Hardware Podcasts

Founder Feature: Gabriella Labi and Tonya Reznikovich of Gato Dates

The Startup CPG Podcast · 3 Apr 2026 · 34m · Episode 286

What this episode covers

Gabriella Labi and Tonya Reznikovich, co-founders of Gato Dates, explain how they transformed a home kitchen recipe for dark chocolate-covered, nut butter-stuffed Medjool dates into a premium DTC brand. They detail their 'year zero' strategy of validating the product at LA farmers markets, which generated $1,500 on day one and led to organic celebrity discovery by figures like LeAnn Rimes and Kristin Cavallari. The founders discuss their transition to full-time operations, their retail expansion into specialty and major grocery accounts, and the specific challenges of scaling production and managing margins in year two.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Fishwife, Poppy, Loops Beauty, SunLife Organics, Eataly, Happier Grocery, Meadow Lane, Jimbo's, McKinsey
Products
Gato Dates
Also
Glamour magazine

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