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. hace 21 h

    Meet the Bone Broth Protein Bar with 20g Protein & No Protein Powder

    In this Founder Feature, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Mackenzie Muth and Nolan Spencer, co-founders of HOL Health Club, makers of the first and only bone broth protein bar - with 20 grams of protein and no protein powder. Mackenzie and Nolan met in an accounting class at Indiana University and are now married co-founders. Both spent six years in investment banking on Wall Street before starting HOL - Mackenzie in consulting and then at Lazard's consumer group, where she worked on the Siete Foods sale to PepsiCo, and Nolan in technology investment banking. It was the public backlash to the Siete deal that pushed them to leave finance and build a "better-for-you" brand designed to scale without ever selling out. They ditched their jobs, bought an RV, adopted two golden retrievers, and hit the road to sell HOL bars in person across the country. Caitlin, Mackenzie, and Nolan dig into what the Siete sale revealed about the better-for-you category, why they built their bar around bone broth instead of protein powder, the surprising R&D process that led to a real-food formula, and what it's actually like to run a fast-growing CPG brand out of an RV - from 0 to over 200 retail doors in a matter of months. Listen in as they discuss: What the public reaction to the Siete Foods/PepsiCo sale taught Mackenzie about consumer trust in "better-for-you" brandsWhy they chose bone broth as their protein source instead of pea, soy, or whey powderThe gut, joint, and skin benefits of bone broth - and why traditional protein powders didn't work for Mackenzie's bodyTheir first bone broth bar prototype ("complete sandpaper") and how they landed on a real-food formula insteadWhy they rejected the "no sugar, artificial flavors, still tons of protein" trend in favor of whole-food ingredientsGoing from 0 retail doors in January to over 200 doors and 90 demos in 90 daysWhy being founders on the ground, personally running demos, has driven so much of their retail growthThe upside and identity adjustment of running a CPG company while living nomadically in an RVTheir strategy of focusing on natural and independent retailers before pursuing larger conventional chainsWhere they see HOL Health Club - and themselves - in five years Episode Links: Mackenzie Muth LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mackenziemuthNolan Spencer LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nolspencHOL Health Club LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/holhealthclubHOL Health Club Website: www.holhealthclub.comHOL Health Club Instagram: @holhealthclubDon'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: www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinbrickerQuestions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

  2. hace 2 días ·  Contenido extra

    Honey 101 for CPG Brands: Trends, Formulation Tips & Resources with Keith Seiz of The National Honey Board

    In this mini episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Keith Seiz of the National Honey Board to unpack why honey has become one of the most in-demand ingredients in food and beverage right now - and what that means for brands and formulators looking to work with it. Keith has spent 17 years working with the National Honey Board, traveling the country to talk with food manufacturers, distillers, brewers, and bakers about how to formulate better products with honey. In that time, he's watched the conversation shift - what used to be a handful of questions about honey itself has grown into an equal mix of curiosity about honey and the honeybees behind it, as consumers pay closer attention to where their ingredients actually come from. Daniel and Keith dig into the data behind honey's rapid growth, the new product categories it's showing up in, the functional (not just flavor) benefits formulators are leaning on, and the free resources the National Honey Board offers CPG brands - from troubleshooting to ready-made product concepts. Listen in as they discuss: Why honey has become one of the hottest ingredients in food and beverage right nowThe consumer shift toward traditional and natural sweeteners over zero-sugar alternativesINOVA data showing a 16.7% increase in new products launched with honey in 2025How honey has expanded well beyond baked goods into beverages, snacks, frozen foods, dairy, and confectionsWhy brands are proudly featuring honey (and honeybees) on front-of-package, unlike most other sweetenersThe shift from single-purpose synthetic ingredients toward multi-functional natural ones like honeyHoney's functional roles beyond sweetness, including binding in bars and emulsification in dressingsWhy honey's 24 different carbohydrates make it such an effective flavor masker for nutrient-fortified productsWhat the National Honey Board offers CPG brands, including troubleshooting, innovation support, and consumer dataHow emerging brands can get free product development support, including ready-to-use honey product concepts from the National Honey Board's innovation team Interested in learning more? Check out www.honey.com or follow along on IG @honey4pros for more tips and updates from The National Honey Board. Or, you can email Keith directly today at keith@honey.com. Episode Links: Keith Seiz LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/keithseizNational Honey Board LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/national-honey-boardNational Honey Board Website: www.honey.comNational Honey Board Instagram: @honey4pros  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: www.linkedin.com/in/danscharff Questions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.com Episode music by Super Fantastics

  3. hace 3 días

    #262 - Beverage Manufacturing Lessons with BevSource's Bob Williams

    In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Bob Williams of BevSource - a beverage industry veteran Daniel calls "the beverage Oracle" - to unpack the most common (and costly) manufacturing mistakes beverage brands run into with co-packers. Bob has spent over 25 years in the beverage industry, most of it around co-packing, quality, and manufacturing operations. He's built out eight high-speed can lines and spent his career getting called in when something has already gone wrong - troubleshooting everything from mysterious can leaks to failed micro tests. Daniel, who previously ran a beverage brand himself and worked with Bob directly, brings his own founder experience to the conversation, pulling real examples from his time scaling into thousands of retail doors. Daniel and Bob dig into why "leakers" are almost never actually a can problem, what really happens when a co-packer cuts corners on pasteurization, how to properly vet a manufacturing facility before you sign anything, and what documentation every brand should be asking for - before and after something goes wrong. Listen in as they discuss: Why brewery-turned-co-packers often struggle with the regulatory and equipment shift into non-beer beveragesThe real root cause behind most can "leakers" - and why it's almost never actually the canWhat seam check reports are, why they matter, and how outdated equipment can produce unreliable resultsA real case where a co-packer skipped tunnel pasteurization entirely - and what happened as a resultWhy brands should never sign a co-packing agreement before physically touring the facilityWhat to look for on a co-packer site visit, from RO systems to master sanitation programsReal warning signs Bob has seen on-site, including uncalibrated equipment and neglected water filtration systemsWhy full documentation - batch records, QA reports, maintenance logs - should never be treated as proprietaryWhat to expect (and not panic about) during your first production run and taste-matching processWhy shelf life and stability testing should start the moment your formula is finalized, not after launch Episode Links: Bob Williams LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-williams-88ba5312/BevSource LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bevsourceBevSource Website: www.bevsource.comBevSource Instagram: @bevsourceDon'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: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danscharff/Questions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

  4. hace 4 días

    R&D RADIO: How to Audit a Co-Packer: The Food QA's Hermi Galstian Explains

    In this episode of R&D Radio, host and food scientist Adam Yee sits down with Hermi Galstian, founder of The Food QA, to break down the real difference between food safety and quality - and what founders should actually be looking for when they walk into a co-manufacturer's facility. Hermi's path into food safety wasn't a straight line. She started as a business major on track for law school, worked in HR recruiting, and only discovered food science after training for a marathon as a vegetarian sparked her interest in nutrition. She helped build her own graduate program in food science before spending years at Follow Your Heart, a vegan food company later acquired by Danone, and eventually launched The Food QA to help CPG brands navigate food safety, quality, and manufacturing partnerships. Adam and Hermi dig into the core difference between food safety and quality, how to properly vet a contract manufacturer, what third-party audits like SQF and BRC actually mean, and exactly what to look for (and ask about) during a facility tour - from pest control and employee hygiene to ingredient sourcing and pre-op equipment checks. Listen in as they discuss: The core difference between food safety and quality, with real product examplesHermi's winding path from pre-law to food science to 15 years in the fieldWhy referrals are the best first step when vetting a co-packerWhy founders should never assume a manufacturer takes full responsibility for their productWhat third-party audits like SQF, BRC, and GFSI actually tell youWhat to do if a manufacturer won't share audit reports or allow a tourWhat to look for during a facility walkthrough, from corners and hot spots to pest controlWhy employee hygiene, handwashing stations, and equipment nooks matter more than founders thinkHow ingredient sourcing and substitutions can quietly compromise safety or qualityHow certifications and product claims (non-GMO, kosher, seed oil free) shape what gets tested Episode Links: Hermi Galstian LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hermineh The Food QA Company LinkedIn: www.linkedin.comcompany/thefoodqa/ The Food QA Company Website: www.thefoodqa.com The Food QA Company Instagram: @thefoodqa  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 LinkedInQuestions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.com Episode music by Super Fantastics

  5. hace 6 días

    Why Investor Ryan Ball Wants You to Pivot Fast and Fundraise Smart

    In this Investor Spotlight, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Ryan Ball, founder of Sperian Ventures, to unpack the data, mindset, and founder qualities he looks for before writing a check into an early-stage CPG brand. Ryan's path into investing started almost by accident, coordinating a group investment while getting his MBA at the McCombs School of Business. That first deal evolved into Sperian Ventures, an angel network that pools capital into individual deals. Ryan brings a founder's perspective to every evaluation - he's started a spice company of his own and now runs a freight logistics company that gives him a front-row seat to the operational realities CPG brands face day to day. Hannah and Ryan dig into the metrics and data Ryan needs to see before considering an investment, why he sees pivots as a good sign rather than a red flag, the founder qualities that consistently stand out in a pitch, and what founders across different CPG subcategories should expect when it comes to fundraising. Listen in as they discuss: Why Ryan almost always requires sales velocity data - especially pre-, during-, and post-promo - before considering an investmentWhy Ryan sees pivots as a positive signal rather than a red flagThe revenue range and business maturity Sperian typically looks for in a CPG brandHow Ryan's own founder and logistics experience shapes his diligence conversationsThe founder qualities that get Ryan excited, from listening skills to staying level-headed under pressureWhat "give the investor no reason to say no" means in practice when preparing to raiseWhy LTV and category-specific limitations (like kids products founders age out of) matter to investorsThe consumer trend Ryan is most drawn to right now: simple, clean-label products with few ingredientsWhat a special purpose vehicle (SPV) is and how Ryan's angel network structures individual dealsHow to get in touch with Sperian Ventures if you're raising or interested in joining the investor network Episode Links: Ryan Ball LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-ball7Sperian Ventures LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sperian-ventures/about/Sperian Ventures Website: sperianventures.comDon'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: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-dittman-011b844bQuestions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

  6. 14 ago

    How Quincy Is Reinventing the Dirty Martini, One Perfect Jar at a Time

    Host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Halli Sigel, co-founder of Quincy, to talk about how a jar of olive brine turned into a category-defining mixers and garnishes brand. Quincy's mission is simple - build brand love for the other half of the glass by redefining mixers and garnishes for the modern consumer. Before Quincy, Halli spent nearly a decade inside high-growth, venture-backed startups like Casper and Chief, working at the intersection of operations and member experience - she was employee number seven at Chief. That mix of scaling businesses and building community stuck with her, and it planted the seed for what would eventually become Quincy. The idea itself came from her own fridge - after making a batch of dirty martinis for friends, she realized the brine ran out long before the olives did, and no one was making a jar built specifically for people who actually drink martinis. The conversation covers Quincy's origin story and the "why" behind the name, how the brand built three distinct revenue channels across retail, on-premise, and food service, what actually goes into a jar of Quincy, and how the brand has positioned itself to grow alongside both the alcohol and non-alcoholic markets. Halli also shares what's next for Quincy's single-SKU strategy and what she learned from her first Summer Fancy Food Show as an exhibiting brand. Listen in as they discuss: Why Quincy chose Spanish queen olives over the trendy CastelvetranoThe real story behind the name Quincy - and the actual person it's named afterHow a "beertini" collab with a Brooklyn brewery became Quincy's first co-branded productBuilding three separate revenue channels: retail, food service, and on-premise bar accountsWhy Quincy views the sober-curious and NA movement as a tailwind, not a threatWhat's actually inside a Quincy jar - the ratio of brine to olives, and why it's flipped from a typical olive jarHow buyer feedback at larger retailers is shaping Quincy's expansion plansLessons from exhibiting at Summer Fancy Food for the first timeHow Halli and co-founder Shelby Sims reconnected in 2023 after a false start in 2020Halli's go-to at-home recipe, featuring a dill-infused gin Episode Links: Halli Sigel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/halli-sigel-1b436395/Quincy Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinkquincy/ Website: https://drinkquincy.com/ Instagram: @drinkquincy   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 CPGSlack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Caitlin's LinkedInQuestions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

  7. 11 ago

    #261 - What Makes Brands Investable at Founders & Funders? with Hannah Dittman

    In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff turns the mic around on one of his own co-hosts. Hannah Dittman, former investor and host of Startup CPG's Saturday investing episodes, spends a huge amount of her time talking with founders and VCs and reviewing applications for Startup CPG's Founders and Funders events. Daniel puts her on the other side of the interview to answer one of the most common questions the community asks: what actually makes a brand investable? Hannah walks through her path from Benefit Cosmetics to private equity consulting at Parthenon Group, investing at Main Post Partners, and global brand management at Morphe before landing at Startup CPG. Daniel and Hannah then dig into what Founders and Funders and Roadshow events actually are, what goes into the application and one-pager investors receive, and the specific mistakes that keep brands from getting meetings even after they're accepted. Listen in as they discuss: Hannah's path from Cal and Benefit Cosmetics through private equity, VC investing, and brand management before Startup CPGWhat Founders and Funders and Roadshow are, and how the two event formats differWhy treating fundraising like a partnership evaluation, not a job interview, changes the entire dynamicWhat "investable" actually means to a VC: category, TAM, exit potential, and tractionWhether pre-revenue brands should even bother applying to investor eventsWhat the Founders and Funders application actually asks for, and why the one-minute pitch video mattersWhy skipping the pitch video is one of the fastest ways to get rejectedWhat makes an application stand out, and why "differentiated" means more than just the productHow investors read a brand's fundraising history, for better or worseInside the one-pager: the traction data point that matters most, and the formatting mistakes that bury itWhy competitive benchmarking and retailer quotes carry more weight than raw numbers aloneHow the investing landscape has shifted over the last decade, from pure growth to profitability and omnichannel successWhy "challenger brands in overlooked categories" are gaining more investor interest than everHannah's closing wish for founders: fundraising is relationship building, and investors are lucky to be part of your business too Episode Links: Hannah Dittman - Operations & Finance Host, Startup CPG LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-dittman-011b844b/Startup CPG Investor Database: https://startupcpg.com/top-investor-database 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 LinkedInQuestions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

  8. 8 ago

    Springdale Ventures' Dan Graham on Financial Forecasting and Investor Communications

    In this Investor Spotlight episode, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Dan Graham, Co-Founder of Springdale Ventures, a firm writing seed-to-Series-A checks into fast-moving consumer brands. Dan breaks down exactly what Springdale looks for between early traction and institutional readiness - and why founders who lead with data, not narrative, win the room. Dan's path to venture was anything but linear. After studying computer science and philosophy at UT Austin and starting law school, he co-founded a printing company in 2006 that grew for over a decade before selling to VistaPrint in 2018 for $280 million. That exit funded his family office, Notley, and years of direct consumer investing before he partnered with Genevieve Gilbert to launch Springdale Ventures,. Hannah and Dan dig into Springdale's investment thesis and check size,how diligence splits between hard metrics and founder assessment, and the most common fundraising mistakes he sees at both early and later stages. They also unpack how forecasts are actually used in diligence and post-close, what "traction" really means in an intro email, and Dan's hard-won perspective on the emotional toll of founding a company. Listen in as they discuss: The transition from a personal family office to launching a focused venture fundSpringdale's thesis: seed-to-Series-A, better-for-you and repeat-purchase consumer productsHow Goodles exemplifies bringing disruption to an "old sleepy category"The split between quantifiable diligence (margin, velocity, CAC) and founder assessmentWhy Springdale sees 250 deals a quarter and how warm intros cut through the noiseWhat makes First Day's Alice a "quintessential" founder in Dan's portfolioThe narrative-vs-traction mismatch that trips up early-stage foundersWhy over-forecasting is a big pitfall for later-stage founders raising institutional moneyHow investors actually use (and pressure-test) a founder's financial model before and after closeDan's advice for founders with zero finance background, including using AI as a thought partnerWhat "traction" means in concrete terms when reaching out to an investor cold Episode Links: Dan Graham - Co-Founder, Springdale Ventures LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maharg Email: dan@springdaleventures.com Company LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/springdale-ventures Website: www.springdaleventures.com Instagram: @springdaleventures  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 LinkedInQuestions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.com Episode music by Super Fantastics

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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.

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  • Creador
    Startup CPG
  • Años de actividad
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodios
    485
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © Startup CPG
  • Mostrar sitio web
    The Startup CPG Podcast

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