The Case for Frozen Muffins: How Unrefined Foods Is Bringing Whole Grain Nutrition to the Freezer Aisle

The Startup CPG Podcast · 17 Jul 2026 · 28m · Episode 337

What this episode covers

Melissa Bermudez, founder of Unrefined Foods, explains her transition from finance and Big Ag to creating frozen muffins using 100% stone-milled whole grains. She details the operational challenges of maintaining a two-day shelf life without sugar preservatives and the strategic decision to place products in the frozen aisle near bakery items to expand the category. The episode highlights her direct relationships with organic and regenerative wheat farmers, noting that only 2% of U.S. wheat production is certified organic, and discusses a viral demo revealing the high added sugar content in competing bakery muffins.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • How I Built This · 59m

    Simple Mills: Katlin Smith

    Katlin Smith, founder of Simple Mills, explains how she launched a grain-free baking brand from her Atlanta apartment in 2012 after struggling with health issues as a Deloitte consultant. She details the early challenges of sourcing ingredients, securing a Whole Foods buyer with just 12 bags of product, and managing cash flow while bootstrapping with $70,000 of her own savings and a mortgage from her parents. Smith also discusses the pivotal role of influencer Danielle Walker in boosting Amazon sales, the difficulties of hiring and leadership, and the strategic decision to avoid 'natural flavors' to maintain product integrity.

  • How I Built This · 1h 17m

    Jovial Foods: Carla Bartolucci

    Carla Bartolucci, co-founder of Jovial Foods, explains how she pivoted from distributing Bionaturae pasta to launching her own brand after a contentious lawsuit and partnership breakdown. She details the discovery of Einkorn, an ancient wheat, as a solution for her daughter’s gluten sensitivities, and describes the labor-intensive process of sourcing seeds and developing recipes. Bartolucci also outlines her unconventional marketing strategy of hosting cooking retreats in Tuscany to build community and trust with gluten-free consumers, while maintaining strict control over growth to remain independently owned.

  • How I Built This · 47m

    Healing through food with Danielle Walker of Against All Grain (2022)

    Danielle Walker, founder of Against All Grain, explains how her struggle with ulcerative colitis led to the creation of a multifaceted food business, including bestselling cookbooks, spice lines, and digital courses. She details her journey from a personal WordPress blog to a New York Times bestseller, emphasizing her strategy of putting her face on the cover to build trust with sufferers of autoimmune diseases. Walker discusses the operational challenges of sourcing niche ingredients like coconut flour in the early 2010s and her decision to expand into physical products to control quality and accessibility for her audience.

  • People of Packaging · 35m

    215 - Jason Burke on his Noble and Primal journey to disrupt a broken food system

    Jason Burke, founder of The New Primal and Noble Made, discusses his journey from a lawn business to building a food brand that disrupts the 'broken and toxic' food system with low-sugar, real-ingredient products. He details the challenges of scaling production, including the decision to outsource manufacturing to leverage economies of scale and the regulatory hurdles of USDA packaging approvals. Burke highlights the tension between sustainable packaging goals and product integrity, noting that high-barrier films are often necessary for shelf life, and advocates for more domestic production to improve collaboration and reduce errors.

  • How I Built This · 16m

    Live From The HIBT Summit: Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

    Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, discusses the evolution of her Columbus, Ohio-based company from a 2002 farmer's market stall to a national brand with nearly 40 scoop shops and Whole Foods distribution. She explains her decision to shift from a 'wannabe artist' aesthetic to a clean, pharmacist-like look to better communicate the quality of her product, and details her rigorous, relationship-driven sourcing of dairy and fruit. Bauer emphasizes that her success stems from years of 'boots on the ground' learning in ice cream chemistry and math, rejecting early growth in favor of perfecting recipes that exclude egg yolks, stabilizers, and corn syrup.

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.