The Startup CPG Podcast

The earliest records of herbal tea date back nearly 5,000 years, yet when Zahira Marmar moved her family to the US from St Martin, she could not find anything like the medicinal bush teas she grew up with to send with her kids to school. On the edge of tea brewing burnout from keeping her family and community stocked with herbal tea, Zahira founded Hrbvor (pronounced her-bi-vore), so that her sparkling herbals teas would be readily available in cans and to be able to more widely spread the message of the benefits of herbs. Listen in as Zahira shares the challenges and surprises of getting her creation to shelf - from the can shortage, to label challenges, to sourcing, to the inspiration behind each brew and more. Episode Links: Hrbvor's website & IG @hrbvor Zahira's LinkedIn Exciting News: The Startup CPG Podcast has been named the #2 CPG-Themed Podcast! Thank you for all of your support! Show Links: Join the Startup CPG Slack community (5K+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

79% of consumers have bought a new product in the last month; how do you make sure your brand is one of the the new products in a consumer's cart? Today we welcome Annalea Krebs, founder and CEO of Social Nature, a product discovery and trial platform in the better-for-you space. Listen in as Annalea covers the landscape of product discovery and trial amidst the pandemic (including demos, subscription boxes, coupons), her recommendations for top consumer insights questions to ask, her tips for building communities (Social Nature's community has nearly 1 million people!), and actionable ideas for how to best create online brand awareness, drive offline purchase, get consumer feedback, and turn consumers into brand advocates. Social Nature is a proud sponsor of Startup CPG. Episode Links: Social Nature’s website  Annalea’s LinkedIn Join the Social Nature community as a consumer here  As a CPG Brand, learn more about Social Nature’s programs here or contact their team at marketing@socialnature.com Link to “The Complete Guide to Online-to-Offline (O2O) Marketing” mentioned by Annalea and Jessi Follow the #trynatural movement @socialnature  Special offers from Social Nature for Startup CPG members: 20% off new Digital Demo subscription plans Complimentary Market Research Add-on for Sampling Projects ($2500 value) Exciting News: The Startup CPG Podcast has just been named the #2 CPG-Themed Podcast! Thank you for all of your support! Show Links: Join the Startup CPG Slack community (4,900+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Have you heard of Oreos? Ritz? Cadbury? Then you know just a few brands in the portfolio of Mondelēz International, one of the largest snack companies in the world. Today we get the chance to talk with Brigette Wolf and Jackie Haney from SnackFutures, Mondelēz International's innovation and venture hub, about CoLab, SnackFutures’s start-up engagement program designed to support early-stage well-being brands. Brigette is the Global Head of SnackFutures, and Jackie is the Innovation and CoLab Program Manager. Listen in as Brigette & Jackie cover how to prep now for future potential acquisition, tips for forming lasting strategic partnerships, and everything you need to know about how the CoLab program works and how to apply to the 2022 cohort.  SnackFutures is a proud sponsor of Startup CPG. Episode Links: SnackFutures website If you’re a mission-driven well-being start-up, apply for CoLab here!  Article on the partnership between Startup CPG & CoLab Brigette's LinkedIn Jackie's LinkedIn Mondelēz International's State of Snacking annual report mentioned by Jessi Exciting News: The Startup CPG Podcast has just been named the #2 CPG-Themed Podcast! Thank you for all of your support! Show Links: Join the Startup CPG Slack community (4,900+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

With 200 million prime members worldwide and 60% of online purchases starting with an Amazon search, CPG brands can't ignore the opportunities available on Amazon. At Startup CPG, we're committed to helping small brands succeed on all channels, including Amazon and that's why we've partnered with Marketplace Ops. Today we welcome Fernando Campos, co-founder of Marketplace Ops, a leading online marketplaces brand management agency that helps CPG companies accelerate their growth on Amazon and Walmart. Listen in as Fernando covers pre-launch and launch tips, how to handle negative reviews, Amazon's VINE program, data-based strategies for optimizing your main image, a better way to think about ACOS targets, tips for choosing an Amazon vendor, and strategies for Black Friday, Cyber Monday. Marketplace Ops is a proud sponsor of Startup CPG. Episode Links: MarketplaceOps website Fernando's LinkedIn Browser extensions for estimating market size: Helium, Jungle Scout, & Viral Launch Amazon IP Accelerator Amazon AI tools: PACVUE, Perpetua Tool for polling campaigns: PickFu Link to Marketplace Ops Resource page with blog posts and playbooks Popular "9 Things CPG Companies Commonly Miss When Selling on Amazon" blog post Show Links: Join the Startup CPG Slack community (4,500+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Health. Happiness. Hydration. Did you know the fruit of a cactus could help bring you all three? That’s why Kun Yang and four of his other pharmacist friends decided to found Pricklee, and create the quenchiest prickly pear cactus juice. Listen in to hear how coconut water is moving over for a new plant-based water with half the sugar and calories yet that’s filled with antioxidants. Kun is the CEO of Pricklee and an active member of our Startup CPG community, and he shares about Pricklee’s origin story, running around New York in a cactus suit, Pricklee's recent Today show spotlight, and his tips for other aspiring CPG entrepreneurs. Episode Links: Pricklee's website & IG @drinkpricklee Pricklee's recent feature on the Today Show Pricklee's recent feature in Entrepreneur  Show Links: Join the Startup CPG Slack community (4,500+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

We’ve got a bonus episode for you! Expo East 2021 took place Sept 22-25 at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Startup CPG founder, Daniel Scharff hosted a live panel on LinkedIn with Jessica Rubino from the New Hope Network, John Craven from BevNET, and first-time exhibitor Sunanda Patel from TumiBee winner of the Startup CPG and New Hope Network booth giveaway. Listen in for how the first Expo event since 2019 unfolded and what to expect for Expo West 2022. Show Links: Join the Startup CPG Slack community (4,500+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg

Kirk Visola is an active member of our Startup CPG community with a heart for sharing his design expertise and helping people navigate the complex world of packaging and branding. He has a no-nonsense approach to life and client work. With over 20 years of design expertise working with some of the largest brands in the world, he now operates his own agency, Mind the Font, making his caliber of work available to brands of all sizes. Listen in as Kirk shares about why he started his own agency, tips for approaching a packaging project, and how to build a great relationship with a designer for long term success. Episode Links: Mind the Font website & IG @mindthefont Kirk's LinkedIn & IG @kirkvisola Check out Kirk's weekly Clubhouse session with his mom: Mondays With Marilyn every Monday at 12 noon PST Check out Kirk's weekly Startup CPG Clubhouse session on packaging with Andy Kurtts from Buttermilk Creative, "Kirk & Kurtts," every Thursday at 12 noon PST Kirk mentions Brandon Hernandez as a resource for operations, co-packing, and more at Whole Brain Consulting Kirk mentions Unsplash as a free photo resource Get a blast from the past and look up Iomega Zip Drives Show Links: Join the Startup CPG Slack community (4,500+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

It’s been my pleasure to be the host of Season 2, and now it's time to pass the torch for Season 3! This episode is to introduce you to Startup CPG's new podcast host, Jessi Freitag. She’s no stranger to entrepreneurship and and knows what it takes to build a CPG Brand. She’s a curious mind and a podcaster who loves conversations - so - let’s meet Jessi!  @livbars @irohs.corner Jessi's LinkedIn profile Say hi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Nopales, or cactus in English, is one of the oldest plants in Mexico, it's been said that nopales was grown and eaten in Central Mexico before the Spanish even arrived. Today, the vegetable is still widely eaten throughout Mexico and United States. It's being called the "Plant of the Future" due to it's drought-resistant qualities, needing little water to survive, plus it's packed with fiber and antioxidants.  Human rights attorney, Regina Trillo, is doubling down on nopales in a big way! She's combined her passion for health, transparency and love for chips to create Nemi's, a crunchy, nutrient-dense snack, inspired by Mexican flavors. Listen in as Regina shares how she's building a sustainable, better-for-you snack brand.  @Nemi @MindTheFont  @StartupCPG 

Janie's Life-Changing Baked Goods has been transforming lives, including her own. Janie credits baking as giving her hope after she struggled with addiction and homelessness as a young adult. She's also changing the lives of those around her through service and hiring historically marginalized community members. Listen in as she shares her journey through darkness to the bright lights of the Food Network's Chopped Sweets, QVC, and beyond.