Brand Start Goes Healthy - Brand Development for Better-for-You Food and Beverage CPG Podcast

Being an early-stage CPG brand is tough but it can have many advantages if you know how to leverage them.

In this episode, Christina Drake, founder of Willa's Oat Milk, joined Leonard to share her journey in building a better-for-you plant-based milk brand. She talked about the strategies and tactics that she employed to thrive against bigger brands in their category.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1) Why is it important to understand business positioning as a CPG start-up?
2) How do you launch with limited resources and still thrive?
3) What are the important branding principles that can help you succeed?
4) Which growth levers should you focus on as an early-stage brand?
5) How do you validate your business assumptions as a CPG founder?
Subscribe to this podcast if you find this episode helpful. Learn more about and support Christina's company at www.willaskitchen.com.

Enjoy a 30% discount when you buy their products by using the promo code mentioned at the end of the conversation.

Integrating brand and product development can lead to a differentiated CPG product, especially in highly competitive categories. This was the strategy of Unite, a better-for-you protein bar with flavors that are inspired by global cultures.

In this episode, Leonard is joined by its co-founder and CEO, Clara Paye, who shared how they are able to differentiate their brand and gain market share against bigger protein bar companies.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1) How can you leverage product flavors to be a unique CPG brand?

2) How do you become strategic with SKU expansion?

3) Why is having a bigger brand purpose important for better-for-you products?

4) How do you grow from 0 to 4,000 doors in sales channels?

5) How can you use being a smaller CPG company to your advantage? Subscribe to the podcast if you like this episode.

Learn more about Clara's company at https://unitefood.com/.

Many better-for-you CPG founders consider retail and DTC as main sales platforms but there are several other viable sales channels that brands can take advantage of.

In this episode, Leonard is joined by Matt Cotton, CEO of Rooted Food Sales, where they discussed strategies and tactics to grow sales for CPG brands by widening their reach through food service channels.

Listen if you want to learn about:

1) What are the 6 major sales channels in the area of food service that are viable for CPG brands?

2) What are the core strategies in expanding your sales distribution?

3) When and how do you start working with brokerage firms?

4) What is an effective pitch tactic to get your products in stores?

5) What are the advantages of food service sales channels?

Subscribe to the podcast if you find this episode helpful.

Learn more about Matt's company at www.rootedfoodsales.com.

Spritzal Cookie underwent three rebranding processes within 8 years. It's constantly learning about their market, gaining better brand clarity, and using the insights to iterate their product to better appeal to customers.

In this episode, Taylor Walker, COO of Spritzal Cookie Company, came on the show to talk to Leonard on how they transitioned from being a family baking company to a better-for-you CPG cookie product.

Listen to the conversation to learn about:

1) How do you leverage rebranding to support product growth?

2) What are the three focus points in pivoting your brand?

3) How do you transition from your home to commercial kitchen?

4) What drives operational capacity expansion?

5) When should you start building a team? If you like this episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and share it with other CPG founders.

Learn more about Taylor's brand at www.spritzal.com.

P.S. We help better-for-you food and beverage CPG brands stand out, appeal to customers, and drive product trials through brand development. If you need help, visit www.thevineyardbc.com/talk.

Expanding into retail is a major goal for any better-for-you food & beverage CPG brands. But it's cash intensive, requires distribution network, and can be difficult for early-stage CPG companies.

In this episode, Leonard is joined by Spencer Lynn, a CPG sales strategist, who shares his retail and sales experiences as the Northeast Regional Manager of KOS, a plant-based protein powder.

Listen to their conversation to learn about:

1) What are the best practices that can help CPG brands get retail distribution?
2) How do you leverage working with retail brokerage firms?
3) What are the key metrics for retail sales velocity?
4) How do you make DTC work with your retail channels?
5) What are the mistakes to avoid in expanding into retail?

Enjoy listening to this episode and be sure to subscribe to the podcast. Learn more about Spencer and connect with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlynn46/.

Partnering with big time personalities like Magic Johnson, Evander Holyfield, and affiliating your brand with organizations like the LA Lakers requires knowing how to get past the gatekeeper and being persistent.

Support Cory's brand at www.warriorbeverages.com.

P.S. We help better-for-you food and beverage CPG brands stand out, appeal to customers, and drive product trials through brand development. If you need help, visit www.thevineyardbc.com/talk.

Crowdfunding is an effective way to help you address your challenges in raising investment funds to start and grow your better-for-you F&B CPG brand.

But, it's not enough that you just look for a crowdfunding platform, set up your page, declare your target funding, and expect people to start flocking in.

In this episode, I talked to Rachel Domb, founder & CEO of Rooted Living, who raised $10,000 through crowdfunding during the early stages of her sustainable plant-based snack company.

Listen to this episode if you want to learn:

1) How to navigate the early challenges and nuances of a start-up CPG brand?

2) What are the best practices in launching a successful crowdfunding campaign?

3) How do you build and leverage your CPG network?

4) Why is having a clear brand mission and a personal passion can drive growth?

5) What are the top 3 skills that can build success for a healthy F&B CPG founder?

Be sure to subscribe if you like this episode and support Rachel's brand at www.rootedliving.org.

Understanding how to position your product relative to your core audience can drive results to your healthy food & beverage CPG brand. This was the experience of Sam Moore, founder and CEO of Hazlo, who made a shift with the way they positioned their product from being a drink mixer to an elixir lifestyle beverage brand.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1) How to anchor your growth with product positioning and brand messaging?

2) What's the importance of identifying your core audience and focusing on them?

3) How to start your product with a healthy cost margin?

4) Why producing your own event rather than sponsoring one can yield better results?

5) How to pace your brand growth and what to expect in the first three years?

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast and support Sam's brand at https://drinkhazlo.com/.

P.S. We help better-for-you food and beverage CPG brands stand out, appeal to customers, and drive product trials through brand development. If you need help, visit www.thevineyardbc.com/talk.

Knowing when, how, and where to pivot can be a pathway to profitability for your better-for-you CPG business. And sometimes, it can mean pausing your brand for a while.

This is what Ana Rodriguez, co-founder of InBite shared in her conversation with Leonard as they uncover key insights from her decades of her entrepreneurial experience as a better-for-you food & bev CPG founder.

Listen to this episode to learn -
1) How can you leverage your strength to pivot your business to profitability?
2) How can you use the power of niche to grow as a small brand?
3) What margins should you be targeting to sustain your business?
4) How do you work with a co-packer and co-manufacturer?
5) What are the key trends to watch out for in the healthy food & bev CPG industry?

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and support Ana's brand at https://inbite.us/.

P.S. We help better-for-you food and beverage CPG brands stand out, appeal to customers, and drive product trials through brand development. If you need help, visit www.thevineyardbc.com/talk.

While these are important strategic and tactical components, there are three main principles that David Delcourt, co-founder of Seed Ranch Co, attribute their success to in building healthier alternative sauces and snacks.

In this episode, you will learn:
1) How to turn a passion project into a viable business?
2) What are the three tenets of success for their company?
3) Why differentiation is difficult but can be key to growth?
4) How do you leverage channel diversification?
5) What are the mistakes to avoid as a CPG founder?

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss on any new episodes. Also, support David's CPG brand at https://grownasfoods.com/.

P.S. We help better-for-you food and beverage CPG brands stand out, appeal to customers, and drive product trials through brand development. If you need help, visit www.thevineyardbc.com/talk.