Why Avoid National Retail Too Early

Zeke Bronfman is the co-founder and CEO of The Absorption Company, a brand pioneering highly bioavailable supplements engineered for optimal nutrient absorption. With a background in health and wellness entrepreneurship—including a previous successful beverage exit—Zeke leads a team on a mission to address a major gap in supplement efficacy by focusing on real, measurable impact for consumers.

In this episode of DTC Pod, Zeke details the journey of building The Absorption Company from inception to rapid retail success in outlets like Erewhon. He talks about the science behind absorption, launching with a powerful community-driven strategy, and the importance of brand-led product innovation. Zeke also offers practical advice on supply chain management, leveraging celebrity co-founders, and lessons learned about optimizing e-commerce for long-term growth.

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On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:
1. The founding story of The Absorption Company
2. Why most supplements fail—and how absorption is the next frontier
3. Creating a viral pre-launch private Instagram community
4. Setting a brand apart with science-backed, lifestyle-driven design
5. Early product development and MVP lessons
6. Direct-to-consumer subscription as a growth engine
7. Amazon, TikTok Shop, and the online channel mix
8. The strategic approach to selective retail partnerships
9. Managing the supply chain: co-packers, fulfillment, and scaling ops
10. How to keep operations simple, resilient, and cost-effective
11. Lessons in traffic acquisition: organic, paid, and influencer mix
12. Celebrity founder advantages, limits, and effective deployment
13. Funding, initial capital requirements, and brand investment
14. Biggest founder learnings and operational takeaways
15. What’s ahead: innovation pipeline and future growth

Timestamps
00:00 Intro to Zeke Bronfman and The Absorption Company
02:44 The absorption problem in supplements
04:40 Why bioavailability is the future of wellness supplements
06:11 Bringing the brand to life: Team, tech, and community-building
07:47 The private Instagram launch strategy and viral pre-sale
09:27 The power of exclusivity and early consumer engagement
11:12 Product MVP and standout branding decisions
13:26 Early sales strategy: DTC, Amazon, retail mix
15:04 Why big-box retail isn’t always the right move
17:57 Scaling DTC: Subscription, platform choices, and LTV
19:04 Driving traffic: Paid, organic, influencer, and celebrity co-founder impact
20:38 TikTok Shop: Affiliate, Live, and what works (and doesn’t)
22:36 Capital, startup costs, and launching with impact
25:32 Building a scalable supply chain and minimizing complexity
27:25 Fulfillment operations and splitting inventory
29:00 Entering boutique/strategic retail as a marketing lever
30:52 Biggest learnings and missteps scaling Absorption Company
33:13 Lessons using celebrity/influencer as a brand amplifier
36:10 What’s next: Upcoming innovations and business growth
36:50 Where to follow Absorption Company

Show notes powered by Castmagic

Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  

Additional episodes you might like:

• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth

• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content

• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views

• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands

• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook

• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands

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Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:
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Olivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplement
Castmagic - AI Workspace for Content

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Ezekiel Bronfman - Co-Founder and CEO of The Absorption Company
Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic