Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

Adam Steinberg
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Entrepreneurship

If you’ve ever thought, "Why doesn’t anyone talk about this in CPG?", this is the podcast for you. Host, Adam Steinberg, co-founder of KitPrint, interviews CPG leaders to uncover the real-world tactics, strategies, and behind-the-scenes insights that really move the needle.

  1. 3d ago

    How a Functional Ice Cube Brand Landed Sprouts and Wegmans | Belle Robinson, ROXII Supercube

    On this episode, we're joined by Belle Robinson, Founder of ROXII Supercube - the functional wellness brand putting superfoods, collagen and electrolytes into nutrient-infused ice cubes that melt into whatever you're drinking.  Belle is a certified nutritional therapist who spent years freezing superfoods into her own water before turning that habit into a four SKU lineup now sitting in Sprouts and Wegmans. We dive into why frozen was the right format for a functional product and what it cost to get there. Belle breaks down the realities of a cold chain business, why ROXII went straight to retail instead of building a D2C audience first, and what that decision took away in consumer learning. Belle walks through the formulation process across nutrition, taste and format, and why narrowing to four functions was the hardest part of development. We get into pricing at just under $3 a cube in Sprouts against $5 immunity shots, everyday low price at Wegmans, and the question every single buyer asks in every pitch about where a functional ice cube actually belongs in the store. We also cover Expo West, how Belle turns skeptical buyers into believers, the brand ambassador and pop-up program driving trial around Sprouts stores, and what it takes to run a US brand from London while staying bootstrapped. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🧊 Turning a messy powder routine into a frozen cube ❄️ Why frozen locks in nutrients better than fresh 🚫 The D2C learning curve ROXII skipped by going straight to retail 🧪 Formulating across nutrition, taste and format 📦 The Expo West buyer who thought it was a smoothie cube ✏️ Where the ROXII name came from (on the rocks) 💸 Pricing a cube against $5 immunity shots 🛒 Finding a home in the frozen wellness set 🤝 Turning skeptical buyers into believers 🧭 Merchandising frozen around occasions instead of formats 📈 Landing Sprouts and Wegmans nationally 🚶 Brand ambassadors and pop-ups driving trial 🔮 Brands and trends Belle is watching --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:48 – Origin story 01:41 – Why frozen and what it does for nutrients 03:10 – The trade-offs of frozen and skipping D2C 04:11 – Advice for launching a new product format 05:38 – Formulation and R&D 07:47 – Building the brand identity 08:53 – The Expo West buyer who thought it was a smoothie cube 09:30 – Where the ROXII name came from 10:48 – Pricing against shots, powders and RTDs 11:46 – Where ROXII sits in the frozen set 13:30 – Turning skeptical buyers into believers 15:39 – Redesigning the frozen aisle around occasions 16:43 – Landing Sprouts and Wegmans 18:05 – Driving velocity with ambassadors and pop-ups 19:26 – Running a US brand from London 20:58 – Bootstrapping and the fundraising question 21:31 – Brands and trends Belle is watching --------------- Links: ROXII Supercube – https://roxiisupercube.com/ Follow Belle on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/belle-robinson-672a59261/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/ Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

  2. 6d ago

    The First National Egg Brand To Stop Culling Male Chicks | Jasen Urena, NestFresh

    On this episode, we're joined by Jasen Urena, Vice President at NestFresh, the humane egg brand that just became the first national brand in the US to move its entire retail lineup to in-ovo sexed Humanely Hatched eggs.  Jasen has spent 20 years with the company across marketing, sales, and operations. He breaks down what in-ovo sexing actually is, why only about 10% of Americans know what happens to male chicks at the hatchery, and how NestFresh brought AAT's Cheggy technology over from Europe and scaled it with Hy-Line North America. Accuracy is now running above 97% in live production, and NestFresh did not raise a single retailer price to pay for the transition. We get into the economics, the certification stack behind the claims, and why Jasen refuses to chase the easiest certifier. He also walks through the terminology problem in the egg aisle, why radical transparency beats polished marketing, and how NestFresh moves velocity with packaging, shelf tags, carton inserts, and TPRs when most retailers will not let you touch the set. We also dig into the 2024 packaging redesign, the six-month social teaser campaign that brought shoppers along with it, and the unusual asset-only structure behind the New Barn Organics acquisition. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🥚 The 1976 founding story and 50 years of the business 🐥 What in-ovo sexing actually is and why it matters 🌍 Bringing Cheggy over from Europe and scaling it for the US 📈 Accuracy above 97% in live production 🤝 The partner stack: AAT, Hy-Line, HFAC, ASPCA, Innovate Animal Ag 💸 Why NestFresh held retailer pricing flat through the transition 🔁 Why in-ovo sexing follows the cage-free playbook 🏷️ The terminology problem in the egg aisle 🔍 Radical transparency as an education strategy ✅ Not all certifiers are equal (and why ROA took 18 months) 🛒 In-store levers when retailers will not let you touch the set 🎨 The 2024 redesign and the six-month social teaser rollout 🔭 Brands and trends Jasen is watching --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:54 – NestFresh origin story and the 1976 founding 03:19 – Consolidation and the small family farm model 04:29 – What in-ovo sexing actually is 06:03 – Why male chicks get culled on day one 07:23 – The hardest part of scaling the technology 09:02 – The surprise: accuracy above 97% 09:44 – AAT, Cheggy, and Hy-Line North America 10:30 – The economics of in-ovo sexing 11:59 – The first domino and the cage-free parallel 13:15 – Why retailer prices did not go up 14:26 – Consumer confusion in the egg aisle 17:29 – Radical transparency as an education strategy 18:57 – Choosing certifiers and the Humanely Hatched trademark 23:32 – In-store strategy and shelf levers 26:00 – Promoting without eroding premium 27:00 – The 2024 packaging redesign 31:51 – Inside the New Barn Organics acquisition 36:14 – Brands and trends worth watching --------------- Links: NestFresh – https://nestfresh.com/ Follow Jasen on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasen-urena-27179013/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/ Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

  3. Sep 2

    Inside the Mass and Club Playbook | Jesse Arntson, Slate Milk

    On this episode, we're joined by Jesse Arntson, Director of Sales, Mass & Club at SLATE Milk - the high protein, lactose-free shake and iced coffee brand. Jesse has spent close to two decades on the commercial side of beverage, with stops at Red Bull, ZOA Energy, Fever-Tree and Bobo's before landing at Slate. Jesse breaks down what actually separates mass from club, and why the two get lumped together far more often than they should. Mass is broad distribution, assortment strategy and item productivity across thousands of doors. Club is fewer items, bigger packs, bigger bets and almost no margin for error. We get into what a buyer actually needs to see instead of a 50-page deck, and the short list of questions Jesse answers before he walks into a meeting. He walks through the Bobo's PB&J bar that caught lightning in a bottle at Costco, what happens when a great headline number hides softening velocity, and why past success makes teams slow to act. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🥛 What Slate sells and where it can live on shelf 🏬 Mass vs club: complexity beats you, velocity beats you 🧭 Picking your first big channel (and what a win costs) 🎤 What a buyer needs instead of a 50-slide deck 🍫 Bobo's at Costco: lightning in a bottle, then the slide 🔁 When to save a SKU and when to let it rotate out 🧪 Innovation has to solve a commercial problem 📦 Never selling ahead of what operations can ship 🎯 Dollars per club, base velocity, and reorder patterns 🛒 Strike zone placement, demos, and promo discipline 📱 Retail media and in-store as one plan, not two 🤝 When you need a broker and when to go direct 💸 The equity questions nobody asks --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:58 – What Slate is and the protein lineup 02:18 – Mass vs club: two different games 03:49 – Which is harder to enter, and harder to hold 05:04 – Choosing your first big channel 06:50 – What a buyer actually needs to see 09:45 – Bobo's, Costco, and lightning in a bottle 11:54 – When to save a SKU and when to kill it 13:32 – Three things to watch on a hot club item 15:00 – Innovation that solves a commercial problem 18:23 – The Slate playbook for mass and club 20:25 – Never sell ahead of the operation 22:12 – Picking which SKUs earn the pitch 23:41 – Velocity levers: placement, demos, promo 25:22 – Retail media, in-store, and asking "so what" 27:47 – Brokers, going direct, and owning the account 32:22 – The equity questions nobody asks 33:54 – Protein, functional beverage, and GLP-1s --------------- Links: SLATE Milk – https://slatemilk.com/ Follow Jesse on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-arntson/ SLATE Milk on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/slate-milk/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/ Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

  4. Aug 28

    Pitching a Single Ingredient Brand to Shark Tank Two Weeks Postpartum | Aviv & Michele Schor, HUNDY!

    On this episode, we're joined by Aviv and Michelle Schor, Co-Founders of HUNDY! - the frozen fruit pop brand made from a single ingredient: 100% organic whole fruit. We dig into the R&D reality of a one-ingredient product, sourcing organic tropical fruit through brokers and growers across Latin America, and commercialization (they searched for months and could not find a co-packer anywhere with the right equipment, so they spent about a year building their own machinery.) We dive into the recent rebrand, going deep with independents like Nugget Markets for a full year of learning before scaling, plus landing Costco off a first Expo West booth that cost $800. They also share the Shark Tank story, including pitching two and a half weeks after having their daughter and walking out without a deal. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🧊 Reformatting the frozen pop aisle with one ingredient 💼 Building a business with your spouse (and the dinner rule) 🧪 Why one-ingredient R&D is harder than it sounds 🍍 Brix, pH, and which fruits actually freeze well 🌎 Sourcing organic tropical fruit through brokers and growers 💸 The hidden COGS lines: packaging and frozen storage 🏭 No co-packer had the equipment, so they built their own ✍️ How the HUNDY! name got validated by a five-year-old 📦 The rebrand: merchandising complaints and unclear shelf messaging 🛒 Going deep with independents before going wide 🎯 Landing Costco off an $800 Expo West booth 📺 Shark Tank two and a half weeks postpartum 🔮 The brands and trends they're watching --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:59 – Origin story and the agency years 02:47 – Building a business with your spouse 05:24 – Who owns what between the two of them 06:34 – One-ingredient formulation and R&D 07:52 – Hand-made R&D in Mexico and the first Expo West 09:48 – Sourcing and consistency across seasons 11:55 – Why they lean tropical, and the sustainability angle 12:59 – No co-packer had the equipment 14:35 – What really drives COGS 15:44 – Locking fruit contracts and rates 16:22 – Building the original brand identity 17:29 – How the name got validated 18:21 – The why behind the rebrand 21:56 – Managing old and new packaging on shelf 23:18 – First pitches: Costco and Nugget Markets 24:51 – Pricing strategy and right-sizing the tube 30:58 – Driving velocity, and the Shark Tank story --------------- Links: HUNDY! – https://hundy.com/ Follow Aviv on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/avivschor/ Follow Michelle on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleschor/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/ Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

  5. Aug 24

    Inside SKU, the CPG Accelerator | Beau Bergman, SKU

    On this episode, we're joined by Beau Bergman, Executive Director of SKU - the CPG accelerator that has put more than 150 consumer brands through its program over the past 15 years, including Siete Foods, DUDE Wipes and EPIC.  Before SKU, Beau spent several years at VentureFuel building corporate backed accelerators for Comcast, NBCUniversal, Dick's Sporting Goods and the California Milk Advisory Board. We dive into how the SKU program works: a 12 week track, eight companies per cohort, and the revenue band where Beau says SKU drives the most value, roughly $300,000 to $2.5 million.  We get into what founders get wrong once they are in the room, why fundraising strategy and hands on financial modeling are the most consistent knowledge gaps, and the value of mentors. We also cover what corporate strategics look for in emerging brands, why chasing retail doors can be the kiss of death, and why a successful raise can make problems more complex instead of fewer. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🚀 SKU's origin in Austin and 15 years of CPG alumni 📈 The revenue range where the program drives the most value 🧭 What a coachable founder actually looks like on day one 🔍 Diligence questions to ask before applying to any accelerator 🤝 How 800+ mentors get matched to eight companies 🗳️ The two rounds of mentor voting behind every cohort ⚠️ The fastest way to waste a mentor team 📊 Fundraising strategy and financial modeling as the recurring gap 🏭 Founders who switched co-packers mid-program 🥤 A beverage brand that moved from NA to RTD in 12 weeks 🏢 What corporate strategics screen for in emerging brands 💸 Why a successful raise can make problems more complex 🔭 TikTok Shop, protein, pet hydration and gut health --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:06 – SKU's origin story and 15 years in Austin 02:10 – 150+ alumni brands and where they landed 02:42 – The revenue range SKU looks for 03:26 – What breakout founders look like on day one 05:09 – Diligence questions to ask any accelerator 07:39 – The mentor network and why it is the secret sauce 08:32 – Inside the mentor matching process 11:06 – How founders waste their mentorship 12:19 – Biggest knowledge gaps, from modeling to co-packers 14:27 – A beverage brand pivot from NA to RTD 15:35 – What corporate strategics actually look for 19:53 – What is broken in the accelerator model 21:35 – Where SKU grows next and the pet opportunity 24:24 – Know your numbers before anything else 26:18 – Which brands are VC fit and which never will be 28:53 – Alternative financing beyond equity 29:56 – The biggest opportunities in CPG right now --------------- Links: SKU – https://sku.is/ Follow Beau on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/beaubergman/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/ Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

  6. Aug 19

    Why She Left A PhD To Freeze Pasta Sauce | Melaina Balbo, BIS

    On this episode, we're joined by Melaina Balbo, Founder & CEO of Bis - the frozen Italian sauce brand selling handmade Pomodoro al Basilico and Pesto Genovese in two ounce pucks.  Melaina was deep in a PhD in Italian literature and cinema before she traded the library for the kitchen. We dive into the origin of the brand, starting with the frozen care packages her parents shipped on dry ice when she was a graduate student, and why Melaina became convinced that processing for shelf stability is what makes a jarred sauce taste like it came off a shelf. A big part of the conversation focuses on packaging. Melaina shares what it took to find an individually sealable portion cup, roughly 15 versions in, and how hard it was to get large packaging suppliers to call a small brand back. She breaks down what the new labels finally communicate on shelf, with the hero ingredient front and center. We also get into the accidental first order at her local co-op, why specialty and gourmet stores fit a product nobody expects to find in the freezer aisle, and the buyer feedback that frozen pasta sales lift when Bis sits next to them. Melaina closes with the advice she would give a founder a year behind her. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🇮🇹 What Bis means and why the name works ❄️ The dry ice care packages that started everything 🥗 Why processing for shelf stability changes the flavor 🍝 Two ounce pucks built for cooking for one or two 📦 Testing 15 portion cups before landing on recyclable PET 🍳 Three years in an incubator kitchen 80 miles from home 🏭 The co-man matrix: frozen, format, and state lines 🎨 Why the old packaging was capping the brand 🛒 The sample drop that turned into a first order 📞 Getting large packaging suppliers to call a small brand back 🏷️ Hero ingredients front and center on the label 🧊 Frozen pasta sales lifting next to the pucks 🔮 Home shopping, 3PL, and national distribution ahead --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:59 – What Bis means and the why behind the brand 02:55 – Care packages on dry ice and the frozen insight 04:29 – Portioning the sauce into two ounce pucks 05:42 – The long search for the right portion cup 07:58 – Chef Space and the 80 mile drive to an incubator kitchen 10:41 – What to look for in a co-manufacturing partner 12:21 – The packaging that was holding the brand back 13:01 – The accidental first order at the co-op 14:22 – Getting packaging suppliers to take a small brand seriously 16:06 – What the new labels communicate on shelf 18:23 – Not reinventing the wheel 21:36 – Specialty markets, demos, and local visibility 22:48 – DTC, 3PL, and the cost of shipping frozen 23:39 – Winning shoppers away from the shelf stable jar 24:57 – Why frozen is making a resurgence 25:40 – Hardest lessons as a first time founder 28:35 – Home shopping, national distribution, and what is next --------------- Links: Bis – https://eatbis.com/ Follow Melaina on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaina-balbo/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/ Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

  7. Aug 14

    Building the Shopify of Wholesale | Bryan Mitchiner, Peasy

    On this episode, we're joined by Bryan Mitchiner, Co-founder of Peasy - the free wholesale operating system built for independent CPG brands. Before Peasy, Bryan spent a decade building and selling Mustard and Co., then met his co-founder Ryan Conti at Shelf Engine, the Seattle startup that helped grocers optimize ordering. We dive into the decade Bryan spent running Mustard and Co., where he tested every inventory platform on the market, never found one that understood how he actually worked, and kept rebuilding his own spreadsheets until they became the product he wished existed. That tinkering is the direct blueprint for Peasy. Bryan breaks down the business model. Peasy is free with no contract, monetizing transaction volume the way Square, Shopify and QuickBooks do, and he walks through why that made sense when your real competitor is a free spreadsheet. He is also candid about the counterintuitive downside. When signing up is that easy, walking away is just as easy, so the product has to prove value in days instead of months. We also get into how the roadmap gets prioritized against a flood of user feedback, why most feature requests are not what the user actually needs, and the operational mistake Bryan sees sink early stage brands: growing the top line while the margins quietly go underwater. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🥫 A decade running Mustard and Co. and never finding the right software 📊 Why spreadsheets are still the default tool at every company size 🏢 What Shelf Engine taught him about the data behind the software 🤝 Meeting co-founder Ryan Conti and deciding to build together 🛒 Building the Shopify for the wholesale side of the house 💸 Why Peasy is free and monetizes transaction volume instead 🎣 Answering the "if it's free, what's the catch" objection ⚠️ The hidden downside of free (easy to join, easy to leave) 🗺️ How the roadmap gets prioritized against constant feedback 🔍 Separating what users ask for from what they actually need 🧮 The mistake that kills brands: selling more and losing more 📉 Mapping every cost line before the volume shows up 👀 Trends and brands he's watching (Graza, Ayoh) --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:56 – A decade running Mustard and Co. 02:24 – When spreadsheets stop working 04:10 – What Shelf Engine taught him about operations 05:31 – Meeting Ryan Conti and starting Peasy 06:28 – The Shopify for wholesale operations 07:43 – A year in: how brands actually use the platform 09:26 – Why Peasy is free and monetizes transactions 11:30 – Answering the "what's the catch" objection 12:26 – The hidden downside of free 13:55 – Advice on picking a pricing model 14:52 – How the roadmap gets prioritized 16:14 – Separating requests from real needs 17:13 – The feedback loop that converts users 19:50 – Advice for SaaS founders selling into CPG 21:06 – The operational mistakes that quietly kill brands 24:23 – Know every cost before you scale 26:00 – Brands and trends he's watching --------------- Links: Peasy – https://peasyos.com/ Follow Bryan on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanmitchiner/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/ Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

  8. Aug 10

    The Coca-Cola Marketer Betting on Pickle Juice | AJ Anderson, Fast Pickle

    On this episode, we're joined by AJ Anderson, Founder and CEO of Fast Pickle, the 3 ounce pickle juice shot brand bringing real brine into electrolyte replacement. AJ spent five years at Coca-Cola before becoming a serial entrepenenur. AJ breaks down the formulation proces, copacker sourcing, and why the new label says "intentionally hypertonic" instead of calling itself hydration. We get into the packaging design journey too, from a first label he designed himself, through public critique on BevNET's Elevator Pitch, to the black and electric green look he has now. We also cover the tactical stuff. Packing pallets in his garage, cold emailing roughly a thousand specialty stores, using Amazon Market Basket data to find climbing gyms, and the Danny Wimmer Presents festival partnership he expects will drive 25 to 30 percent of revenue this year. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🏃 The family health scare that reset everything 🥒 Why pickle juice instead of another sweet powder 🧪 Formulating a 570mg sodium shot, no added sugar 📚 Hypertonic vs isotonic, and why "hydration" is wrong 📦 Packing pallets in a garage at the top of a hill ⚠️ Shelving the preservative free version on purpose 🥫 The Recovery Seltzer and its pickle margarita flavor 🎨 Three label iterations, flat green to street black 🛒 Cold emailing 1,000 specialty stores, and the reply math 🎸 Selling shots across 80+ bars at rock festivals 📊 Amazon Market Basket data leading to climbing gyms 🔮 Building a challenger brand in a challenger category --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:16 – Origin story 04:32 – Why pickle juice 05:35 – Launching January 2025 06:24 – Formulation and the 3 ounce format 06:58 – Co-packer selection and real brine 08:43 – Hypertonic vs hydration 10:44 – A polarizing taste 12:37 – Garage fulfillment and the first pallets 15:14 – The preservative decision and natural retail 17:02 – The Recovery Seltzer idea 18:23 – Specialty channels and Fleet Feet 19:23 – Packaging design iterations 23:55 – Advice on brand identity 26:00 – Go to market and profitable growth 29:27 – The Danny Wimmer Presents partnership 36:07 – Cold emailing 1,000 specialty stores 38:56 – Climbing gyms and Market Basket data --------------- Links: Fast Pickle – https://fastpickle.com/ Follow AJ on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/helloaj/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/ Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

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If you’ve ever thought, "Why doesn’t anyone talk about this in CPG?", this is the podcast for you. Host, Adam Steinberg, co-founder of KitPrint, interviews CPG leaders to uncover the real-world tactics, strategies, and behind-the-scenes insights that really move the needle.

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