The Startup CPG Podcast

Startup CPG
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The top CPG podcast in the world, highlighting stories from founders, buyer spotlights, highly practical industry insights - all to give you a better chance at success.

  1. 7 hr ago

    We're launching Founders & Formulators - Here's Why

    Host Daniel Scharff sits down with R&D Radio host and food scientist Adam Yee for a special mini episode previewing Startup CPG's first-ever Founders & Formulators event—happening July 12th in Chicago at the Palmer House Hilton, the day before the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) annual convention. With a room full of formulators already heading to Chicago for IFT, Startup CPG is seizing the moment to bring them together with emerging brands for a speed-dating style matchmaking event. Whether you're still developing your product, struggling with a specific quality issue, or just want expert eyes on what you've built—this event is for you. Adam brings his perspective from both sides of the table—as a food scientist, independent formulator, and former brand founder—to break down how to make the most of five minutes with a formulator, what questions to ask, and how to find the right partner before you even walk in the room. Listen in as they discuss: Why Founders & Formulators exists—and why there's nothing else like it in the industryHow formulators think about evaluating a product: vibes, questions, and tastingWhat brands should bring to the event and how to get the most out of every conversationHow to use the Startup CPG Product Developer Directory to research and vet formulators ahead of timeThe difference between hourly vs. project-based engagements—and why deliverables matter more than anythingWhy personality and passion are just as important as technical skill when choosing a formulatorWhat makes a great formulator-founder relationship—and how to avoid the most common pitfallEpisode Links:🎟️ Register for Founders & Formulators (July 12, Chicago): https://bit.ly/4w0A75M 🔬 Startup CPG Product Developer Directory: https://startupcpg.com/product-developer-directory ⁠Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links: Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Daniel's Linkedin Visit host Adam's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

    23 min

  2. 2 days ago

    #253 - Private Label Arrangements: What CPG Brands Should Know Before Signing the Deal | Hillary Hughes, Foster Garvey

    In this mini episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Hillary Hughes — CPG legal legend and leader of the Consumer Brands Industry Group at Foster Garvey — to break down everything emerging brands need to know before entering a private label arrangement. Private label can be a powerful revenue stream and a fast path to scale, but it comes with real tradeoffs: margin compression, cannibalization risk, operational complexity, and contracts that can leave you exposed if they're not structured right. Hillary has seen it all — and she's here to help brands get it right from the start. Daniel and Hillary walk through the full arc of a private label relationship: what it is, who it's for, how the contracts work, and what happens when things go wrong. From the co-manufacturer obligations that brands often forget to address, to how to negotiate pricing flexibility when commodity costs spike, to what termination rights you actually need to protect yourself — this episode covers the legal and commercial realities that too many brands learn the hard way. Listen in as they cover: What private label actually means — and the spectrum from pure white label to custom innovationWhy operational scale matters before you say yes to a retailer's private label askThe cannibalization question: when private label helps your category and when it hurts your brandHow to use channel, geography, pack size, and flavor to protect your branded product's differentiationWhy your co-manufacturer agreement must be revisited before you sign anything with a retailerThe ingredient inspection and notification window that prevents finger-pointing when something goes wrongPricing flexibility: force majeure-style provisions for commodity cost spikes, tariffs, and supply shocksVolume commitments, forecasting tolerances, and how to protect yourself from over-promisingWhy verbal promises from buyers mean nothing — and what needs to be in writingTermination rights: SKU discontinuation, formulation changes, and preserving your flexibility to exit Episode Links: Foster Garvey PC: http://www.foster.com Hillary Hughes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryhhughes/ Foster Garvey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foster-garvey-pc/ ⁠Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links: Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Daniel's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

    24 min

  3. 5 days ago

    Investor Spotlight: Consumer Psychology, Channel Strategy, and What Actually Makes Brands Win — David Bell, Idea Farm Ventures

    In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with David Bell, co-founder of Idea Farm Ventures and one of the most academically grounded voices in consumer. David has spent decades studying what actually drives success in consumer brands and retail — from analyzing Nielsen and IRI barcode scanner data as a PhD student at Stanford GSB, to building Wharton's first digital marketing and e-commerce courses, to advising and backing standout brands like Warby Parker, Bonobos, Harry's, Cotopaxi, Jet, and Diapers.com in their earliest days. Through Idea Farm Ventures, David and co-founder Jem have built a consumer-only fund anchored around three formats: the digital native vertical brand, the location-centric experiential brand, and the authentic wholesale-led brand. Their thesis is that wherever a brand starts, it can ultimately encompass all three. In this conversation, David brings that same analytical rigor to some of the most important questions founders face — why certain brands win, how channels shape outcomes, and what the best consumer companies consistently get right. Hannah and David dig into consumer psychology, the evolving retail and distribution landscape, and the common threads behind standout brands. David shares case-by-case insights from decades spent analyzing the companies and founders that shaped modern consumer — from the Touchland Sephora channel strategy to Graza's compliance-driving packaging to the binary choice framework that can unlock real lift for emerging brands. Listen in as they discuss: David's path from Stanford PhD to Wharton professor to early investor in Warby Parker, Bonobos, and beyondThe three investment formats behind Idea Farm Ventures and how the best brands ultimately span all of themWhat David anchors on at the early stage: founder tenacity, genuine white space, and economic disciplineWhy the most successful brands win on distribution — and how finding a channel with binary choice can be a massive advantageThe functional, emotional, and symbolic framework for evaluating whether a product can truly break throughAttention to detail as a competitive moat — and what Graza, Touchland, and Brightland all have in commonWhy narrative creation and cultural relevance matter more than ad spend for building lasting brandsThe D2C to Amazon to offline retail playbook and how to think about inflection points between fundraisesA Slack community question answered: how long is the typical timeline between a first and second fundraise?Why founders should reverse-engineer their fundraise — starting with strategy and people before asking how much Episode Links:  David Bell — Co-Founder, Idea Farm Ventures  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bell-086820/  Idea Farm Ventures LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/idea-farm-ventures/  Website: http://www.ideafarmventures.com Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links: Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Hannah's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

    46 min

  4. 6 days ago

    Founder Feature: Bone Broth Tomato Sauce and a New Twist on a Family Recipe- Liana Krasnow, Noodo

    In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Liana Krasnow, founder of Noodo — a tomato sauce made with grass fed bone broth that's redefining what a premium Italian sauce can be. Growing up watching her grandparents harvest tomatoes from their Connecticut garden and make traditional sauce every summer, Liana took that family recipe, removed the wine, added bone broth, and created something entirely new in a saturated category. Liana spent years in pharmaceutical advertising before making the leap to founder life — and she brought that operational rigor with her. From tasting 80 sauces during R&D in her family's commercial kitchen, to navigating label bubbling issues from 205-degree fill temperatures, to landing four retail accounts from a last-minute corner booth at Expo West, Noodo's early story is full of founder lessons worth hearing. Caitlin and Liana dig into the white space hiding in plain sight on the pasta sauce shelf, why Liana walked away from a DTC strategy after 89% of surveyed consumers said they buy sauce on their grocery run, and the unique dual-aisle placement strategy some retailers are already pitching for Noodo. Listen in as they discuss: Why Liana replaced wine with grass fed bone broth — and how her grandmother's Sunday sauce was the real inspirationTasting 80 sauces during R&D in a family restaurant commercial kitchen and why keeping it in-house matteredThe smooth vs. chunky positioning strategy and why "chunky" has been surprisingly off-putting to consumersThe tomato-shaped window on Noodo's label — and the label bubbling challenge that came with itWhy 89% of surveyed consumers said they buy sauce in store, and how that dictated Noodo's entire go-to-marketGetting double facings suggested by retailers — and why positioning next to bone broth has outperformed expectationsLanding four accounts from a last-minute corner booth at Expo West with a team of threeThe hidden costs of retail and why working with a go-to-market strategist was a game changer Episode Links: Liana Krasnow – Founder, Noodo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lianakrasnow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatnoodo Website: eatnudo.com Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links: Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Caitlin's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

    27 min

  5. 9 Jun

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

    In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Isabel Washington, founder of Laurel's Coffee — an A2 dairy canned latte brand bringing coffee shop flavors like Dirty Chai and Matcha to retail shelves. Isabel left McKinsey in February 2024, launched in August 2024, and has already landed Whole Foods, Erewhon, Wegmans, and a chain-wide 1,800-store Target launch coming this August. That's not a typo. Isabel shares the full origin story: how her public health background shaped her "better for you" philosophy, why she spent her first six weeks at 40 hours a week on calls with anyone who would talk to her, and how she cold-emailed the Whole Foods refrigerated beverage buyer three months after launching — and got a response almost immediately. She also breaks down what A2 dairy actually is, why so many self-described lactose intolerant people may actually be A1 sensitive, and why Dirty Chai became their best seller at Whole Foods by 1.5–2x. Daniel and Isabel also dig into the consulting-to-founder pipeline, the art of running parallel work streams instead of sequential ones, what it felt like to say yes to a national Whole Foods launch with $10,000 in the bank, and why she nearly took a terrible term sheet before waiting it out for the right investors. Listen in as they cover: Why chickpea-to-oat comparisons feel familiar — and how A2 dairy works the same way for dairy drinkersThe McKinsey skill set that let Isabel go from idea to retail shelf in six monthsHow a five-sentence cold email landed a national Whole Foods authorizationWhy Dirty Chai outsells everything else — and what that taught her about flavor strategyThe difference between what a Whole Foods buyer cares about versus a Target buyerWhat a national Whole Foods load-in PO actually looks like (hint: not what you'd expect)How DSDs helped her avoid the deduction and build-back chaos that kills early-stage brandsWhy she said yes to Whole Foods with $10K in the bank — and what she'd tell founders about thatThe Target launch, upcoming Costco roadshows, and what's next for Laurel's Whether you're a founder trying to break into top-tier retail, a consultant thinking about making the leap, or just someone who didn't know they might not actually be lactose intolerant, this episode is for you. Episode Links: Laurel's Coffee Website: https://drinklaurels.com Isabel Washington on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabeldwashington/ Laurel's Coffee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinklaurels/ ⁠Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links: Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Daniel's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

    45 min

  6. 8 Jun

    R&D Radio: Food Microstructure, Ultra-Processed Foods, and the Contract Manufacturer Formula Trap with Abbey Thiel

    In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by food scientist Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Abbey Thiel, a food scientist, science communicator, and consultant with a PhD in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and postdoctoral training at Wageningen University. Abbey specializes in food formulation, ingredient functionality, and technical problem solving for food and beverage brands — with deep expertise in confections and frozen desserts. She is also the creator of the YouTube channel Abby the Food Scientist, a six-year-old channel with over 150,000 subscribers, and the author of multiple books including a food science careers textbook and a candy science coloring book for kids. Abbey started her channel during her PhD as a creative outlet — and what began as procrastinating on her dissertation became one of the most recognizable food science education platforms on the internet. Along the way, the channel turned into an unexpected client pipeline, with founders reaching out after finding her ingredient explainer videos at the exact moment something was going wrong with their product. Adam and Abbey get into all of it — from the fascinating science of sponge candy and why gelatin will quietly sabotage your foam if you boil it, to the real reason ultra-processed foods make us overeat (hint: it is not the ingredient list, it is the microstructure), to the contract manufacturing trap that quietly kills small brands when founders realize too late they do not own their own formula. Listen in as they cover: Why you should bring a food scientist in before the catastrophe, not after it The microstructure of sponge candy — what foam actually looks like under a microscope and why every step in the process either protects or destroys it How Abbey diagnosed a failing candy product just by watching a video of the process Why gelatin must never be boiled — and what happens to it when you do The real science behind ultra-processed foods: why food microstructure and chewing matter more than the ingredient list What "natural" actually means — and why Abbey makes every client write a list before she starts formulating The contract manufacturing trap: how one founder had to hire Abbey to reverse engineer his own product because he never had the formula Why your co-manufacturer is not your friend — even if they are friendly How Abbey's YouTube channel became her most powerful business development tool Abbey's upcoming food science app launching this fall Whether you are a founder scaling your first food product, a brand owner trying to navigate a co-man relationship, or someone who has always wondered why your gelato keeps breaking, this episode is for you. Episode links:Abbey Thiel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-thiel-phd/ Abby the Food Scientist on YouTube: Search "Abby the Food Scientist" Website: abbythefoodscientist.com  Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links: Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Adam's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

    29 min

  7. 6 Jun

    Investor Spotlight: Founder Investor Fit, Gross Margins, and the KPIs That Actually Drive Consumer Businesses - Rana Taghdisi Argenio, Palette Ventures

    In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Rana Taghdisi Argenio, co-founder and General Partner at Palette Ventures, an early stage fund focused on pre-seed through Series A consumer brands. Rana brings a rare full stack perspective to investing, having started her career at Goldman Sachs, taken over a legacy manufacturing business, and bootstrapped her own direct to consumer brand before launching Palette alongside her partner Nina. Palette invests $100K to $500K checks in companies innovating across physical products, digital solutions, and services that make the everyday healthier, happier, and more accessible. What sets them apart is their operator first approach and a genuine commitment to being a WhatsApp message away when founders need them most. Rana and Hannah dig into everything founders need to know about building a fundable business: how to evaluate gross margin targets, what investors are really looking for in diligence, and why founder market fit matters more than almost anything else at the seed stage. They also get into the math behind venture fund construction, why isolation is the enemy of progress, and how to build a cap table that actually works for you. Listen in as they cover: Rana's path from Goldman Sachs to manufacturing to bootstrapped DTC to venture investing and what ties it all togetherThe fund dynamics every founder should understand before taking a check, including AUM, portfolio construction, and follow on strategyWhy solving for partner over price is one of the most important decisions a founder can makeWhat great founders actually look like, from radical resourcefulness to intellectual honesty and self awarenessHow to think about gross margin targets and why your manufacturing partner is one of your best resourcesThe KPIs that drive strong consumer businesses including month over month growth, repeat purchase rates, and contribution margin based LTV to CACWhy asking for help early beats explaining failures late every single timeHow Palette structures its relationship with founders and why they intentionally sit outside the boardroom Whether you're building, fundraising, or trying to understand what great really looks like in today's market, this one is packed with practical, thoughtful insight. Episode Links: Palette Ventures: linkedin.com/company/paletteventures Rana Taghdisi Argenio on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rana-argenio  Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links: Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Hannah's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

    39 min

  8. 5 Jun

    Founder Feature: Single Origin Soy Sauce and Award Winning Branding with Christine Liu and Clarissa Wei of HEYDOH

    In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Christine Liu and Clarissa Wei, co-founders of HEYDOH — a single origin soy sauce brand built to fill a gap in the American grocery market. The global soy sauce market is worth $40–59 billion, yet there is not a single origin option on the shelves of America's largest grocery stores. HEYDOH is here to change that. Clarissa is a food journalist who has spent 15 years covering Taiwanese and Chinese cuisine and has been based in East Asia for eight years. Christine is a data scientist from big tech who originally said no to the idea — until a factory visit in Taiwan and her first sip changed everything. Together they run what they call a 24-hour company: Clarissa in Taiwan, Christine in Brooklyn, an introvert running marketing and an extrovert running numbers. Caitlin and the co-founders dig into the origin of HEYDOH, how consumer surveys shaped the product lineup, and the packaging disaster that led to a complete rebrand — and ultimately three Dieline Awards including Best in Food. They also get into the operational realities of shipping glass bottles, how a 25% breakage rate got fixed, and the creative shipping rate hack that helped them stay in the green on D2C. Listen in as they discuss: Why the $40–59B global soy sauce market has no single origin options in major US retailers — and how HEYDOH is filling that gapHow Christine went from "absolutely not" to co-founder after one factory visit in TaiwanThe consumer survey process that shaped the classic vs. silky SKU split — and why low sodium was a no-brainerThe Robinhood-app branding disaster, the pivot to a studio, and three Dieline Awards including Best in FoodRunning a 24-hour company across time zones — and why the introvert/extrovert flip actually worksHow Startup CPG buyer meetings led to Happier Grocer, Good Stuff Distributor, and moreThe 3PL breakage crisis: 25% of glass bottles shattering and the wine shipper insert that saved themHow Christine forced their 3PL to shop against her own shipping rates — and cut costs by $3–4 per packageWhy chemistry with partners matters more than a resume Episode Links:  Christine Liu – Co-Founder, HEYDOH LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinecliu/Clarissa Wei – Co-Founder, HEYDOH LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarissa-wei-b7a645117/HEYDOH Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heydoh/ Website: https://heydoh.co/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heydohco/ Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links: Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Caitlin's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

    30 min
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About

The top CPG podcast in the world, highlighting stories from founders, buyer spotlights, highly practical industry insights - all to give you a better chance at success.

Information

  • Creator
    Startup CPG
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    452
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Startup CPG
  • Show Website
    The Startup CPG Podcast

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