The Startup CPG Podcast · 15 Apr 2025 · 48m · Episode 144
Leana Salamah of the Specialty Food Association (SFA) explains that the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York is a high-impact event for emerging brands, attracting a mix of national and regional buyers who are willing to take chances on new products. Luca Molinari, co-founder of BARIS, shares how his Patagonia-born chocolate-dipped raspberry brand leveraged the Startup CPG section at the show to secure major retail wins, including accounts with over 100 stores, despite starting with just a tabletop. Jaden McTaggart, Senior Director of Center Store at Earth Fare, offers the buyer's perspective, emphasizing that he looks for authentic brands with strong missions and packaging, and values the ability to move quickly on products that align with his store's strict ingredient standards.
early-stage companies and companies scaling up
Other shows on the same ground, closest first.
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.
Lara Merriken, founder of LÄRABAR and co-founder of Anther, joins Guy Raz to advise three early-stage founders on scaling, retail strategy, and fundraising. Alison Rep of Joy Breeders seeks advice on maintaining brand authenticity while expanding into larger retail channels, with Lara and Guy suggesting she focus on product stability and specific retail placement rather than abstract brand values. Mariano Questam of Maax Brands struggles to enter major retail buyers' doors with his caffeinated gum, receiving advice to clarify his product's value proposition and target specific user tribes like athletes. Finally, Lauretta Nakocha of Lauretta British Ginger T asks how to fundraise as a solo founder, with suggestions to leverage her storytelling through crowdfunding and direct community asks.
Bill and Leigh Keith, co-founders of Perfect Bars, explain how they turned their father's homemade peanut butter and honey recipe into a major CPG brand, eventually selling to Mondelēz International. They detail the bootstrapped journey from hand-rolling bars in a Sacramento warehouse to securing deals with Whole Foods and Costco, and the critical decision to introduce a chocolate chip flavor to meet investor metrics. The episode highlights a major crisis when a false positive salmonella test forced a massive recall, nearly shutting down the company before they secured $15 million in investment from VMG Partners.
Jeni Britton, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and her new fiber company Floura, advises three early-stage founders on marketing, fundraising, and PR. Jesse Koenig of Jesse & Ben’s discusses how to market his healthy frozen fries to grocery buyers without relying solely on the 'seed oil' narrative. Casey White of Jaju Pierogi asks how to sustainably grow her dumpling brand to big-box retailers like Costco without losing control to outside venture capital. Callie Zeher of Ube.co seeks guidance on hiring a PR firm for her purple sweet potato pet treats while balancing her full-time science career.
Taylor Foxman, founder of The Industry Collective, explains her unique business model of connecting 80 beverage and cannabis CEOs with investors, media, and partners without traditional marketing or a public-facing persona. She details her background in PR for brands like Jameson and Beyond Meat, and how she leverages this network to help underrepresented founders navigate fundraising and brand visibility. Foxman emphasizes the importance of creating 'good news' through consistent press releases and maintaining levity to support founders through the high-pressure CPG landscape.
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