# Founder Feature: Stephanie Berwick of Pastazerts

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2025-05-23
- Length: 33m
- Episode: 154
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-05-23-founder-feature-stephanie-berwick-of-pastazerts
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/f5795422

## Summary

Stephanie Berwick, founder of Pastazerts, explains how she transitioned from a 20-year fintech career to launching the world's first chocolate ravioli, a frozen dessert pasta. She details the journey from amateur cooking competitions and self-manufacturing in a commercial kitchen to scaling production with a pasta-focused co-manufacturer in North Carolina. Berwick discusses the strategic decision to use debt-based crowdfunding via Honeycomb Credit to bridge cash flow gaps, the challenges of navigating frozen logistics and retail placement, and her focus on building velocity in natural grocery stores along the East Coast.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Stephanie Berwick and Pastazerts
2. Origin Story: From Fintech to Cooking Competitions
3. Product Development: Validating the Chocolate Ravioli Concept
4. Scaling Production: Finding a Pasta Co-Manufacturer
5. Retail Strategy: Frozen Category Challenges and Placement
6. Funding the Brand: Debt Crowdfunding with Honeycomb Credit
7. Advice for Founders: Unit Economics and Avoiding Over-Purchasing

## Topics

- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [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)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Pastazerts (product)
- Honeycomb Credit (tool)

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- [What It Really Takes To Build a Food Business: Part 1](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-10-18-what-it-really-takes-to-build-a-food-business-part-1) (How I Built This)
- [Stacy's Pita Chips: Stacy Madison](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-05-27-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison) (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)
- [Pipcorn: Jennifer and Jeff Martin](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-04-26-pipcorn-jennifer-and-jeff-martin) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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