What does it take to build the next household chocolate brand name like Hershey or Cadbury? The team at Mid-Day Squares is on the road to find out, and today we’re joined by Jake Karls, Co-Founder and Rainmaker. If you aren’t familiar with Mid-Day Squares, head to your nearest Target produce section, grab a square of incredible functional chocolate, and give their product a little quick merchandising love in Startup CPG community fashion. My favorite flavor on the market is Peanut Butta, but as you may have heard in our Expo East recap, I got to try the new Cookie Dough flavor and it was my favorite bite of the show, maybe my new favorite in general and, P. S., this new flavor that we talk about in the episode drops December 22nd this year. Mid-Day Squares is on the road to $100 million in revenue and entertains die-hard fans (like myself) with their innovative use of social media as reality television. There are so many incredible interviews with the Mid-Day Squares team, including their own podcast and I’ll link a few favorites in the show notes, so I asked Jake if he’d go in deep for our Startup CPG community about mental health, navigating challenges, and how to celebrate wins and build momentum. And of course, he delivered.Listen in to hear from Jake about:Their recent national US Target launchHow the Mid-Day Squares team is structured, including working with two other co-founders and co-CEOsWhy Mid-Day Squares is on the “road to $100 million” and to be “world-class” and what those meanHow and why they intentionally work with a business therapist regularly and why founder conflict kills so many brands if left unresolvedHow they navigated really tough decisions and situations recently with changing pack sizes and pausing US e-commerce shipmentsWhat it looks like to regularly celebrate wins as a team and keep the momentum rollingJake’s daily dance habit and how he now brings it to people around the worldAnd more!This episode was sponsored by Mondelēz International - applications for the 2023 SnackFutures CoLab program are open now! Go to applycolab.comEpisode Links:Mid-Day Squares website & IG @middaysqaresJake’s LinkedInMid-Day Squares UNCENSORED Podcast linkFavorite other interviews with Jake: Kirk & Kurtts #31: Jake, not from State Farm and The 7 Hats Podcast: Jake and the Chocolate FactoryMondelēz International‘s SnackFutures CoLab program:Apply for the 2023 cohort here (open as of 9/20/22)Podcast episode #54 sharing the CoLab experience of alumni Pan's Mushroom Jerky and GoNanasPodcast episode with the Mondelēz International team about CoLabSnackFutures websiteMondelēz International websiteShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (9K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

“'Tis the week post-Expo and all through the land… CPGers have full tummies, full hearts, and half-closed eyes.” I stole that line from Jenna on the Startup CPG team’s recap of Expo East that I’ll link in the show notes, but it captures post-Expo feelings really well. Coming at you a day earlier than normal, so you get the tea faster, this was the first Expo where Startup CPG had a booth, and we had so much fun seeing so many of you in person. I asked our resident Startup CPG friend and press expert Monica Watrous, Managing Editor of Food Business News & Editor of Food Entrepreneur to join us today, along with Patricia Menegoto, Startup CPG’s Head of Community (I bet you know her from Slack) & Jenna Movsowitz, our Startup CPG Spotlight Magazine Editor. Whether you weren’t able to attend Expo and are hoping to learn what is was like or if you attended but want to hear the trends and takeaways, this episode has something for you. Listen in as we discuss our favorite bites, trends, best swag and booths, the Backpack Brands from the epic Startup CPG Mic Drop Party, and more.This episode was sponsored by Mondelēz International - applications for the 2023 SnackFutures CoLab program are open now! Go to applycolab.comEpisode Links:Monica Watrous Linkedin, Food Business News, Food EntrepreneurJenna Movsowitz LinkedInPatricia Menegoto LinkedInStartup CPG Expo East 2022 Trends articleStartup CPG Mic Drop Party Recap VideoBrands mentioned: Three Spirit, De Soi, Actual Veggies, Wicked Kitchen, New Breed, Atlantic Sea Farms, Neptune Snacks, Chia Smash, Smootch, Bored Cow, Coolhaus, Perfect Day / The Urgent Company, Culina, Spero, GoNanas, Pricklee, Machu Picchu, 8 Myles, AWSM Sauce, Growee Foods, Reprise Health, The Farmer Foodie, Baozza, Mid-Day Squares, Kokada, No Bull, Oat Haus, Pocket Latte, Eat the Change / Just Ice Tea, delOrigen, Katie’s Pizza & Pasta, Sweet Nothings, Chubby Snacks, Dream Pops, Core Foods, Lesser Evil, Aura Bora, SoomStartup CPG Expo East Sponsors: NielsenIQ, SettleMondelēz International‘s SnackFutures CoLab program:Apply for the 2023 cohort here (open as of 9/20/22)Podcast episode #54 sharing the CoLab experience of alumni Pan's Mushroom Jerky and GoNanasPodcast episode with the Mondelēz International team about CoLabSnackFutures websiteMondelēz International websiteShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (9K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

A couple weeks ago, Startup CPG hosted the 2nd Annual Shelfie Awards, where we recognized 14 brands across 13 categories. We’ll be talking with more of the finalists and winners in the coming months on the show, but I wanted to give you all a chance to briefly meet each of our lovely winners. Today’s episode is a special format with clips submitted by each winning brand. I’ll still be here listening along with you and adding my 2cents. If you haven’t listened to episode #61 yet, Jenna from the Startup CPG team and I discuss how the Shelfie Awards work and trends across submissions, so be sure to give that a listen as well if you like hearing about these up and coming rockstar products. I’m about to hop on a plane to Philadelphia to cover Expo East for you, so I’ll have a roundup for you on that soon. If you are listening to this on the way to Expo East yourself, make sure to stop by Startup CPG’s booth and say hi. I look forward to hearing about you trying our Shelfie winner’s products - tag @startupcpg on Instagram, and there’s links in the show notes to all the winners’ websites. This episode was sponsored by Mondelēz International - applications for the 2023 SnackFutures CoLab program are open now! Go to applycolab.comEpisode Links:Winners featured in this episode: Nowhere Bakery (3:48);Uproot Teas (4:46);G’s Ginger Beer (6:31);Hone (8:01);Mojo Microdose (8:41);Popadelics (9:22);Funky Mello (11:09);Reveal (11:58);Tiny Sprouts (13:21);For Good (14:11);AWSM Sauce (15:25). Podcast episode #61 It's Shelfies Time! Finalists, Winners, and Trends from Startup CPG's 2022 AwardsStartup CPG Spotlight Magazine - Velocity edition with all the finalistsStartup CPG Special Shelfie Winners Spotlight Magazine linkLink to Shelfie Awards sponsor Trax RetailFood Business News article about the ShelfiesMondelēz International‘s SnackFutures CoLab program:Apply for the 2023 cohort here (open as of 9/20/22)Podcast episode #54 sharing the CoLab experience of alumni Pan's Mushroom Jerky and GoNanasPodcast episode with the Mondelēz International team about CoLabSnackFutures websiteMondelēz International websiteShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (9K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Influencer and affiliate marketing. Topics with a lot of opinions, a lot of success stories, and unfortunately a lot of wasted time and energy when executed poorly. Thankfully, we've got resident expert Kim Biddle, founder of Clutch Affiliate to walk us through what we need to know. At Clutch Affiliate, Kim focuses on consulting with emerging brands on how to build and scale profitable affiliate programs for their DTC business. I got to meet Kim in real life at Expo West this year and she is an absolute delight and a long-time member and supporter of Startup CPG, so it so exciting to have Kim on the show today. Listen in as Kim shares about how to define influencer and affiliate marketing and key differences between the terms, considerations for launching affiliate and influencers programs, common compensation structures and tool ideas, how to measure success of a program, how to find affiliates and influencers, best practices and common mistakes, and more.This episode was sponsored by Mondelēz International - applications for the 2023 SnackFutures CoLab program are open! Go to applycolab.comEpisode Links:Clutch Affiliate websiteKim's LinkedInKim's email: kim@clutchaffiliate.comKim mentions Dovetale which is now part of Shopify CollabsOther affiliate tools mentioned: UpPromote, ShareASale, RefersionBrands with strong affiliate programs mentioned: Our Place, Seed Probiotics, Athletic Greens, Wise CBD, Redmond Electrolyte & Dr. JamesTool mentioned for autosaving creator content: Archive Podcast episode #59 with Oat Haus mentioned their influencer program (link to Oat Haus affiliate program)Mondelēz International‘s SnackFutures CoLab program:Apply for the 2023 cohort here (open as of 9/20/22)Podcast episode #54 sharing the CoLab experience of alumni Pan's Mushroom Jerky and GoNanasPodcast episode with the Mondelēz International team about CoLabSnackFutures websiteMondelēz International websiteShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (8K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

If you are listening to this episode on release day, you may notice it's not Tuesday! That's because I wanted to bring you the Startup CPG news hot off the press: a recap of the 2022 Shelfie Awards! If you aren't aware, we have our very own annual industry award competition at Startup CPG, and yesterday was the Second Annual Shelfies Awards Ceremony, proudly sponsored by Trax Retail, where we recognized the most promising emerging food & beverage brands. Startup CPG wanted to create opportunities for industry recognition with no entry fee, no essays, and only for emerging brands. We had over 300 brands submit over 600 products! Finalists were chosen in 13 categories, and then last night, we had a live awards show with 200 people across the country, virtual and in-person, where 14 winners were announced (there was one tie!). I thought it'd be fun to get an event debrief and learn more about the awards from Jenna Movsowitz, head of marketing and editor of “The Spotlight” at Startup CPG. We didn't have time to discuss every winner and finalist, even though we love them all so much, so I've linked in the show notes the magazine editions that have links to all the brands you'll be wanting to try and celebrate. Jenna shares trends from all the award submissions and also, how to apply for upcoming other opportunities to be recognized and featured by Startup CPG. So pop the champagne, or maybe kombucha if you are driving, and celebrate with us!Episode Links:Startup CPG Spotlight Magazine - Velocity edition with the finalistsStartup CPG Special Shelfie Winners Spotlight Magazine linkLink to sponsor Trax RetailFood Business News article about the ShelfiesJenna's LinkedInStartup CPG Brand Intake FormStartup CPG's Instagram @startupcpg for more Shelfie ContentWinners and finalists mentioned: Baozza, Balkan Bites, For Good, Popadelics, AWSM Sauce, New York Shuk, Mojo Microdose, Niramaya, Sung's Korean Hot Sauce, Tiny Sprouts, Craftmix, Lil Bucks, Renewal Mill, RevealOther brands mentioned: gr8nola, Lunar Seltzer, Must Love, Halmi, Aura Bora, Tache, PKN, Lechia, Living Prana, Tsubi, Wholly Veggie, Snow Days, Shameless Pets, Chia SmashShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (8K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Venture capital - a term we've all heard but maybe don't fully understand (this is a safe space to admit what we don't know and I'll be the first to say that fundraising and private equity are pretty confusing). What we do know is that many of the consumer brands we love that have had successful exits have received funding from VMG Partners - like Perfect Bar, KIND Bar, Pirates Booty, and Justin's to name a few. So we're lucky to have joining us today Wayne Wu, Managing Director at VMG Partners. If you aren't familiar with VMG, they are a private equity firm specializing in building iconic consumer brands. I'm a big fan of Wayne's podcast Unfinished Biz and reached out to ask him if he'd be willing to walk it way back for our Startup CPG community and take us through venture capital and private equity 101, and thankfully, he agreed. I learned a ton from this conversation and I hope you do as well.Listen in as Wayne shares:Definitions for private equity and venture capitalHow a venture capital fund works (you've all maybe figured out at this point that I'm a nerd but I LOVED this part! You may need to listen to it twice though; it's just packed with info and such an interesting peek behind the curtain that helps us understand investor behavior and motivations)VMG's framework for evaluating brands, including total addressable market, gross margin, supply chain, founder fit, and velocities and key metrics and definitions for those areasHow VMG sources deals and why you should reach out to VMG or talk to their team at the next trade show no matter your brand's "stage"What VMG's involvement with a brand looks like post-investmentAnd more!Episode Links:VMG Partners websiteWayne's LinkedInThe Unfinished Biz PodcastShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (8K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Today's guest you may recognize for a number of reasons but specifically from the cover of the Startup CPG Spotlight magazine! Ali Bonar, Co-Founder, CEO, and Chief Vibes Officer of Oat Haus and other members of the Oat Haus team were featured in last winter's magazine edition, so today we get to hear the latest news podcast style! Oat Haus makes the world's first oat-based spread: Granola Butter. Born out of Ali's eating disorder recovery, the mission behind the brand is to bring fun & play to food! Ali and her two other co-founders were on Shark Tank Season 13 in October of 2021, so make sure to check out that episode of the show (and if you love Shark Tank, make sure to listen to our recent interview with Alexiou Gibson (#57) where we do a deep dive on Shark Tank and that experience). It's going to come through in this conversation how much I love the Oat Haus granola butter products, but since we recorded, I did also get my brownie batter pre-release order and it. is. decadent. Somehow it's like eating brownie batter out of the bowl but without the stomachache or the top allergens. It's not going to last long in our "haus."Listen in to hear from Ali:- More about Oat Haus' founding story- The behind the scenes of their recent flavor hype drop and how they started collaborating with Jameela Jamil- Oat Haus' first marketing and sales hires- How they secured a national Sprouts launch and how they've supported that launch with influencer marketing- The realities of mental health as a founder- Riding the up and downs of publicity like Shark Tank- And more!Content warning: episode mentions eating disorders and sexual assault.Episode Links:Oat Haus website & IG @oat.hausAli's LinkedIn & IG @alibonarAli's podcast "Alicast"Startup CPG magazine issue featuring Oat HausJoin the #founder_health_and_wellness channel in the Startup CPG SlackInterviews with Ali on The Shine Online podcast and the Dare to Self Care podcastLauren Leavell Fitness mentioned by JessiShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (8K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Today we get to chat about one of my favorite topics - ingredients. While the consumer sees a nice tidy ingredient list on the back of the package, the other side of finding the right ingredients with the right taste at the right price from the right supplier at the right time is no easy task. And we've got just the right expert to talk us through it - Lillian Cartwright the co-founder and CEO of ShelfLife, a B2B marketplace for wholesale ingredients built with emerging brands in mind. Listen in as Lillian shares about how to make the switch from sourcing from Amazon or Sysco to a wholesale supplier, what to prepare before reaching out to a supplier for a quote, logistics to think through when onboarding with a new supplier, how to use contracts to stabilize an ingredient's supply and pricing, tips for negotiating pricing and payment terms, how to streamline your supplier outreach efforts, and more. ShelfLife is a proud sponsor of Startup CPG.Episode Links:ShelfLife websiteLillian's LinkedInShelfLife article on the Startup CPG blog - "6 Key Things to Ready Before Approaching Ingredient Suppliers"Sign up for the Smirk's commodity report hereUSDA Market News resource mentionedShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (8K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

We've got a really fun episode today that I think will bring you a lot of joy and inspiration. It's probably no surprise but your Startup CPG team members are big Shark Tank fans. Our Startup CPG founder Daniel was watching Shark Tank a few months ago and he just knew today's guest was someone we all needed to know. From the Season 13 finale, where he landed a $600,000 deal from Mark Cuban and Kevin Hart, today's guest is Alexiou Gibson. You don't need to have seen the Shark Tank episode to enjoy our conversation but I definitely recommend watching it as soon as you can. So a little about Alexiou - he's founder and CEO of The Transformation Factory and creator of their Sea Moss Gel product and he scaled the company to $3.5 million in revenue in just 11 months (watch the Sharks faces when they hear that!). He's an incredible story teller and I hope you'll be smiling and laughing along with us (or even crying a little like me), plus you might need a notebook for all the wisdom he shares. Listen in as Alexiou shares about his career path from NASA to entrepreneurship, his personal health journey and transformation, launching a sea moss product during a pandemic, the best story I've ever heard for finding an online advertising expert, the process of getting on Shark Tank and what it was like to being on the show, making a deal, and the post-show diligence process, what's next at The Transformation Factory, and more.Episode Links:The Transformation Factory / Sea Moss Gel website and IG @seamosstransformationAlexiou's LinkedIn & IG @alexiou2.0More info on Season 13, Episode 24 of Shark TankWatch the episode on Amazon (should be available again on Hulu or ABC soon)Show Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (8K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.c

Today is our fourth episode in the "First Hire" series where we talk about making first hires in marketing, finance, sales, and operations. So far we've covered sales, marketing, and operations, so be sure to check out those episodes, and today's subject is hiring for finance. When is it time to hire a full time finance person? How early do you need a bookkeeper? What functions within finance do you need to think about hiring for? Here to help us answer these questions is William Finkelstein, the Senior Vice President of Finance at Yamamotoyama, a three centuries old tea company that also owns Stash Tea. Listen in as William covers the day to day of a first finance hire, considerations for whether to hire a freelancer, full or part-time employee, or accounting firm, how to evaluate potential vendors and employees within finance, key metrics to track, how to prepare for your first finance hire and common pitfalls, and more.Episode Links:William's LinkedInYamamotoyama websiteStash Tea websiteShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (8K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com