#222 - Buyer Spotlight: Pastas, Pasta Sauces, Oils, and Vinegars, with Brooke Gil of Whole Foods Market

The Startup CPG Podcast · 11 Nov 2025 · 44m · Episode 215

What this episode covers

Brooke Gil, Category Merchant for Pastas, Pasta Sauces, Oils, and Vinegars at Whole Foods Market, discusses current trends and buyer expectations. She highlights the rise of functional vinegars, the 'tallow takeover' driven by beauty trends, and the 'kitchen couture' movement where packaging aesthetics drive sales. Gil emphasizes that successful brands must clearly communicate flavor profiles and usage on packaging, support their programs with promotions and demos, and maintain transparent communication regarding inventory and supply chain issues.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • People of Packaging · 38m

    222 - Alison Cayne, CEO of Havens Kitchen, from the classroom to the kitchen

    Alison Cayne, founder and CEO of Haven's Kitchen, explains how her cooking school evolved into a CPG brand selling sauces in flexible pouches. She details the decision to use pouches over glass or hard plastic for sustainability, logistics, and user experience, noting the higher cost but strong brand differentiation. Cayne discusses the challenges of consumer willingness to pay for sustainable packaging and the strategic advantage of standing out on retail shelves against traditional glass competitors.

  • People of Packaging · 33m

    108 - Brodough.ca interview with Erika Rankin

    Erika Rankin, founder of Brodough, a 100% plant-based edible cookie dough company based in Canada, discusses her journey from quitting a 9-to-5 job to scaling her DTC brand. She details the specific packaging challenges of moving from hand-stuck labels on plastic jars to new containers, highlighting the high MOQs for in-mold labeling and the costs of hand-labeling. Rankin also explains how her initial packaging design accidentally went viral on TikTok because it resembled slime, driving significant organic growth despite the confusion.

  • People of Packaging · 39m

    7 - Interact Boulder Forum

    Adam Peek interviews Sydney Tomasello, Valerie Hawks, Christie Wanamaker, and Alexis Berg from Interact Boulder, a branding and package design firm specializing in food and beverage. The group discusses their strategic approach to designing packaging that drives sales, the importance of functional design over purely aesthetic trends, and their deep immersion in industry trade shows. They also analyze current market trends, including the wellness boom, the rise of adaptogenic ingredients like mushrooms, and the complex realities of sustainability and compostability in the packaging industry.

  • How I Built This · 49m

    Advice Line with Sarah Kauss of S'well

    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.

  • How I Built This · 48m

    Advice Line with Ben Goodwin of Olipop

    Ben Goodwin, co-founder of the prebiotic soda brand Olipop, joins Guy Raz to answer calls from early-stage founders. Goodwin advises Darren Alpert of Gheelish on how to market ghee-based snacks by prioritizing taste over ingredient education, and helps Sarah Godfrey of Sarah's Gluten Free Goods navigate the scaling challenges of fresh, allergen-safe baked goods. He also counsels John Groner of the Bexley Natural Foods co-op on revitalizing sales through community engagement and curation rather than e-commerce.

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.