Founder Feature: Susan Hartman of Recoup Beverages

The Startup CPG Podcast · 14 Mar 2025 · 38m · Episode 131

What this episode covers

Susan Hartman, co-founder of Recoup Beverages, discusses the journey of building a gut-healthy hydration brand with co-founder Siwat, transitioning from a fresh juice to a shelf-stable beverage. She details their strategic retail expansion, starting with regional self-distribution to control messaging before unlocking distributors through anchor stores like Wegmans and Erewhon, leading to a national launch at Sprouts. Hartman also covers their fundraising strategy using SAFE notes, the importance of packaging cues in the functional beverage category, and their approach to managing complexity and hiring as they scale.

Mentioned

Companies
Sprouts, Wegmans, Erewhon, Jimbo's, Unilever, Campbell's, EOS, Included CPG, New Hope, NCN Nutritional Capital Network, Instacart
Products
Recoup Beverages, Olipop, Poppi
Tools
Go to IO
Also
Expo West

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