Startup To Scale

What does it look like to build a CPG brand when you’ve already seen both success and failure?

Kristoffer Quiaoit, founder of Good Journey Foods, shares how he’s approaching this company with a new mindset grounded in self-awareness, mental health, and long-term sustainability.

We start with how Good Journey is being built today, from decision making to daily practices, and why staying even keel has become a core part of ...

Coco5 started with a simple mission: create a better hydration drink for athletes. What began inside the Chicago Blackhawks organization has evolved into a fast-growing, athlete-owned brand distributed across the country.

In this episode, Marc Doggett, CEO of Coco5, shares the realities of scaling a beverage brand today, from retail strategy and channel expansion to innovation decisions and leadership hiring. We explore why Coco5is ...

Distributor deductions can quietly drain a CPG brand’s margins, especially when there is no clear process for planning, reviewing, and disputing them. In this episode, I sit down with Yuval Selik, co-founder and CEO of Promomash, to explore how AI is changing deduction and trade spend management.

We discuss where AI can save time, why clean data and proactive planning still matter, and why experienced people must remain involv...

Creating a great product is only the beginning. The real challenge is getting people to notice it, remember it, and ultimately buy it.

In this conversation, I sit down withDuncan Alney, founder of Firebelly Marketing, to explore what it takes to grow a CPG brand in today’s crowded and fast-moving market. We discuss why founder-led storytelling matters, how brands can turn one core story into consistent content, and why consume...

AI is rapidly changing the packaging design world, but most founders are still trying to figure out where it actually creates value.

In this episode, I sit down with Michael Keplinger from SmashBrand to break down how AI is being used in packaging design today, where it helps accelerate creative workflows, and where human strategy and expertise still matter most.

We discuss:

• The biggest misconceptions founders have about AI-genera...

Getting in front of retail buyers can feel impossible, but it does not have to be a guessing game.

In this episode, I sit down with James Pippin of Good Now Foods and Harvest Hub to talk about what actually gets a buyer’s attention, how to send better pitches, when to follow up, and how brands can use the right data to improve their chances of getting on shelf.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to c...

Packaging is often the first thing consumers notice, but knowing when and how to update it is one of the toughest decisions founders face.

In this episode of Startup to Scale, I sits down with Christopher Jane founder of Proper Good to discuss the real story behind his brand's packaging refresh. They unpack what prompted the redesign, the challenges of evolving a brand without losing existing customers, and what it was like working ...

Growth creates opportunity but also financial pressure.

As brands expand distribution, increase production, and invest in marketing, founders are often forced to make difficult decisions about how to fund that growth.

In this episode, I sits down with Dakota Sheets, founder of Dog Sauce, and Emily Reeves, VP of Capital Solutions at Bridge, to discuss the realities of scaling a CPG business. Dakota shares lessons from growing the bran...

In this episode, I talk with Adam O’Connor, founder of Smidge Beverage, about the financial side of building a CPG brand. We discuss cash flow, margins, inventory planning, forecasting, trade spend, billbacks, and why knowing your numbers is essential for growth.

Adam also shares how working with the right accounting partner helped him make better decisions and build a stronger financial foundation.

This episode is sponsored by...

Amazon can drive sales, but that doesn’t always mean your brand is profitable. 

In this episode, I talk with Ryan Eales of The Amazon Whisper about the common mistakes CPG brands make on Amazon, from ads and inventory to listings, keywords, and agency expectations.

If you’re selling on Amazon or thinking about launching there, this episode will help you understand what it really takes to grow profitably.

Startup to Sc...

What actually happens when a CPG founder and a creative agency build a brand together from the ground up?

In this episode, I sit down with Dana Francks of JK Creative NYC and Grace Finerman of Date Smarter Snacks to break down the real-world branding process behind an emerging snack brand.

We walk through how Date Smarter developed its visual identity, packaging, ecommerce presence, and overall customer experience and why having one ...

Jeff Church has built, scaled, and rebuilt in CPG.

As co-founder of Suja Life, he helped take the brand from zero to $100M+ in just over five years, becoming one of the most recognized names in the beverage space.

We also get into what he’s building now, from mentoring founders and writing his book to launching a new protein soda brand, Proda, nationwide at Sprouts Farmers Market, and developing a CPG-focused AI tool. 

As a...

In this episode, I sit down with Danny Walsh, co-founder of Peak State Coffee, to talk about how he turned his own coffee and health problem into a $300K+ brand without relying on retail or outside funding.

We get into how Peak State grew through farmers markets, ecommerce, and repeat customers, why Danny chose to bootstrap, and how he’s balancing growth, profitability, and impact as a B Corp certified brand.

Sponsored by Peasy...

Off-price and value retail is often misunderstood. A lot of founders think of it as a last resort for excess inventory, but it can actually be a strategic channel for discovery, customer acquisition, and incremental revenue.

In this episode, I talk with Matt Goldbloom, Founder and CEO of Common Shelf, about how brands can approach retailers like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, Burlington, and HomeGoods with the right strategy. We break do...

Founders are getting more retail opportunities right now than we’ve seen in a long time.

But retail growth only works if the economics work.

In this episode, Abby Richards walks through how to pressure test a retail opportunity before you commit. We break down contribution margin at the case level, how trade spend actually impacts your numbers, and why volume alone won’t fix a broken model.

We also get into the three place...

Inventory is one of the most important and most overlooked parts of running a CPG brand. Too little inventory means missed sales and unhappy retailers. Too much ties up cash and creates operational chaos.

In this episode, I’m joined by Matt Lynn from BELAY to break down how emerging CPG brands should think about inventory management software when to implement it, how to choose the right system, and how to set it up correctly f...

 In this episode, I sat down with Mac Villarreal, founder of I Eat My Greens, to talk about how he is bringing fresh, flavorful refrigerated soups to a category that has felt stale for years. We also get into the challenge of not just getting on shelf, but selling off the shelf, and Mateusz Drela from Retail Media IQ joins the conversation to share how digital retail media can help brands drive retail velocity and smarter grow...

Big CPG brands don’t win just because they have bigger budgets.

They win because they understand how shoppers actually make decisions in-store.

In this episode, I sit down with Kevin Smith from SmashBrand to break down what large CPG companies know about shelf performance that most emerging brands completely miss.

We talk about:

• Why most packaging fails before a shopper even reads it
• The science behind shopper behavior and vis...

In this episode of the Startup to Scale Podcast, I sit down with Smári Ásmundsson, founder of NØRSE CØDE and the former founder of Smári Organics.

Smári spent more than 10 years building Smári Organics into a nationally distributed yogurt brand carried by retailers like Whole Foods Market, Target, and Walmart, reaching $5M in annual sales. But when COVID hit, the business collapsed.

Instead of walking away from CPG, Smári started aga...