The Startup CPG Podcast

Today’s episode is a special recording of our first LinkedIn LIVE podcast episode where we announced the winners of the third annual Startup CPG Shelfies Awards! Thank you to those of you who joined live - we had so much fun! You’ll hear the voices of Startup CPG’s founder Daniel Scharff, Patricia Menegoto, Startup CPG’s Head of Marketing & Community, Jenna Movsowitz, Startup CPG’s Spotlight Magazine Managing Editor, and of course my voice. Plus, special guests presenting the branding award Kirk Visola and Andy Kurtts. If you are listening to this before October 5th, you still have time to sign up for our in-person celebrations in New York City and Los Angeles, which I’ll link in the show notes or that can be found on Startup CPG’s Eventbrite page. Also, make sure to check out the special edition of the Spotlight Magazine that highlights all of the incredible finalists and winners (and that you can build your own shopping list from). Thanks for joining us in celebrating our incredible Shelfies applicants, finalists, and winners! And thank you to Floret for sponsoring this year’s awards!Episode Links:Shelfies Award sponsor FloretSpecial Shelfies Edition of the Startup CPG magazineNYC Shelfies PartyLA Shelfies PartyWinners mentioned: Viv - Viv Cup, Pedestrian Project - Walker’s Cream, Journ - Kauai Color Corrector, Funk It Wellness - Cycle Bites, All Phenoms - Defense blend, Exeer - Mint Soother, Kinship Milk Tea - Earl Grey Milk tea, Whist - Lychee, Absurd Snacks - Rockin’ Rosemary Sea Salt, Better Sour - Pomegranate Tangy, Goddess Mousse - Vegan Raspberry Chocolate Mousse, House of Kajaana - Cauliflower Tikka Masala, NoBull - Original, Seeductive Foods - Marinated Feta, Full of Beans Kitchen - Pancake & Waffle Mix, One Trick Pony - Kinda Crunchy Peanut Butter, Desert Dust - Original Desert Dust, Sideyard Shrubs - Strawberry-Infused Vinegar, Begin Health - Growing Up Prebiotics, Open Eye - Masala Chai, Petaluma - Roasted Peanut Butter & Sweet Potato Baked Food, Geez LouiseThis episode was sponsored by Settle. Go to https://www.settle.com/gostartupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgSettle Links:Settle websiteTake the Settle Bill Pay for a spin hereGraphite Financial LinksGraphite Financial websiteDownload a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more hereListen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.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 (15K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

It’s tough getting buyers’ attention, let alone getting them all the information they need to review your product. In 2014, a fellow emerging CPG brand founder realized there had to be a better way for startups and innovators to get discovered by buyers in the CPG industry. Nicky Jackson created the platform RangeMe to solve that problem and today RangeMe is the leading product discovery and sourcing platform with over 15,000 buyers. Retailers like Thrive Market, Albertsons, and many others handle all their new product submissions through RangeMe now. Today we’re joined by founder Nicky and by Vir Satyan, RangeMe’s SVP of Supplier Success to go through how our community brands can best leverage RangeMe as a platform. RangeMe and Startup CPG have also partnered to offer an exclusive discount for our community members on a premium RangeMe subscription, with an option to secure guaranteed meetings, and we’ll share all the details in the episode and the link to take advantage of the offer is in the show notes.Listen in as Nicky & Vir share about:RangeMe’s founding story from Nicky’s big CPG background to starting her own emerging brand to then starting a platformWhich retailers use RangeMe and how they use itHow emerging brands find the most success on the platformIdeas for using RangeMe prior to and after a trade show like ExpoHow RangeMe can help with distributor relationships and channels beyond grocery like foodserviceWays that buyer behavior on RangeMe has changed since the pandemicDetails on the Startup CPG & RangeMe partnership, which includes face-to-face buyer meetingsHow ECRM shows work and how they are different from other trade showsAnd more!This episode is sponsored by RangeMe. Go to https://www.rangeme.com/landing-page/StartupCPGThis episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgThis episode was sponsored by Settle. Go to https://www.settle.com/gostartupcpgEpisode Links:RangeMe websiteNicky’s LinkedInVir’s LinkedInBrands mentioned: Machu Picchu, MaazahGraphite Financial Links:Graphite Financial websiteDownload a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more hereListen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.Settle Links:Settle websiteTake the Settle Bill Pay for a spin hereShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (15K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

This week we're bringing you an episode from the archives, our most popular episode of all time that played this January of 2023 and was with Liquid Death. I got so many comments about this episode; I had so much fun during this episode, so I wanted to bring it back and give those of you who hadn't had a chance to listen to this one to give it a listen now and I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think and we'll see you next week.I figured it was worth putting my soul on the line to bring you some behind the scenes content from one of the hottest brands in CPG. Just a few months ago in October 2022, Liquid Death Mountain Water closed a $70 million Series D round that valued the company at $700 million, their products are in over 60,000 retailers nationwide, they have over 160 employees, and they were only founded in 2018, so things are just getting started. Hamid Saify, Liquid Death’s SVP of Digital Retail, one of the company’s first hires and a long-time Slack community member, joins us today to dig into how he and the team at Liquid Death creates such incredible marketing and branding.Listen in as Hamid shares about:Liquid Death’s early days testing paid social ads, video content, copywriting, community-building, and choosing to focus on niches like action sports and heavy metalWhy their marketing is entertainment-led rather than product/feature-led - including some of Hamid’s favorite campaigns like one that included drawing Tony Hawk’s blood!?How starting with a focus on ecommerce helped their eventual retail expansionHow they’ve used Amazon DSP and why they’ve 10xed their investment in Amazon in the last year and a halfThe importance of bridging the physical and digital worlds and their work on Instacart, a new rewards program, and frequent merch dropsThe details behind joining their Country Club and how some people want their souls backHow Hamid and team noticed something magical happening in their reviews and used it as a community-building momentAnd so much more!This episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgThis episode was sponsored by Settle. Go to https://www.settle.com/gostartupcpgEpisode Links:Liquid Death’s website & IG & TikTok @liquiddeathHamid’s LinkedInThe Liquid Death Country ClubThe Time-Waster 5000Fastest-Growing Emerging Brands on Instacart 2022Companies mentioned: Pear Commerce, Tinuiti, OkendoGraphite Financial LinksGraphite Financial websiteDownload a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more hereListen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.Settle Links:Settle websiteTake the Settle Bill Pay for a spin hereShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (14K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

Today we get to learn from an incredible marketing and customer experience expert and leader. Jess Cervellon is the Vice President of Customer Experience at Feastables, a DTC/B2B Customer & Brand Experience Consultant, and Co-host of Oopsie Podcast. If you aren’t familiar with Feastables, it’s the CPG brands of YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr. Beast, who is the most subscribed individual in the world with 176 million subscribers on YouTube at the time of recording. His brand Feastables so far makes chocolate bars, cookies, and gummies (shoutout to Karl Gummies as my personal favorite) which are available online, in Walmart, and a growing list of other retailers. Jess has worked across high-growth DTC, eComm and SaaS companies for the last 12+ years and was the 4th hire at Feastables. We’re really going to dig into all things customer experience in this episode and Jess has lots of practical tips for small brands.Listen in as Jess shares about:Why customer experience or CX is important to start thinking about early at an emerging brandHow to leverage chat bots on your website and the behind-the-scenes of the Feastables chat botSMS trends and how to interact with your customers through SMSThe pros and cons of outsourcing customer service and how to leverage technology as your own army of customer success reps and salespeopleConnecting DTC with retail and how Feastables leveraged their community during the Walmart National launchStories from the field, including Jess’ personal number getting leaked to the Mr Beast audienceAnd more!This episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgThis episode was sponsored by Settle. Go to https://www.settle.com/gostartupcpgEpisode Links:Jess’ website & LinkedInFeastables’ website & Mr. Beast’s YouTubeJess on MentorPassOopsie Podcast hosted by Zoe Kahn & JessSignup for Jess’ newsletter, Sunday Postcards1-800-DTC article about Feastables featuring JessMentions: Intercom, Kustomer (CRM), Zendesk, Gorgias, Hubspot, Certainly (bot), Sendlane, Klaviyo, Postscript, Attentive, Oat Haus, Mid-Day Squares Graphite Financial LinksGraphite Financial websiteDownload a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more hereListen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.Settle Links:Settle websiteTake the Settle Bill Pay for a spin hereShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (14K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

It’s awards season! Well at least here at Startup CPG it is. If you aren't aware, we have our very own annual industry award competition at Startup CPG, and this year is the Third Annual Shelfies Awards, proudly sponsored by Floret, where we recognized the most promising emerging CPG brands. Startup CPG wanted to create opportunities for industry recognition with no entry fee, no essays, and only for emerging brands. This year the categories expanded beyond food, beverage, and supplements to include pet, beauty, and health products, and we received over 600 submissions that have been narrowed down to 76 finalists across 21 categories. I thought it would be fun to have the two main judges and coordinators behind the Shelfies on the show to talk about trends and some of the finalists. You may know the names and voices of Patricia Menegoto, Startup CPG’s Head of Marketing & Community & Jenna Movsowitz, our Startup CPG Spotlight Magazine Managing Editor. We didn't have time to discuss every finalist, even though we love them all so much, so I've linked in the show notes the latest magazine edition with all the finalist brands you'll be wanting to try and celebrate. We’d love for you to join the LinkedIn live awards ceremony in a few weeks on September 28, 2023; you can find the link in the show notes or on our Startup CPG LinkedIn page. Also, a fair number of the brands mentioned today are either backpack or innovation brands at Expo East, so if you are headed to Philadelphia, be sure to stop by to try for yourself. There will also be a Shelfies celebration meetup in LA in October and details will be in Slack and the newsletter soon. Now let’s talk Shelfies!Episode Links:Startup CPG Spotlight Magazine: Frozen Edition & Shelfie FinalistsAttend the Shelfies Awards Ceremony on LinkedIn Live on September 28, 2023Shelfies Award sponsor FloretJenna’s LinkedInPatricia’s LinkedInStartup CPG Pet Judges Video on InstagramMentions: Toum by Saha, Sohha Savory, Culture Kitchn Kombucha, Pedestrian Project, Daybird, Jaded CBD, Bonny, Funk It Wellness, Tend Prenatal, Recoup Wellness, Twrl Milk Tea, Hooch Booch, Immorel, Krushwell, Thrive Market, House of Kajaana, Kula, NoBull, Something Sweet, Kind Roots, Ghost Town Oats, Seeductive Foods, Rebel Cheese, Goddess Mousse, Full of Beans Kitchen, Better Sour, Bundle & Joy, Petaluma, A Better Treat, Homescape PetsThis episode was sponsored by Settle. Go to https://www.settle.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgSettle Links:Settle websiteFind out your Settle financing power hereGraphite Financial LinksGraphite Financial websiteDownload a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more hereListen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.Show Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (14K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

Last time we talked about equity crowdfunding on the show, many of you let me know that you wanted more equity crowdfunding content. When I saw that Ghost Town Oats had launched their second Wefunder campaign, I thought it would be a great opportunity for us to talk more about equity crowdfunding and to introduce you to Ghost Town Oats if you aren’t familiar. Ghost Town Oats is the first Black-owned, queer-owned, barista-owned oat milk company. Ghost Town Oats was developed by three baristas, Michelle R. Johnson, Eric Grimm, and Ezra Baker, who were a part of oat milk’s initial rise to fame in some of the first shops to carry it. Having been unpaid ambassadors while also seeing its marketability skew towards the upper economic class of society, it was time to flip the script: make a premium oat milk of their own and create a brand that appealed to a broader audience. They formulated Ghost Town Oats for incredible taste, steaming capability, and versatility, and the reviews are in: it’s a hit! They reached $1 million in revenue 10 months after launch, they’ve already produced over 1 million units of oat milk, and they are already carried in over 500 coffee shops. Our guest today is Ghost Town’s Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder Ezra Baker.Listen in as Ezra shares about:How Ghost Town Oats got started during the pandemicTheir first Wefunder equity crowdfunding campaign in 2022 where they raised over $210,000 from almost 500 investors in less than a week and NBA all-star Jimmy Butler was a lead investorTheir second and currently ongoing Wefunder campaign, from what they learned from the first campaign to how it works to set up a campaignHow they distribute to 500+ coffee shops and what’s next for Ghost Town in the foodservice channelFirst hires for Ghost Town and how they plan ahead for their next hiresPress opportunities like Good Morning AmericaAnd moreGet your ticket to the Expo East Mic Drop party for a chance to win a spot on the podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4nafz284This episode was sponsored by Settle. Go to https://www.settle.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgEpisode Links:Ghost Town Oats websiteCurrent Ghost Town Oats Wefunder campaignOrder Ghost Town Oats on DayglowNo Free Refills PodcastEzra’s LinkedInMentions: Tetra Pak, Shoreline, Go Get Em Tiger, CBC Specialty Beverage, Stan’s Donuts, Dom's Kitchen & Market, Cafe Grumpy, Saveur, Prosperity Market, Black Market FleaMic Drop Party at Expo East Giveaway:Enter the giveaway to win a spot on this podcast and The Dish by buying your ticket to the Mic Drop party in Philadelphia on September 21, 2023 hereNote: Giveaway only available to CPG brands and must be present at party in-person to win. If you already bought a ticket, you’ve automatically been entered!Settle Links:Settle websiteFind out your Settle financing power hereGraphite Financial LinksGraphite Financial websiteDownload a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more hereListen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.Show Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (14K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

I’m so excited to introduce you to today’s guest and for the chance to feature an incredible organization everyone in CPG should know about, Project Potluck. Kathleen Casanova is the Founding Executive Director of Project Potluck, which is the largest professional community inclusively for People of Color (POC) in CPG. People of Color face systemic barriers to accessing social, human, and financial capital. As a result, today’s CPG industry is not representative of the US population or the consumers that support and purchase products, especially natural and organic products.  Currently, 40% of the US population are POC but only 16% of leadership teams in CPG Natural Products are POC. Project Potluck is empowering People of Color to build successful companies and careers in the CPG Industry. If you are a Person of Color, this episode will introduce you to Project Potluck as a resource. If you are not, this episode will introduce you to how to support the Project Potluck community and contribute to serving 1,000 People of Color in CPG, creating a more colorful CPG industry, and a more equitable society.Listen in as Kathleen shares about:How Project Potluck got startedResources and events available to membersHow people can support Project PotluckAnd more!Get your ticket to the Expo East Mic Drop party for a chance to win a spot on the podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4nafz284This episode was sponsored by Settle. Go to https://www.settle.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgEpisode Links:Project Potluck websiteKathleen’s LinkedInMic Drop Party at Expo East Giveaway:Enter the giveaway to win a spot on this podcast and The Dish by buying your ticket to the Mic Drop party in Philadelphia on September 21, 2023 hereNote: Giveaway only available to CPG brands and must be present at party in-person to win. If you already bought a ticket, you’ve automatically been entered!Settle Links:Settle websiteFind out your Settle financing power hereGraphite Financial LinksGraphite Financial websiteDownload a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more hereListen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.Show Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (14K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

Today’s guests are active members of the Startup CPG community and were a crowd favorite Backpack Brand at Startup CPG’s Expo West Alley Rally! Hannah and Behzad Varamini are the co-founders of Tend, the first snackable, real food prenatal. They are reinventing multivitamins, replacing synthetic, hard-to-stomach pills and gummies with superior real food supplements for every stage of life - beginning with pregnancy. I loved getting to hear more about their story and am so excited for you to hear about their journey so far.Listen in as Hannah and Behzad shares about:The process of founding Tend and how Hannah’s prenatal pill experience paired with Behzad’s PhD background to create a new productHow they went from kitchen science project to commercialization and brandingTheir experience with accelerators including SKU and the Target Forward Founders AcceleratorHow they use qualitative and quantitative consumer dataTheir Expo West experiences and tips and what it was like to be a Backpack Brand at the Alley RallyThe experience of being married and co-foundersWhat’s next for TendAnd more!Get your ticket to the Expo East Mic Drop party for a chance to win a spot on the podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4nafz284This episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgThis episode was sponsored by Settle. Go to https://www.settle.com/startupcpgEpisode Links:Tend’s websiteHannah’s LinkedInBehzad’s LinkedInMic Drop Party at Expo East Giveaway:Enter the giveaway to win a spot on this podcast and The Dish by buying your ticket to the Mic Drop party in Philadelphia on September 21, 2023 hereNote: Giveaway only available to CPG brands and must be present at party in-person to win. If you already bought a ticket, you’ve automatically been entered!Graphite Financial LinksGraphite Financial websiteDownload a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more hereListen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.Settle Links:Settle websiteFind out your Settle financing power hereShow Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (14K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

I don’t always love talking about insurance, but I love talking about insurance with today’s guest, Danielle Holyoake, because I always learn so much and end up feeling more empowered with knowledge. Danielle, is the CRO and co-founder of Amelia Risk, a CPG insurance brokerage equipped to handle all lines of commercial insurance, and I actually met Danielle through the Startup CPG Slack back in 2021 when she helped me with an urgent insurance issue. Last year, in 2022, Danielle came on the show for a CPG insurance 101 level episode of Let's Demystify Insurance - How to navigate insurance in CPG, which is linked in the show notes and may be helpful to listen to before or after this episode, as it’s packed with really great information about general liability, product liability, recall, and worker’s comp insurance. Today we continue with our 100 level CPG insurance knowledge by focusing in on two areas of insurance that often get overlooked, but become super important as a CPG company scales: D&O or Directors & Officers insurance and stock throughput insurance, which come into play around conversations about fundraising and inventory respectively.This episode was sponsored by Amelia Risk.Listen in as Danielle shares about:Why D&O insurance comes up during fundraising and why it’s often a requirement of investorsWhen to start thinking about D&O insurance and what it coversWhy stock throughput insurance is important and surprising areas where your inventory may be unprotectedHow inventory is covered from an insurance perspective during freight transit, at 3PL warehouses, and why you might need insurance to protect itExamples of insurance claim and inventory loss scenarios when insurance can and cannot help, including spoilage, and temperature control issuesHow to find the right insurance broker and why choosing a broker before shopping for policies is importantAnd more!Get your ticket to the Expo East Mic Drop party for a chance to win a spot on the podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4nafz284This episode was sponsored by Kickfurther. Go to https://www.kickfurther.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgEpisode Links:Amelia Risk websiteDanielle’s LinkedInDanielle’s email: danielle [at] ameliarisk.comLink to our other episode with Danielle: Let's Demystify Insurance - How to navigate insurance in CPGMic Drop Party at Expo East Giveaway:Enter the giveaway to win a spot on this podcast and The Dish by buying your ticket to the Mic Drop party in Philadelphia on September 21, 2023 hereNote: Giveaway only available to CPG brands and must be present at party in-person to win. If you already bought a ticket, you’ve automatically been entered!Kickfurther Links:Kickfurther websiteSee how much inventory funding you qualify hereGraphite Financial Links:Graphite Financial websiteDownload a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more hereListen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.Show Links:Join the Startup CPG Slack community (14K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or websiteQuestions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

Amy Zitelman, co-founder and CEO of Soom Foods, joins the show to discuss the 10-year journey of her company. Topics covered include starting Soom with her sisters, focusing on the foodservice channel, launching nationally in Sprouts and Whole Foods, the process of rebranding, balancing family and startup growth, and navigating financial challenges.