555: From Kitchen to Shelf with LLance Kezner

Former tech executive LLance Kezner shares how he turned his passion for home cooking into Millie’s Sipping Broth, a specialty food brand offering savory, health-conscious beverages in tea bag form.

LLance discusses his journey from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship, the challenges of scaling a food business, and the milestone of landing his award-winning product on Walmart shelves nationwide.

Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/555-llance-kezner-kitchen-to-shelf/

In this episode, LLance Kesner, a former tech executive turned food entrepreneur, shares his journey from the corporate world to launching Millie’s Sipping Broth, a specialty food brand that is now available in Walmart stores nationwide.

LLance discusses how he and his wife, Lori, took a simple idea—creating a healthier, more convenient alternative to bouillon cubes—and turned it into an innovative product that combines the comfort of broth with the convenience of tea bags.

LLance walks us through the early days of developing the product in their kitchen, validating demand at Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and navigating the complex world of food manufacturing and retail.

He also shares the challenges of scaling, including finding the right co-packer, securing funding, and ultimately winning Walmart’s highly competitive “Golden Ticket” opportunity.

Key Takeaways:

• Start fast, learn fast: LLance emphasizes the importance of getting a product to market quickly and refining based on real customer feedback. “Don't waste any time, don’t overthink it. Really focus on the simplest application of your product and get it in front of people who might buy it.”
• Solve a real problem: Millie’s Sipping Broth fills a gap in the beverage market—offering a savory, low-calorie alternative to coffee, tea, and hot cocoa. “We were selling broth in the middle of summer, in 100-degree heat, and people were buying it. That’s when we knew we had something special.”
• Scaling smartly: LLance explains why finding the right retail partners at the right time is crucial and how their online success, including being featured by Weight Watchers International, helped prepare them for mass distribution.

Now available in over 2,500 Walmart locations, Millie’s Sipping Broth is a testament to the power of persistence, product-market fit, and strategic partnerships.

This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and en