Tara Foster - The COO Playbook for Scaling from Zero to Nine Figures

On this episode, we’re joined by Tara Foster, the COO of Evergreen (a better-for-you waffle brand), and the former COO of nutpods.

Tara was part of the founding team at nutpods, where she helped scale the plant-based creamer brand to a nine-figure run rate and the #2 brand in the category.

With over a decade of experience across ingredient sourcing, supply chain strategy, and operational leadership, Tara brings a wealth of knowledge to the table.

Tara dives into her co-manufacturing playbook. From evaluating partners and negotiating agreements to scaling production without losing control, she unpacks what most brands get wrong about COGS, how to manage risk through supplier redundancy, how ops teams evolve as brands scale, what she learned from bumpier moments like warehouse moves and formulation changes, and why continuous improvement is key.

Episode Highlights:
🥥 Scaling nutpods to a nine-figure brand
🏭 What to look for in a great co-manufacturer
⚠️ “Take or pay” clauses and how to avoid them
🚚 Hidden costs that destroy your margin
📦 Packaging decisions that drive retail success
📉 Redundancy and de-risking the supply chain
📊 Forecasting COGS with real-world benchmarks
🚀 When it does make sense to vertically integrate
👥 Hiring your first ops lead vs. building a full team

Table of Contents:
00:00 – Intro & Evergreen Overview
02:00 – Early nutpods Journey & Co-Man Lessons
06:00 – How to Source and Pitch a Co-Packer
10:00 – Scaling, Formulation Shifts, and Loss of Control
14:00 – Supplier Redundancy & Risk Mitigation
18:00 – COGS, Margins & Avoiding Common Pitfalls
21:00 – New Product Launch Best Practices
24:00 – Packaging for Efficiency vs. Shelf Appeal
28:00 – COO Role Evolution from Startup to Scale
33:00 – Trends Tara’s Watching in CPG
34:00 – Where to Follow Tara & Evergreen

Links:
Evergreen – https://www.eatevergreen.com
Follow Tara on LinkedIn – Tara Foster
Follow me on LinkedIn – Adam Steinberg
Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.