R&D RADIO: Consumer Research, Product Platforms, and How to Scale Food Products the Right Way with Guru Hari of Guru Food Design

The Startup CPG Podcast · 6 Jul 2026 · 25m · Episode 335

What this episode covers

Guru Hari Khalsa, founder of Guru Food Design, explains how to scale food products by integrating consumer research, cost of goods, and product platforms from the start. He details the transition from kitchen recipes to commercial manufacturing, emphasizing the need for blind taste tests and cost-targeted formulation to avoid failure. Khalsa shares examples of successful platforms like Yogi Tea’s Perfect Energy and Trader Joe’s cluster cereals, while predicting the next major trend in microbiome-focused foods.

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