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. 7H AGO

    Sierra Thomas - Carving a Different Path in Hemp Beverages

    On this episode, we’re joined by Sierra Thomas, Founder and CEO of Tropink - the Hawaiian-inspired, functional beverage brand made with real tropical fruit, vitamin D, broad spectrum hemp (no THC), and a little bit of carbonation. Sierra spent a decade in media and music before going alcohol-free in 2010. She’s bootstrapped Tropink thus far, scaling into premier retail locations across her home state of Oregon.  We dive into Sierra’s formulation journey, why she chose broad-spectrum hemp over isolate, and how she navigates compliance and food safety. She unpacks packaging choices (and a sustainability miss she fixed), go-to-market strategy, and retail tactics that actually move cases. We also get into upcoming SKUs, fundraising strategy, and the trends she’s watching. —--------------- Episode Highlights: 🧪 From bench-top trials to co-packed, tunnel-pasteurized runs 🌿 Broad-spectrum hemp vs. isolate and how dosing/COAs build trust 🧂Alternative sweeteners 🎨 Brand identity that “feels like a sunset” and why it matters on shelf ♻️ Shrink sleeves vs. digitally printed cans: a sustainability pivot 📣 Turning the Super Bowl into a rebrand launchpad 🛒 Oregon-first saturation, menus, and placements that fit the audience 📈 Velocity levers & independent retailers 🧭 New SKUs, no-THC stance, bootstrapping, and the NA wave ahead —--------------- Table of Contents: 00:30:03 – Origin story 05:38:11 – R&D, formulation 11:48:19 – Hemp extract: broad spectrum vs isolate 15:36:14 – Sweeteners 17:27:07 – Brand identity and packaging design 23:03:18 – A packaging learning lesson 25:48:06 – Leveraging the Super Bowl for a rebrand launch 27:42:25 – Go-to-market 30:44:06 – Retail tactics 36:25:20 – New SKUs around the corner 40:01:01 – Hemp THC? 41:01:04 – Fundraising (or not) 42:07:10 – Trends Sierra is watching —--------------- Links: Tropink - https://tropinkdrink.com/ Follow Sierra Thomas on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-collins-4a200216/ 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 KitPrint.

    44 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Paige Billings - Selling Meat Sticks into United Airlines, Lowe's, Home Depot, and Dick's Sporting Goods

    On this episode, we’re joined by Paige Billings, VP of Marketing at Anthem Snacks - the veteran-owned jerky brand started by a former Green Beret - and Founder of Dot Digital Media. We dive into how Anthem has pushed into unconventional retail channels and the strategies for succeeding in limited shelf space environments - from Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Dick’s Sporting Goods to United Airlines’ in-flight program - proving that discovery doesn’t have to happen in the grocery aisle. We also explore how Anthem leverages Pinterest as an underrated growth engine, persona mapping, and Costco. —--------------- Episode Highlights: 🥩 Building a veteran-owned brand rooted in service and authenticity 🧱 How Anthem broke into channels like Lowe’s, Home Depot, and United Airlines 📦 Packaging that balances brand story and retail practicality 📌 Why Pinterest is an underrated platform 💬 Turning mission-driven storytelling into measurable marketing 🔥 Trends shaping the future of better-for-you snacking —--------------- Table of Contents: 00:45:17 - Anthem origin story 03:15:13 - The early days, creating differentiation 06:48:21 - Target personas 11:10:09 - Packaging design 15:08:20 - United Airlines partnership 20:24:29 - Selling into unconventional channels 27:53:21 - Costco 32:32:08 - Pinterest, the under-the-radar channel 37:59:13 - Trends —--------------- Links: Anthem Snacks – https://www.anthemsnacks.com Follow Paige on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-billings-34623698/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/  Try Anthem Snacks with code SHELFPOD20 until 1/31/26 (not valid on subscription products and cannot be stacked). 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 KitPrint.

    40 min

  3. OCT 30

    Amy Collins - From Grandma's Kitchen to a National Rollout

    On this episode, we’re joined by Amy Collins, the Co-Founder and CEO of RoRo’s Baking Company, a Dallas-based brand bringing her grandmother’s beloved cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls to freezers across the country. What started as a family recipe baked by hand in a shared kitchen has grown into a nationally distributed brand carried in Whole Foods, H-E-B, Harris Teeter, and more. Amy shares her journey from ICU nurse to food entrepreneur, how she scaled from self-manufacturing to partnering with a copacker, and what she’s learned about preserving authenticity while building a frozen brand at scale. We get into the decision behind frozen vs. refrigerated vs. ready-to-eat and some of the learning lessons that Amy has gathered during the journey thus far. —--------------- Episode Highlights: 🥣 The family legacy behind RoRo’s Baking Company 🍞 Pre-baked & frozen vs. refrigerated vs. ready-to-eat formats 📦 Packaging & brand identity lessons learned the hard way 🏭 From shared kitchen to building a commercial facility ⚙️ Transitioning from self-manufacturing to a copacker 🧊 Competing and winning in the frozen category 🛒 The role of demos in driving retail velocity 💻 DTC and national shipping via Goldbelly 🎯 Managing expectations and staying scrappy 🌟 Trends and brands Amy’s keeping an eye on —--------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 - Intro & RoRo’s Overview 00:41 - Origin Story 03:53 - Pre-baked & Frozen vs. Refrigerated vs. Ready-to-Eat 05:24 - Brand Identity & Packaging Design 09:12 - Kickstarter & Building Out a Commercial Space 12:32 - Commercial Kitchen vs. Copacker 18:38 - Searching for & Choosing a Copacker 22:56 - The Frozen Category 26:36 - Demos 27:48 - DTC & Goldbelly 31:16 - Learning Lessons & Expectations 32:41 - Trade Shows 34:18 - Trends & Brands Amy’s Watching —--------------- Links: RoRo’s Baking Company - https://rorosbakingcompany.com Follow Amy Collins on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-collins-4a200216/ 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

  4. OCT 27

    Katie Hill - Riding the Craft Brewery Roller Coaster

    On this episode, we’re joined by Katie Hill, the longtime marketing leader at Upslope Brewing - Boulder’s outdoors-first craft brewery known for cans-only packaging, community-driven events, and a “beer, people, planet” ethos.  Katie has spent the last decade steering Upslope through the craft beer roller coaster, widening the aperture beyond beer while protecting the brand’s core identity. With deep experience across portfolio strategy, taproom-to-retail activation, and cause-led community building, Katie offers a practical perspective on what it takes to keep a 2008-era craft brand fresh in 2025. Katie unpacks the next decade in craft brewing (beer, NA, and beyond), why Upslope went hard on Hard Yerba Mate, and how they launched a hop-boosted IPA using BevBoost widget tech that releases a fresh burst of hop aroma at crack. We dig into the taproom + retail flywheel and how she’d approach starting a new brand today. —--------------- Episode Highlights: 🏔️ Upslope’s “après everything” positioning 🎢 What the craft beer roller coaster taught the team 🔭 The next 10 years 🎯 Widening the aperture without losing the core brand 🍋 Why Hard Yerba Mate (5% ABV) fits the outdoor occasion 🧊 Hard seltzer lessons from Spiked Snowmelt 🧪 Hop-Boosted IPA with BevBoost: telling a “tech” story in beer 🏪 The taproom > retail flywheel that converts trial to velocity 📣 Lean, repeatable, community-first field marketing plays 🚀 If starting a craft brand today: formats, occasions, and white space 👀 Trends Katie’s watching across craft and adjacent categories —--------------- Table of Contents: 00:46:07 - Origin story 03:49:18 - The craft beer roller coaster 06:15:09 - The next 10 years in craft brewing 07:52:00 - Widening the aperture 10:57:08 - Hard Yerba Mate 14:48:16 - Hard seltzer 16:20:24 - The hop boosted IPA, BevBoost tech 21:08:08 - The tap house > retail flywheel 24:16:10 - Getting scrappy, lean marketing strategy 29:07:16 - If Katie was starting a brand in the craft brewery space 30:38:21 - Brands and/or trends Katie is watching —--------------- Links: Upslope Brewing - https://upslopebrewing.com Follow Katie on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/khill29/ 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 KitPrint.

    35 min

  5. OCT 22

    Gardar Stefansson - Hard Pivot to the Fastest Growing Spread Brand

    On this episode, we’re joined by Gardar Stefansson, Co-founder & CEO of GOOD GOOD - the fastest-growing spread brand in the U.S. Born in Iceland, GOOD GOOD offers no-added-sugar, fruit-first jams, jellies, chocolate spreads, and a vegan lemon curd, among others. Gardar shares how a looming write-off in a stevia/erythritol drops business sparked the pivot to spreads. He lays out the playbook on formulation, packaging that signals “indulgent but better,” moving from Amazon discovery to national retail, and what it actually takes to earn and hold more facings in conventional grocery.  —--------------- Episode Highlights: 🍓 The “inventory crisis” that led to GOOD GOOD’s jam breakthrough 🧪 The R&D journey 🥄 Alternative sweeteners 🧂 Lessons from prior CPG ventures 📦 Packaging & claims that drive trial and repeat without confusing shoppers 🛍️ Amazon as the first wedge, and what still works there in 2025 🏪 Translating ecomm proof into retail wins and cleaner resets 🧱 How to capture shelf space over time 🛒 Kroger, H-E-B, Publix - how to win 📈 Trends —--------------- Table of Contents: 00:49:14 – Origin story, the big pivot 03:47:10 – R&D and formulation 06:41:29 – Sweetener testing 09:25:25 – Learning lessons from previous CPG experience 12:53:18 – Brand identity and packaging design 17:41:26 – Amazon 24:08:26 – Expanding into retail 29:19:27 – Capturing more shelf space 32:41:09 – Kroger, H-E-B, Publix 37:12:24 – Trends Garðar is watching —--------------- Links: GOOD GOOD - https://goodgoodbrand.com Follow Garðar on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gardar-stefansson/  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 KitPrint.

    40 min

  6. OCT 17

    Marshall Rabil - Building a Pre-Internet DTC Brand

    On this episode, we’re joined by Marshall Rabil, CEO of Hubbard Peanut Company (“Hubs”), the Virginia heritage brand that commercialized blister-fried, Super Extra Large peanuts, and became one of the earliest premium mail-order/DTC success stories.  From Dot & H.J. Hubbard’s 1950s home kitchen to a modern mix of DTC, retail, and private label, Marshall shares how Hubs has maintained a craft feel as they’ve growth over the past ~75 years With experience as a Whole Foods specialty buyer and a decade leading Hubs’ marketing and partnerships, Marshall unpacks sourcing the top 1–2% of Virginia peanuts, why terroir matters for flavor and texture, and how the team balances premium pricing, seasonality, and channel conflicts without diluting the brand. By the way, is it me or does Marshall sound a lot like Matthew McConaughey —--------------- Episode Highlights: 🥜 Hubs’ origin story and what “blister-fried” really means 🌱 Terroir: how region, curing, and grade shape flavor and crunch 📈 From catalog era to modern DTC 💸 Holding a premium price 🗓️ Running a heavily seasonal business 🛒 Retail lessons from Marshall’s time as a Whole Foods buyer 🏷️ Private label & co-branded: where it works (and where it conflicts) ⚖️ Margin realities across private label vs. branded vs. DTC 🎨 Visual identity & packaging that drive trial, gifting, and loyalty 👥 Building the team, lessons learned, and the future of the peanut —--------------- Table of Contents: 00:44:03 – Hubs origin story 03:41:01 – Taking over a legacy family business 06:01:14 – The effect of terroir on peanuts 07:30:17 – Extra Large Virginia Peanuts, focusing on the top 1–2% 09:13:24 – Pioneering the blister-fried peanut at scale 11:27:07 – The early days of DTC to today 12:55:01 – Selling peanuts at a premium price point 14:44:11 – Building a heavily seasonal business 17:19:28 – The retail channel, Marshall’s experience as a Whole Foods buyer 20:37:27 – The private label and co-branded business 22:45:27 – Private label vs. branded retail vs. DTC conflicts 24:42:19 – Margin differences between private label, co-branded, branded 27:22:23 – Visual identity and packaging design 29:58:11 – The team 31:37:22 – Learning lessons 33:49:20 – The future of the peanut —--------------- Links: Hubs Peanuts - https://www.hubspeanuts.com Follow Marshall on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-rabil-83a24a15/ 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 KitPrint.

    37 min

  7. OCT 15

    Adam Spriggs & Chris Robb - Investing Early in Siete, Poppi, and Bachan's

    On this episode, we’re joined by Chris Robb and Adam Spriggs, the duo behind The Angel Group - one of the most influential early-stage investment communities in CPG - and Supernatural Ventures. Between them, they’ve backed breakout brands like Siete, Poppi, Bachan’s, Garage Beer, and Painterland Sisters. They’ve built a reputation for spotting winning founders long before the rest of the industry takes notice. Chris and Adam unpack what they’re seeing across today’s early-stage CPG landscape - from what categories they’re most intrigued by, to how they evaluate founders, products, and data when there’s very little of it to go on. They share their frameworks for diligence, talk through the stories behind some of their flagship investments, and outline what truly differentiated brands have in common. —--------------- Episode Highlights: 💸 How The Angel Group and Supernatural Ventures identify breakout brands early 🥇 The story behind their investments in Siete, Poppi, and Bachan’s 📊 How founders get forecasting wrong, and how to fix it 🚀 Why speed is becoming the new differentiator in CPG 📦 The importance of merchandising and store-level excellence 🧠 What truly makes a brand “differentiated” in 2025 📋 How to brief an agency the right way 💬 The biggest fundraising mistakes founders make ❤️ Why Chris actually enjoys the fundraising process —--------------- Table of Contents: 00:42:14 - The Angel Group overview 03:14:02 - Supernatural Ventures overview 06:06:12 - The early stage CPG landscape today 09:34:04 - Overhyped and underhyped categories 13:07:24 - Investment philosophy and eval process 20:52:21 - Forecasting, how founders get it wrong 23:10:20 - How and why they invested in Siete so early 25:12:22 - How and why they invested in Poppi so early 27:11:01 - How and why they invested in Bachan’s so early 30:47:20 - Founders, green and red flags 34:30:08 - Will they make a bet on a founder new to CPG 37:50:07 - What a truly differentiated brand looks like 39:42:24 - Speed is now going to be the big differentiator 40:11:28 - Don’t let the copacker dictate your product 42:58:09 - What a good agency brief looks like 44:49:24 - The importance of merchandising 47:50:02 - Chris’ best advice for founders 48:42:27 - A good fundraising process, how to screw it up 50:44:28 - The biggest mistake founders make with fundraising 51:43:17 - Why Chris likes fundraising —--------------- Links: The Angel Group - https://www.wearetheangelgroup.com Supernatural Ventures - https://www.supernatural.ventures Follow Adam Spriggs on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-spriggs-69a91b53/ Follow Chris Robb on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-robb-9a522931/ 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/

    55 min

  8. OCT 13

    Sean Campbell - Scaling Ops from $5M to $150M

    On this episode, we’re joined by Sean Campbell, COO at Semifreddi’s - the Bay Area-based beloved artisan bakery known for its sourdough. Before Semifreddi’s, Sean led operations at Kiva Confections, helping scale one of the nation’s top cannabis edibles brands from ~$20M to ~$150M in revenue, and held ops roles at Double Rainbow Ice Cream and San Francisco Salt Company.  He’s a rare operator who’s scaled ops in traditional food, frozen, ambient, and regulated cannabis, bringing a cross-category playbook for formulation, production lines, co-manufacturing, and NPD. Sean lays out the margin levers that actually move the P&L, how to build supply-chain redundancy, and the tradeoffs between in-house manufacturing vs. co-packing. We dig into the ops leader’s evolving role from $20M to $150M+, and the nitty-gritty of forecasting COGS and margins. —--------------- Episode Highlights: 🥖 Semifreddi’s origin story and what makes a 40-year bakery scalable today 🍫 Scaling operations at Kiva from ~$20M to ~$150M 📉 The 5 levers 👤 The ops leader’s role from startup to scale 🌿 Making the pivot from traditional CPG to cannabis (and back again) 📊 Forecasting COGS & margins 🛡️ Supplier redundancy, tariffs, and de-risking your BOM 🏭 In-house manufacturing vs. co-manufacturing 🗺️ Expanding geographically 🧪 NPD best practices: stage-gates 🧠 Hard-won lessons: what Sean would have done differently —--------------- Table of Contents: 00:49:09 - Semifreddi’s origin story 02:52:03 - Scaling ops at cannabis edibles company: $20M - $150M 11:32:08 - Key margin levers 17:40:08 - COVID supply chain disruptions 18:50:27 - An ops leader’s role as a company scales 23:14:07 - Making the pivot from traditional CPG to cannabis 27:38:16 - Forecasting COGS and margins, where things go wrong 31:30:22 - Supply chain redundancy, tariffs 34:11:25 - In-house manufacturing vs co-manufacturing 40:02:00 - Ops and expanding geographically 44:48:01 - NPD (new product development) 49:07:11 - Learning lessons —--------------- Links: Semifreddi’s - https://www.semifreddis.com Follow Sean on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-campbell-87393021/ Follow Adam 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 KitPrint.

    52 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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