Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

Adam Steinberg
  • 5.0 (8)
  • BUSINESS

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. 1D AGO

    Harry McKaig - How the Three-Tier System Became the Five-Tier System

    On this episode, we're joined by Harry McKaig, CEO of Double Cross Vodka - the premium vodka brand distilled in the Tatras Mountains of Slovakia by an 11th-generation distilling family, and one of the few vodkas to ever score 95 points from Wine Enthusiast.  Harry brings over 20 years of beverage industry experience spanning Anheuser-Busch, Diageo, Southern Glazer's, Pernod Ricard, and The Wine Group, where he oversaw a $250M+ business. We get into the full arc of vodka premiumization from Smirnoff in the '50s through Absolut's legendary print campaigns, Grey Goose's dominance, and what the next wave looks like for premium spirits.  Harry breaks down how the three-tier distribution system has consolidated into what he calls a "five-tier" reality - with brokers on one end and delivery platforms like GoPuff and DoorDash on the other - and what that means for emerging brands trying to navigate route to market. Harry walks through his return to Double Cross after the brand was nearly wiped out during the pandemic, and the disciplined three-phase rebuild strategy he's running now across New York, New Jersey, and Florida.  We also cover his thesis on Gen Z and the "intention-behavior gap," his take on non-alc, and why he thinks better-for-you fatigue may be on the horizon. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍸 The history of vodka premiumization (Smirnoff to Grey Goose to now) 🏔️ Double Cross origin story (68 distilleries, 11th-generation Slovak family) 🏆 Scoring 95 points from Wine Enthusiast in the vodka category 🛒 How the three-tier system evolved into five tiers 🤝 What brand owners don't learn without time on the distributor side 📞 Cold-calling e-commerce customers to understand the consumer base 🎯 Going deep not wide (250 doors vs. 900 in New Jersey) 🍹 "Build brands on, sell them off" and the post-pandemic on-premise reality 📊 The intention-behavior gap and Gen Z's delayed consumption habits 🧪 Why non-alc competes with soda, not spirits 🔮 Protein fatigue and the runway for better-for-you trends --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:52 – Origin story and the premiumization of vodka 02:55 – How the founders found their distillery in Slovakia 04:12 – Current distribution strategy: going deep, not wide 04:54 – The state of BevAlc and why headlines are misleading 07:24 – The three-tier system and distributor consolidation 09:55 – How the three-tier became five tiers (brokers, e-comm, delivery) 11:38 – How to choose the right distributor 13:56 – Lessons from the distributor side that brand owners miss 16:22 – Harry's return to Double Cross and the rebuild plan 19:24 – Choosing focus markets and reverse-engineering consumer data 21:13 – Velocity tactics: on-premise, geofencing, paid social 23:56 – Gen Z, the intention-behavior gap, and the health paradox 27:28 – Double Cross brand positioning and consumer messaging 29:34 – The non-alc space and why it doesn't threaten spirits 31:37 – Trends: protein everywhere and better-for-you fatigue --------------- Links: Double Cross Vodka – https://www.doublecrossvodka.com/ Follow Harry on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrymckaig/ 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/

    34 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Tia Ellis - How to Pitch Retail Buyers and Win Purchase Orders

    On this episode, we're joined by Tia Ellis, Founder of Wildflower Insight - the retail strategy and education company that teaches CPG founders how to pitch buyers and win purchase orders.  Tia is a former broker who has helped brands sell well over $100 million worth of product into major U.S. retailers.   Tia walks through the buyer psychology that drives purchasing decisions, including why buyers care most about category performance and internal KPIs, not whether they personally like your product. We get into her winning pitch deck structure, including the critical "retailer fit" slide that should change for every single retailer you pitch.   We dive into the golden retail rule - a scaling framework Tia first heard from a Walmart buyer - that maps the path from local to regional to national retail.  She shares a cautionary story about a brand that skipped steps, landed a 3,000+ store global account, and couldn't support past the fifth purchase order because of 90-day payment terms and cash flow issues.  We also cover operational readiness, logistics gaps that trip up founders (FTL vs. LTL, carrier management, warehouse transitions), pricing strategy across different retailer types, when brokers actually make sense versus when founders should pitch themselves, and why starting with retailers that don't require a distributor can save early-stage brands real money.   ---------------   Episode Highlights: 🏪 Brokers vs. pitching it yourself (and when each makes sense) 🧠 Buyer psychology - why buyers are not consumers 📊 The two pitch deck slides that matter most for data 🎨 The "retailer fit" slide (and why it changes every time) 🎯 The golden retail rule - local to regional to national ⚠️ The brand that couldn't support past purchase order #5 🚚 Operational readiness and the logistics gap founders miss 💸 Pricing strategy across Costco, Walmart, Sprouts, and specialty 🛒 Why starting with retailers that skip distributors saves money 🤝 Treating buyers like partners, not gatekeepers 🔬 Prebiotics and probiotics as the next protein trend   ---------------   Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:46 – Origin story and why Tia started Wildflower Insight 03:09 – Two types of founders Wildflower serves 06:05 – When it makes sense to hire a broker 08:46 – Buyers are not consumers 09:10 – Three pitches every founder needs to master 12:00 – The role of data in buyer meetings 12:43 – Growth, trends, and the brand sales slides 14:16 – The pitch deck structure and retailer fit slide 18:07 – The golden retail rule explained 22:36 – Cautionary tale of skipping steps 26:29 – Operational readiness and being shelf-ready 27:22 – The logistics gap (FTL, LTL, carrier management) 28:46 – Pitching Costco vs. Walmart vs. specialty retailers 29:37 – Pricing strategy across retailer types 31:37 – Starting with retailers that don't require a distributor 33:52 – Trends Tia is watching (prebiotics and probiotics) 35:29 – Where to follow Tia and Wildflower Insight   ---------------   Links: Wildflower Insight – https://wildflowerinsight.com/ Follow Tia on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiaellis/ Follow Tia on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thetiaellis/ 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/

    37 min

  3. MAR 17

    Hovik Azadkhanian - The #1 Selling Coffee at Sprouts Nationwide

    On this episode, we're joined by Hovik Azadkhanian, CEO of Heirloom Coffee Roasters - the fastest-growing coffee brand in the natural channel and the first nationally available 100% regenerative organic certified specialty coffee.  Hovik has been in the coffee roasting business for over 30 years, starting alongside his dad as a kid and spending years in private label and toll roasting before launching Heirloom. We dive into how roasting millions of pounds of coffee for other brands gave Hovik the data to develop Heirloom's proprietary Culinary Roast - a technique that manipulates time, temperature, air pressure, and gas flow to unlock specific flavor profiles at scale. That process led to winning the Good Food Award against 1,700 coffees, a first for any regenerative coffee. Hovik walks through the realities of the coffee supply chain, including a USDA study that found 43% of certified organic products tested above the legal limit for banned substances. He breaks down Heirloom's triple-testing protocol across 311 synthetic pesticides and the story of rejecting tens of thousands of pounds of glyphosate-contaminated coffee. We also get into Heirloom's direct trade model, which cuts out 15-20 middlemen and pays farmers three to six dollars per pound versus 30-60 cents under the traditional model. Hovik shares the Pacayala cooperative story, how Sprouts took a gamble on an unknown brand, and what's next as Heirloom eyes mass retail. --------------- Episode Highlights: ☕ 30+ years roasting coffee (started at age 8) 🏭 From private label to building a national brand 🧪 The Culinary Roast (manipulating time, temperature, gas, air pressure) 🏆 Winning the Good Food Award against 1,700 coffees ⚠️ 43% of organic products failing pesticide standards (USDA study) 🔬 Triple-testing protocol for 311 synthetic pesticides 🌱 Direct trade model (farmer to roaster, no middlemen) 🤝 The Pacayala cooperative story in Honduras 🛒 Going national at Sprouts and becoming the #1 selling coffee 📊 Using SPINS data and shopper surveys to drive velocity 🎯 Land and expand in natural, then break into mass retail 🔧 New form factors in the innovation pipeline for 2026 👀 Brands to watch: Simply (legumes) and Painterland Sisters (yogurt) --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:33 – Origin story and why behind the brand 04:17 – Reacquiring the Oakland roasting facility 05:25 – Developing the Culinary Roast process 08:29 – Iterations and the Good Food Award win 10:20 – R&D and SKU strategy 12:41 – The glyphosate contamination story 15:25 – USDA organic study and the limits of certifications 17:37 – What CPG brands should do about independent testing 19:39 – Vertical integration and cutting out middlemen 20:45 – Building direct farm relationships 23:06 – The Pacaya cooperative in Honduras 26:00 – Farmer economics (30 cents vs $3-6 per pound) 28:45 – Retail trajectory and going national at Sprouts 30:58 – Tactics for driving velocity in natural channel 31:56 – Retail expansion plans and breaking into mass 32:22 – Food service as a brand awareness channel 33:13 – Brand identity and packaging design decisions 34:43 – 2026 goals and new form factors 35:29 – Brands Hovik is watching --------------- Links: Heirloom Coffee Roasters – https://heirloomcoffeeroasters.com/ Follow Hovik on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hovik-azadkhanian-a2404830/ 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/

    38 min

  4. MAR 13

    Cassie Maschoff - She Quit Google to Sell Pork Sausages With Her Sister

    On this episode, we're joined by Cassie Maschhoff, Co-Founder of Lottie's Meats - the sister-owned, chef-crafted premium pork sausage brand.  Cassie left a career in tech (including time at Google) to team up with her sister Chelsea, a CIA-trained chef, to reintroduce pork the way it should be. We dive into what it takes to build a premium meat brand from scratch, from three years of recipe experimentation to working with eleven different co-packers. Cassie walks through USDA facility requirements, the "messy middle" of co-packer hunting, and how most co-manufacturers in meat still operate on handshake deals. Cassie breaks down why food service has been a brand-building flywheel, how customers discovered Lottie's at Denver restaurants before finding them on shelf, and the pricing mistakes she made early on. We also get into their retail expansion playbook, from flying to NorCal to drop off samples and locking in Berkeley Bowl as an anchor account, to convincing regional distributors to come on board. We talk about why demos have been their most effective velocity tool for a premium-priced product, the unique dynamics of marketing in the meat department, and why building relationships with the people behind the meat counter matters more than most CPG tactics. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🐷 Sixth-generation pork farm origins and the sister co-founder dynamic 🏭 Working with eleven co-packers to find the right fit 🧪 Why clean-label sausage is an art and a science (no preservatives, no shortcuts) 🎨 Building a brand identity that breaks from typical meat aisle packaging 🍕 Food service as a brand-building flywheel (bakeries, pizzerias, breweries) 💸 The pricing mistake in food service and how they fixed it 🛒 The retail expansion playbook (Denver to NorCal to SoCal to Midwest) 📈 Berkeley Bowl as the anchor account that opened NorCal 🎯 Why demos are their most effective velocity tool 🤝 Building relationships with the people behind the meat counter 👀 Brands to watch: One Trick Pony, Painterland Sisters, Huxley, C&Chilies --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:32 – Origin story and the Lottie's lineup 02:26 – Building a business with your sister 06:10 – R&D, formulation, and iterating on recipes 08:13 – The messy middle of co-packer hunting 11:00 – Maintaining quality across multiple co-packers 14:00 – Handshake deals and the co-packer relationship 16:18 – Brand identity and packaging design philosophy 19:02 – Tips for building a brand that resonates in meat 20:30 – Simplifying labels vs. claim overload 22:30 – Food service as a channel and brand-building tool 24:26 – Stumbling blocks in food service (pricing mistakes) 26:42 – Retail expansion from Denver to NorCal and beyond 30:10 – Velocity tactics: demos, promos, and shelf marketing 33:00 – Building relationships with meat counter staff 34:17 – Brands and trends Cassie is watching --------------- Links: Lottie's Meats – https://www.lottiesmeats.com/ Follow Cassie on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassie-maschhoff-8055b058/ Follow Lottie's Meats on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/lottie-s-meats/ 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/

    36 min

  5. MAR 10

    Mike Fransz - Red Bull, Regenerative Organic Tea, and 25 Years of Beverage Marketing

    On this episode, we're joined by Mike Fransz, Director of Marketing at Nova Naturals - the naturals division of Novamex (the company behind Jarritos) that's home to C2O Pure Coconut Water and Steaz organic tea.  Mike brings 25 years of beverage marketing experience, including early days at Red Bull and Neuro Brands. We dive into what Mike learned building Red Bull from 1,500 cases a month to 150,000 in Orange County, including how they found "opinion leaders" before influencers existed and why everyone at Red Bull was treated as a marketer. Mike walks through the Steaz brand refinement, how the team went back to original founders Eric Chanell and Steven Kessler to rediscover the brand's why, and the process that led to reworking everything from sourcing to mission and making Steaz the first regenerative organic certified ready-to-drink tea in the U.S. We also get into running a shared services model across C2O and Steaz, Mike's time at Neuro Brands as an early functional wellness beverage, and why the protein revolution is just getting started. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍵 How Steaz became the first regenerative organic certified RTD tea 🏭 Forming Nova Naturals as a dedicated division inside Novamex 🎯 Red Bull's "opinion leader" strategy before influencers existed 📈 Growing Red Bull from 1,500 to 150,000 cases a month in Orange County 🤝 Going back to the original Steaz founders to rediscover the brand's why 🌱 Regenerative organic vs. sustainability (and why the difference matters) 🔄 The shared services model for managing C2O and Steaz together 🧪 Neuro Brands as an early functional beverage and lessons from multi-functionality 📦 Why packaging format matters (single-use plastic vs. cans and aluminum) 🥩 The protein revolution, GLP-1, and brands like Chomps and Fishwife 👀 Trends Mike is watching in functional beverages and healthier lifestyles --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:49 – Nova Naturals origin story and brand portfolio 03:04 – How the beverage industry has changed over 25 years 05:09 – The shift from natural niche to mainstream 07:04 – Red Bull and the rise of "opinion leaders" 10:02 – Product market fit then and now 13:39 – Why Mike left Red Bull for natural products 16:31 – How Red Bull scaled its field marketing org 21:16 – Image building vs. consumption building 28:31 – Forming Nova Naturals and the shared services model 34:33 – The Steaz brand refinement and going back to the founders 38:23 – Steaz as the first USDA organic and now regenerative organic RTD tea 43:00 – Regenerative organic certification explained 44:55 – How to think about a brand refresh (start with why) 55:47 – Neuro Brands and the functional beverage category 01:02:00 – The communication quagmire of multi-functional brands 01:06:33 – The protein revolution, GLP-1, and trends Mike is watching --------------- Links: Nova Naturals – https://nova-natural.com/ Follow Mike on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefransz/ 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/

    1h 14m

  6. MAR 6

    Corey Dickinson - M&A, Marketing Org Design, and Why the Taproom Still Wins

    On this episode, we're joined by Corey Dickinson, VP of Marketing at Wilding Brands - the Colorado-based craft beverage platform that's brought together Denver Beer Co, Great Divide, Upslope, Stem Ciders, Funkwerks, and more under one roof.  Corey spent over a decade building leading marketing at some of Colorado's most well-known craft breweries before stepping into the VP role across the full Wilding portfolio. We dive into how Wilding came together through a series of mergers and acquisitions in 2024, and what it actually looks like to integrate legacy craft brands with decades of history and loyal consumer bases. Corey shares how his team shifted from brand-specific managers to channel-based silos - wholesale, retail, and partnerships - after realizing the original structure wasn't leveraging the full portfolio. He breaks down why the taproom experience is still the highest-margin, highest-loyalty channel for craft brands, and how that firsthand experience becomes a flywheel into off-prem distribution. We also cover the launch of Formation Brewing in Phoenix's Roosevelt Row neighborhood, a brand built from scratch to fit the Arizona market rather than exporting Denver Beer Co's identity. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍺 How Wilding Brands came together (Denver Beer Co, Great Divide, Upslope, and more) 🏭 Integrating legacy craft brands without losing their identity 🧪 Pausing Hop Boosted when the liquid wasn't ready (and why that matters) 🎨 Restructuring marketing from brand-specific to channel-based silos 🛒 Why the taproom is your highest-margin, highest-loyalty channel 🤝 Leveraging a multi-brand portfolio for festival and event partnerships 📊 The distributor landscape and what it means for smaller craft brands 🍻 Launching Formation Brewing in Phoenix from scratch 📦 Building DTC e-commerce around merch and non-alc (not beer) 🏪 Why Wilding stays behind the scenes as a non-consumer-facing brand 👀 What's coming up across the Wilding portfolio --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:59 – The origin story of Wilding Brands 03:35 – Mergers and acquisitions in 2024 06:33 – Hop Boosted innovation and the decision to pause 09:39 – Evaluating and repositioning acquired brands 13:46 – Marketing org structure across a multi-brand portfolio 19:03 – Allocating time and priorities across brands 21:06 – Why the taproom experience still matters most 23:53 – The distributor landscape for craft brands 29:27 – THC beverages and where Wilding stands 30:43 – Launching Formation Brewing in Phoenix 34:43 – Building DTC e-commerce in craft beverage 37:14 – What's coming up across the portfolio --------------- Links: Wilding Brands – https://wildingbrands.com/ Follow Corey on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreydickinson4/ Follow Wilding Brands on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/wilding-brands/ 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/

    39 min

  7. MAR 3

    Elan Halpern - Dealing Yogurt Via Citibikes and Backpacks

    On this episode, we're joined by Elan Halpern, Co-Founder of Sourmilk - the NYC-based functional greek yogurt brand designed to actually deliver real probiotic benefits, not just the perception of them. Elan is a Stanford CS grad and former tech PM who, alongside co-founder Kiki, started out selling yogurt on bikes out of backpacks across New York City. We dive into the science behind why most yogurts fall into one of three probiotic traps, and how Elan narrowed forty thousand bacteria strains down to the handful that are probiotic, survive in yogurt, and taste good. Elan breaks down organic dairy sourcing realities, demand planning for a perishable product, building a two-thousand-person waitlist before the first production run, and selling the first pallet on city bikes in seven days. We also dig into the forced rebrand from Beny to Sourmilk, launching with one SKU in bright blue packaging to stand out in the yogurt aisle, why Happier Grocery was the right first retail partner, and what Elan's tech background brought to CPG. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🥛 Why most yogurts fail at being truly probiotic (three traps) 🧪 Narrowing 40,000 bacteria strains to find the right probiotic combo 🏭 Finding a dairy co-packer the old-fashioned way (cold calls, not Google) 🐄 Organic vs conventional dairy supply chain economics 📦 Building a 2,000-person waitlist before the first production run 🚲 The "drug deal model" - selling yogurt on city bikes in brown bags 💻 Custom-coding a Shopify pickup feature (Stanford CS advantage) ✏️ Cease and desist to rebrand - from Benny to Sourmilk 🎨 Bright blue packaging to stand out in the sea-of-white yogurt aisle 🛒 Why Happier Grocery was the right first retail partner 🎯 Localized activations - gym pop-ups near retail stores to drive velocity 🗺️ NYC-first retail expansion, then regional, then California 👀 Maintaining brand authenticity at scale (Rōsa as a model) --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:43 – Origin story and the gut health problem 04:32 – Formulation and the three yogurt traps 06:22 – R&D - narrowing 40,000 bacteria strains 07:43 – Finding a co-packer in an old-fashioned industry 09:48 – Scaling from home kitchen to co-man production 11:49 – Organic dairy supply chain and sourcing challenges 17:27 – Demand planning with a perishable product 18:48 – The drug deal model - selling yogurt on city bikes 20:01 – What tech taught him about building in CPG 22:28 – The rebrand - from Benny to Sourmilk 26:10 – Packaging design and standing out in the yogurt aisle 28:46 – Straddling the food vs supplement brand identity 30:00 – Pros and cons of the direct-to-consumer pickup model 34:41 – Getting into retail and using zip code data 35:49 – Why Happier Grocery was the first retail partner 36:32 – Advice for brands launching into their first retailer 37:51 – Retail expansion strategy - NYC first, then regional 38:30 – Brands and trends they're watching 40:29 – Where to follow Sourmilk --------------- Links: Sourmilk – https://www.sourmilk.com/ Follow Elan on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/elan-halpern-99a018193/ Follow Sourmilk on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourmilk/ 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/

    42 min

  8. FEB 27

    Christian Karim Khalil - Selling a Unit Every 30 Seconds at Costco

    On this episode, we're joined by Christian Karim Khalil, Founder & CEO of Yaza - the fast-growing brand bringing traditionally made, clean-ingredient labneh and Mediterranean dips to the U.S. market.  Christian brings years of global CPG experience from a handful of countries around the world. Christian walks through the nine-month R&D process, the grueling six-month search for a dairy co-packer (printing hundreds of pages from the FDA's IMS certificate list and cold-calling every company on it), and the production challenges that came with scaling up for Whole Foods. We get into the Yaza rebrand, why Christian pushed for it early, and his framework for deciding when a rebrand is worth the investment: it has to solve specific problems, not just look better. Christian also breaks down what it took to land Whole Foods nationwide before even having product in market, the Costco roadshow model and selling a unit every 30 seconds, and the consumer education playbook for a category that's still new to the majority of American shoppers. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🧀 How labneh is traditionally made (and why it's different in the U.S.) 🏭 The six-month co-packer search (FDA binders, cold calls, near-quitting) 🧪 Nine months of R&D to match Lebanon's gold standard 🎨 Why Yaza rebranded early and the problems it solved 🛒 Landing Whole Foods nationwide before having product in market 📈 Growing 200%+ at Whole Foods through strategic promotions 🏪 The Costco roadshow model (selling a unit every 30 seconds) 🍽️ Labneh on Michelin-star menus as a consumer education driver 📦 Building a "brand block" with baba ganoush and muhammara 🚀 Why Yaza skipped Expo West (and where that $100K+ goes instead) 👀 Why protein and fiber shouldn't be "trends" - they should be daily staples --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:54 – Origin story and the Hashimoto's connection 02:57 – Early R&D and making labneh at home 05:09 – Researching the market at Whole Foods 05:40 – Finding a co-packer (the IMS binder story) 07:18 – Perfecting the formulation 10:04 – Scaling production for Whole Foods 11:35 – Brand identity and the first packaging 13:43 – The rebrand: why, when, and how 16:00 – Expanding the product line (baba ganoush, muhammara) 19:25 – Advice on when a rebrand is worth it 22:01 – Landing Whole Foods nationwide 24:55 – Costco roadshows and what they revealed 28:04 – Consumer education and category creation 29:37 – Driving velocity: demos, promotions, social media 33:07 – Why Yaza skipped Expo West 34:30 – Trends, brands, and what's next for Yaza --------------- Links: Yaza – https://yazafoods.com/ Follow Christian on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-karim-khalil-8b615b185/ 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/

    37 min
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5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

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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