#232 - 2026 Brand Resolutions

In this special New Year's episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff invites three founders from the Startup CPG community to share their 2026 brand resolutions—offering practical wisdom on focus, authenticity, and strategic growth for emerging CPG brands.

Rebecca Styn, founder of Blind Tiger Spirit Free Cocktails, discusses her resolution to eliminate noise by being more intentional about opportunities. After initially going wide geographically and saying yes to numerous opportunities—from celebrity gifting to event activations—Rebecca shares why she's now focusing deep in her regional markets and being strategic about what aligns with her business goals. She emphasizes the hidden costs of "free" opportunities in beverage, where shipping often exceeds product cost and consumer purchase behavior doesn't support random sampling.

Dava Guthmiller, founder of A Dash of (a taste education platform and curated shop specializing in salt, butter, and chocolate), shares her resolution to step into the spotlight. Despite her passion for interviewing makers and sharing their stories, Dava struggles to apply the same approach to her own brand on social media. She discusses the importance of authenticity, why sharing her personal passion matters for building trust, and how she's working to showcase herself and her story online, not just the products she curates.

Andrew Schundler, co-founder of CH Matcha (a canned ceremonial-grade matcha latte), discusses his resolution to double down on what works in retail. Launching in July 2025, Andrew and his wife Chloe quickly learned that most consumers don't buy heavy beverage online. By focusing on in-person tastings and strategic retail placement—particularly sandwich shops—they've found their formula. Andrew emphasizes going deep rather than wide, learning from data, and knowing when to say "not yet" to opportunities that could stretch the business too thin.

Listen in as they discuss:

• Rebecca: eliminating noise, being intentional with opportunities, saying no strategically
• The hidden costs of "free" opportunities: celebrity gifting, events, product donations
• Why beverage brands struggle with online sales and shipping economics
• Dava: stepping into the spotlight and sharing her personal story on social media
• The importance of authenticity and putting a face behind your brand
• Salt education: terroir, texture, and why single ingredients deserve storytelling
• Andrew: doubling down on retail execution and in-person demos
• Learning from early data and finding your best-performing channels
• The lily-pad growth strategy: leveraging each success to unlock the next opportunity
• Going deep versus wide: strategic growth and knowing when to say "not yet"

Episode Links:

Blind Tiger Spirit Free Cocktails:

• Website: https://blindtigerspiritfree.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blindtigercocktails
  
  

A Dash Of:

• Website: https://adashof.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adashof/
  
  

CHUH Matcha:

• Website: https://www.chuhmatcha.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuhmatcha/
  
  

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. 

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (30K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Daniel's Linkedin 
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
• Episode music by Super Fantastics