Startup To Scale

Mar 05 2025 211 ep. 22 mins 11

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Startup To Scale is your resource for growing your food, beverage, and CPG company from a young company to a successful business.

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212. From a $3 Million Loss to running a $80 million Brand, Eric Skae of Carbone Fine Foods

Mar 05 2025 20 mins

Eric Skae is the CEO of Carbone Fine Food, the premium pasta sauce offshoot of New York’s Iconic Carbone Restaurant. Over his career, Eric has led and scaled multiple consumer brands across beverages, snacks, and specialty foods – think New Leaf iced tea, Iceland Spring water, Popcornopolis popcorn, and the famous Rao’s Specialty Foods sauce line, where he took over as CEO an

211. Conversion Driven Packaging Design

Mar 03 2025 25 mins

I thought TeaSquares’ unique multi-serve pouch would stand out—it did, but for the wrong reasons. Customers were confused by the packaging, and sales suffered. We switched to single-serve bars that aligned with category norms, and sales improved significantly. In this episode, I sit down with Sanders, founder of NUEX Creative, to discuss how packaging design can make or break y

210. AI For CPG Businesses

Feb 24 2025 25 mins

Soon, AI will just become a commonplace tool in business. Are you prepared? Join me as I talk with Andreas Duess, from 6 Seeds about the structure of the CPG industry and how emerging brands can utilize AI to navigate data complexities and drive growth. We discuss the importance of integrating AI tools while ensuring that these technologies enhance rather than replace the human tou

209. 5 Ways To Make The Most of Expo West

Feb 19 2025 16 mins

Expo West is coming up, and it’s like the Super Bowl for CPG. while I won’t be there, I invited on Heather Holmes to share some tips and suggestions on how to make the most of the show. We discuss: Setting clear goals and outcomesCreating a content planBeing proactive about building relationshipsGathering data and feedbackGenerating press and PRStartup to Scale is a podcast by

208. What You Need To Know about Insurance COIs

Feb 17 2025 18 mins

Retailers are raising the bar when it comes to liability coverage, and the process of securing the right insurance is becoming more complicated than ever. Not only are brands facing higher coverage limits, but the third-party companies verifying Certificates of Insurance don’t always understand how coverage works—leading to unnecessary denials and costly delays. To help us make

207. Optimize for Getting Investment

Jan 19 2025 13 mins

In this episode, I’m joined by Yuval Selik, CEO of Promomash, to explore the challenges and strategies of securing investment for CPG brands in today’s tight market conditions. Despite the availability of capital, the CPG sector often struggles to attract investment. Yuval shares expert advice on making your brand more appealing to investors by honing in on crucial aspects of y

206. Founder Stories: Sprinkle Bites, Rachel Kane

Jan 14 2025 18 mins

Join us as Rachel Kane, co-founder of Sprinkle Bites, shares her journey of bringing a Dutch-inspired snack, Hagelslag, to kids in the U.S. Sprinkle Bites isn’t just about sprinkles—it’s a high-protein, sugar-free treat packed with plant-based nutrients, perfect for on-the-go snacking. Learn how Rachel and her co-founder Nicole are revolutionizing snacking with sprinkles that

205. Founder Stories: Sip Herbals, Orleatha Smith

Jan 14 2025 20 mins

Join us as we dive into the inspiring journey of Orleatha Smith, co-founder of Sip Herbals—a caffeine-free, prebiotic-rich herbal coffee alternative. From overcoming personal health challenges to creating a groundbreaking product loved by the wellness community, Orleatha shares her story of innovation, resilience, and the lessons learned along the way. Discover what it takes to g

204. Founder Story: Popadelics with Marilyn Yang

Jan 09 2025 20 mins

Popadelics, founded by wife and husband team Marilyn and Michael makes crunchy mushroom chips. They’re a bootstrapped company that’s used creative debt financing to fund their operations and grow to over 3000 stores. They worked with Kickfurther, which offers inventory financing to decrease their cashflow gap when producing orders for the new distributor and retailer launches.

203. PR For CPG Brands + Joyful Co PR Audit

Jan 05 2025 24 mins

Storytelling is crucial to building your brand, and PR is a great way to get your message out in the world. But where to start? On this episode I talk with Heather Holmes, founder of Publicity for Good to break down how to think about PR for CPG Brands to build awareness and ultimately drive sales. We also do a live virtual PR audit for my brand, Joyful Co and discuss which element