After more than a decade of grinding in obscurity – including years of failed commercialization attempts and even living in his brother's basement – Toom founder and CEO Matt Joyce is finally turning a humble garlic dip into one of the fastest-growing CPG brands in America.

In this conversation, Matt reveals how he transformed a beloved Lebanese staple into a mainstream condiment, why he stayed under the radar for years, and how a relentless focus on flavor, branding and persistence helped him break through with major retailers and build a family-run success story.

Show notes:

0:20: Matt Joyce, Founder & CEO, Toom – On location at Expo West 2026, Matt shares the story behind Toom, a condiment inspired by his Lebanese roots and a desire to offer something different from the usual ketchup. He talks about how, instead of marketing it as a niche ethnic product, he focused on creating a brand with broad appeal through strong, universal branding. Matt dives into the decade of research, development, and tweaking it took to get Toom to market, and how he handled rapid growth once everything clicked. He also opens up about his relentless outreach to buyers and how a big break with Whole Foods helped put the brand on the map, leading to opportunities with retailers like Wegmans, Publix, and Costco. Matt discusses the importance of direct feedback from consumers, the power of in-store demos, and his strategy of keeping the brand low-key until it gained real momentum. Throughout it all, he credits his family's support, his own determination, and a long-term vision for pushing through years of uncertainty.

Brands in this episode: Toom, Sabra