The Startup CPG Podcast · 2 Sept 2025 · 42m · Episode 190
Eric Skae, CEO of Carbone Fine Food, explains how the brand scaled to over $100M in sales and 25,000 retail doors in under five years using a distribution-first strategy. He details the importance of product quality, specifically using Number 10 cans and fresh ingredients, and managing co-packers like Major Food Group to maintain consistency. Skae also discusses his lean team structure, capital efficiency, and advice for early-stage brands to build a data story in a single region before expanding.
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.
Sir Kensington's co-founder Mark Ramadan joins Guy Raz to advise three early-stage founders on business challenges. He helps Pat of Dripsy LLC navigate the complexities of getting a single-product sink strainer into major retail chains, Lucas of Taco Shop on how to differentiate from an impending Chipotle competitor, and Beth Benneke of Busy Baby on managing cash flow and operational costs while scaling from DTC to mass retail.
CAVA co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman joins Guy Raz to advise three early-stage founders on scaling challenges. Devin Strahan of Spike Root Beer discusses overcoming imposter syndrome and managing rapid growth with limited bandwidth. Sophia Bowden of Little Me Allergy explores expanding sales channels for her allergy accessories through retail partnerships. Sean Murray of Rootless Coffee Company weighs the decision to seek outside investment to fund a national coffee shop expansion.
Becca Millstein of Fishwife, Brian Rudolph of Banza, and Caue Suplicy of Barnana discuss scaling their food brands from direct-to-consumer origins to national retail presence. They detail strategies for product-market fit, including influencer seeding, packaging design, and navigating supply chain disruptions and misinformation crises. The founders also share advice on co-founder dynamics, customer segmentation, and the importance of brand moats in the competitive CPG landscape.
Scott Norton and Mark Ramadan, co-founders of Sir Kensington's, explain how they used a fictional British aristocrat backstory to differentiate their gourmet ketchup from Heinz. After struggling to gain traction with ketchup alone, they launched a premium mayonnaise line that became the company's primary revenue driver, enabling them to scale and eventually sell to Unilever for $140 million. The episode details their early prototyping, distribution challenges, and the co-founder tensions that arose during scaling.
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.