, humble growth, and protecting intellectual property.
Keith McCullough, founder of Junebar, explains his pivot from a 20-year career in video game development to creating high-fiber, plant-based snack bars. He details the product's formulation, focusing on clean ingredients and a 4-month refrigerated shelf life, and discusses the strategic importance of fiber in the current CPG landscape. McCullough shares critical advice for early-stage founders, emphasizing the need for small initial packaging orders, the benefits of co-packing, and the emotional resilience required to handle consumer feedback and imposter syndrome.
Cory Connors and Adam Meyers recap Day 2 of the Circularity 2023 conference, highlighting the US Plastics Pact awards presentation to a crowd of 1200 and the innovative 'micro-presentation' format by Johns Manville. They discuss a recycling panel featuring The Recycling Partnership, Eureka Recycling, and Nestlé, focusing on why sustainability goals are missed and the impact of labels and RFID on recycling streams. The episode also covers pre-competitive collaboration among major brands like Mattel, Hasbro, and Coca-Cola, and highlights technologies like BASF's near-infrared scanners for material verification.
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