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The Startup CPG Podcast

Founders, buyers and operators of consumer packaged goods brands on co-packers, sourcing, retail buyers, pricing and scaling a physical product on the shelf.

512 episodes · 347 hours · since 2020

Visit The Startup CPG Podcast

The Startup CPG Podcast is filed under consumer products & cpg, sales & marketing, startups and interviews. Its most recent episode published on , so it is still actively publishing. Listeners have left 639 ratings on Apple Podcasts, averaging 4.9 out of 5.

Latest episodes

The 10 newest episodes of The Startup CPG Podcast, each with a summary and chapters.

  • · 45m

    #270 Insights from 34,000 in-store demos with Grassroots Marketing

    David Heiser, Co-Founder of Grassroots Marketing, explains how his company analyzed 34,000 in-store demos across Whole Foods, Sprouts, Central Market, and Erewhon to create a data-driven report for CPG brands. Heiser details key findings, such as Saturday being the highest-performing day and specific high-velocity regions like Southern California for Sprouts and Arizona/Florida for Whole Foods. The discussion covers practical strategies for maximizing demo ROI, including the importance of physical marketing materials like paper coupons and crafting concise five-second pitches to handle skeptical shoppers.

    Retail, wholesale & distributionMarketing & brand
    7 chapters

  • · 29m

    R&D RADIO: Oil Analytics, Seed Oils and Adulterated Avocado Oil with Dr. Selina Wang of UC Davis

    Dr. Selina Wang, Faculty Director of the UC Davis Olive Center, explains how her lab’s studies revealed that many commercial avocado oils and finished products like chips and mayonnaise are adulterated with cheaper oils like soybean or high-oleic sunflower oil. She details the chemical forensic methods, specifically analyzing fatty acid and sterol fingerprints, required to detect these substitutions that simple fatty acid testing might miss. Wang advises brands to test both fatty acids and sterols and to treat suspiciously low prices as a major red flag for potential fraud.

    Quality & yieldMaterials & manufacturing processes
    7 chapters

  • · 38m

    How to Ask Someone to Invest in Your CPG Brand, with Fave's Ryan Raish

    Ryan Raish, founder of Fave, details his journey from a 20-year CPG career at brands like Popchips and Honest Tea to launching a certified organic powdered drink mix. He explains how he self-funded two years of R&D and retailer feedback from Target before securing a pre-seed round led by Keith Belling and the Angel Group. Raish discusses using early sales on Thrive Market, Amazon, and QVC to validate the product and close a $1 million seed round, while highlighting the distinct challenges of pitching retail buyers versus investors.

    Fundraising & investorsValidation & product-market fit
    8 chapters

  • · 29m

    Reinventing the Pizza Bagel: Bagelverse's Jacob Cooper on Nostalgia and CPG

    Jacob Cooper, founder of Bagelverse, explains his pivot from eight years as a CTO in AI to launching a nostalgic pizza bagel brand with flavors like spicy vodka and barbecue chicken. He details the complex supply chain requiring two separate co-packers for bagels and pizza assembly, and his strategy of validating demand through pop-ups before securing manufacturing. Cooper emphasizes the critical importance of high-quality packaging for emerging brands and his long-term, relationship-focused approach to securing retail placements with major retailers like Target and Whole Foods.

    Starting a product companyManufacturing partners & offshoring
    6 chapters

  • · 40m

    #269 Retailer Spotlight: Mariano's, with Amanda Puck

    Amanda Puck, Vice President of Communications and Brand Development for Roundy's (parent company of Mariano's and Metro Market), explains how the Midwest-focused grocery chain sources and supports local vendors. She details the 'What's Next at Mariano's' vendor search program, emphasizing the necessity of GS1 barcodes, established distributors, and grassroots in-store sampling for success. Puck highlights specific local brands like Ava's Pet Palace, Laos to Your House, and Caruso Provisions as examples of successful partnerships driven by strong storytelling and active marketing.

    Retail, wholesale & distributionMarketing & brand
    6 chapters

  • · 35m

    Partnership Not Ownership: Inside Main Post Partners' Investment Approach

    Tara Hyland, Principal at Main Post Partners, explains the firm's growth equity approach, which focuses on founder-led consumer businesses with $25M–$200M in revenue. She details how Main Post differentiates itself from venture capital by offering a 'partnership not ownership' model, providing resources like the Main Post Mentorship Group to help professionalize operations. The discussion covers key investment criteria, including the necessity of strong management teams, double-digit growth, and omnichannel presence, as well as how investors evaluate exit potential and white space for strategic buyers.

    Fundraising & investorsRetail, wholesale & distribution
    10 chapters

  • · 31m

    Why This Architect is Choosing to Build a National CPG Wellness Brand

    Jane Kate Wong, founder of Noon World, explains how her background in architecture and interaction design at Nike, Google, and Apple informs the brand's neuro-aesthetic approach and dual-layer gummy format. She details Noon's strategic pivot from failing in conventional grocery retail to a nationwide Target rollout, leveraging UGC and high-profile partnerships with Valentino and Adidas to educate consumers on cognitive calibration. Wong emphasizes long-term integrity over fast wins in the crowded wellness market.

    Retail, wholesale & distributionMaterials & manufacturing processes
    8 chapters

  • · 40m

    #268 The Rise of Gymkhana Fine Foods with Gulrez Arora

    Gulrez Arora, founder of Gymkhana Fine Foods, explains how he leveraged his decade at Mars and a serendipitous connection with JKS Restaurant Group to launch a premium Indian food brand. Arora details the decision to build a hybrid manufacturing model, producing 40-50% of products in-house to maintain restaurant-quality standards that co-packers could not replicate. He discusses the brand's strategy of driving 900% category growth in the UK and achieving rapid success in the US through Whole Foods and Sprouts, relying on heavy in-store activation near meat sections to drive incremental sales.

    Scaling productionManufacturing partners & offshoring
    9 chapters

  • · 31m

    R&D RADIO: The Real Science Behind Sugar Replacement with Icon Foods' Thom King

    Thom King, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Icon Foods, explains the complex science of replacing sugar in food products, emphasizing that formulators must replicate sugar's eight functional roles beyond sweetness. He details how stacking fibers (like Olipop) and sweeteners (erythritol, allulose, tagatose) mitigates gastrointestinal issues and improves mouthfeel, while discussing the supply chain volatility of monk fruit and the impact of tariffs on erythritol. King advises founders to work with professional formulators rather than scaling kitchen recipes and highlights vegetable glycerin as an underrated tool for texture and shelf-life.

    Materials & manufacturing processesSourcing & supply chain
    6 chapters

  • · 41m

    How "Taste to Retain" Built a Billion-Dollar Supplement Brand

    Hye Rin (Juliet) Choi, VP of Product at Grüns, explains how the company scaled to a billion-dollar acquisition by Unilever through its 'taste to retain' philosophy and rigorous internal R&D. She details the multi-stage testing process, including third-party lab validation with Eurofins, and the decision to bring science, regulatory, and formulation functions in-house to accelerate innovation and ensure quality. Choi highlights that complex gummy formulations often require 30 to 40 iterations to balance taste, texture, and technical feasibility, while emphasizing the critical importance of documentation and version control for scaling operations.

    Materials & manufacturing processesDesign for manufacturing & NPI
    7 chapters

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