# #252 - The Rise of Laurel's Coffee: Whole Foods, Wegmans & 1,800 Target Stores in Two Years

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2026-06-09
- Length: 44m
- Episode: 318
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-09-252-the-rise-of-laurels-coffee-whole-foods-wegmans-1-800-target-stores-in-two-ye
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/b2acb87b

## Summary

Isabel Washington, founder of Laurel's Coffee, explains how she leveraged her McKinsey background to launch an A2 dairy canned latte brand and secure national distribution in Whole Foods and Target within six months of leaving consulting. She details the operational challenges of scaling from a garage startup to a 1,800-store Target launch, including sourcing A2 milk from suppliers like Alexandria Family Farms and managing logistics through partners like Rainforest and UNFI. Washington also discusses her flavor strategy, noting that Dirty Chai became a bestseller at Whole Foods by filling a gap in the refrigerated beverage aisle, and shares advice on fundraising and the risks of accepting large purchase orders with limited capital.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Isabel Washington and Laurel's Coffee
2. Consulting Skills and Parallel Work Streams
3. Product Formulation and A2 Dairy Science
4. Flavor Strategy and Whole Foods Buyer Dynamics
5. Scaling Operations and Supply Chain Management
6. Fundraising, Risk, and Future Growth

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Laurel's Coffee (product)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Target (company)
- McKinsey (company)
- Alexandria Family Farms (company)
- Rainforest (company)
- UNFI (company)
- Erewhon (company)
- Wegmans (company)
- Chamberlain Coffee (company)
- La Colombe (company)
- Starbucks (company)
- Poppin Bottle (company)
- Koia (company)
- Celsius (company)
- Alex Ice Cream (company)
- Sprouts (company)
- Costco (company)

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- [nutpods: Madeline Haydon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-05-13-nutpods-madeline-haydon) (How I Built This)
- [Bobo’s: Beryl Stafford.  A Single Mom Turns a Baking Project into a $100M Business](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-09-bobos-beryl-stafford-a-single-mom-turns-a-baking-project-into-a-100m-business) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Lara Merriken of LÄRABAR](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-10-17-advice-line-with-lara-merriken-of-larabar) (How I Built This)
- [Aden + Anais: Raegan Moya-Jones (2019)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-08-26-aden-anais-raegan-moya-jones-2019) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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