CPG Vibes

This week we are featuring two great founders who have built out great beverage companies.

They will share their stories and how they got to where they are today and any gems they can share with the CPG community.

We are bringing on:

Yanni Hufnagel - Founder of Lemon Perfect Company

Matt Mclean - Founder of Uncle Matt's Organic

Join us for this great episode. No Script, Just Chat!

This week we will be covering two important topics: Common founder missteps and mistakes made by brands, especially emerging and natural brands just hitting the scene and scaling.

Wade and Alex will also discuss CPG brands they love that they feel are rising stars in the industry and next to hit the big time.

This week's episode is sponsored by Nelly's Organic.

The Master Series is back!

This week we are welcoming on 3 distinct and awesome entrepreneurs who are running their own CPG brands or have run brands in the past. This includes:

Will Nitze

Founder - IQ Bar

Jeff Church

DreamMakers and Previous Suja Co-Founder

Steve O'Dell

Founder - Tenzo Tea

This episode is sponsored by Power Full Energy Distribution and Robert Cogan

This week we are doing an 'Ask Us Anything' where no topic is off-limits. Any questions you have, list them LIVE in the chat and we will answer them on the spot.

If you're lucky, we may actually even bring you on to share your story and brand!

Also, Alex Bayer is an expert and has an agency specializing in crowdfunding consulting, so if you're thinking of raising capital online via Wefunder or Start Engine, he can walk you through it!

This episode is sponsored by Philosopher Foods and their Wefunder campaign is live at http://www.wefunder.com/philosopherfoods

This week we are focusing on hot trends out the gate for 2025, everything from data gathering, AI, innovations, supply chain, and more.

We will also cover the daily changes and updates on tariffs and how they will continue to impact CPG Brands.This episode is sponsored by Kif & Co and Caroline Brain and they are currently raising a capital round at www.wefunder.com/kifandco

Join us for our special edition show bringing on guests from reputable organizations and companies based in Canada.

As many know, CPG is alive and well in Canada with many brands that are growing in their home country and many entrepreneurs choose to expand to the United States and abroad.

We will be bringing on (in no particular order)

Sonia Parmar - VP of Reg Affairs & Gov Relations for CHFA

Jules Gorham - Director of Regulatory Affairs & Policy for CHFA

Steve Dontigny - Foundry President

Megan Silk - Co-Founder of GingerBug

Robert Cogan - Owner of Power Full Energy DistributionThis episode is also sponsored by Power Full Energy Distribution.

The newly announced Trump Tariffs will have a major impact on many manufacturers and consumers. On top of this, CPG brands will be facing higher costs for their raw materials and finished goods if sourced internationally, which will result in higher retail prices.

We wanted to talk about it, review what's going to happen, get community input and comments, and give our opinion on the short and long-term effects of these tariffs.

We are going to discuss something very real this week. What is it like to be a founder and HAVE TO shut down their own brand.

It is painful and traumatizing.We are bringing on a founder who has been through this (Erica Rankin - Former Founder of Bro Dough) and also a CPG editor and journalist who covers these types of stories. (Andrea Popova Owner of CPGD)

This is an episode you don't want to miss, and know if you are struggling as a CPG founder, you are NOT alone!

This episode is sponsored by Rich Nuts.

Here's the latest CPG news happening right now on April 3rd, 2025 including Trump Tariffs Goes Into Effect, Huge Series A with Lucky Energy, Acquisitions Galore with Lesser Evil and Mela, and More Investment Action

On April 2nd, (yesterday) Trump has announced reciprocal tariffs on essentially all goods, unless otherwise noted. Some details will emerge on what is exempt. For food and beverage people, this will deeply impact cost of goods sold for bottles, caps, labels, cans, and just about every type of packaging that is manufactured outside of the United States, typically in Asia. Also, companies sourcing raw materials and ingredients will be subject to tariffs. This will undoubtedly affect brands and their margins, forcing them to raise their wholesale pricing to retailers and distributors. And ultimately will affect the everyday consumer, paying more for goods, even more than the inflationary costs right now.

We will watch this closely, but our opinion is this will disrupt the market, cause margin compression, and force manufacturers to re-think how they source their product.

Lucky Energy, a simpler, better-for-you energy drink, announced today that it has successfully closed a $14.2 million oversubscribed Series A1 round, bringing its total funding to over $40 million. The round is led by Maveron, with backing from DMG Ventures, Second Sight Ventures, and existing investors: Imaginary Ventures, Brand Foundry Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, and Sugar Capital. The capital secured will fuel the brand's growth, enabling it to accelerate distribution, introduce new products, support strategic partnerships, and recruit in key business areas. Additionally, the company welcomed Dan Ginsberg, former Chief Executive Officer of Red Bull NA and CEO of Dermalogica®, to its Board of Directors.

Lucky Energy has experienced explosive growth, entering 10,000 new doors with plans to expand to an additional 15,000 before the end of the year. The brand has also surpassed 400,000 followers across its social channels. The product is designed for individuals seeking to enhance performance with a natural, functional drink. It is currently available in six flavors: Son of a Peach, Orange Drizzle, Red Ryder Punch, OG Luck, Tropical Thrill, and Bodacious Berry. It has zero sugar and zero calories, ensuring a healthier choice for consumers.

Nixie, the better for your sparkling water and now has a soda line that debuted in 2024, has secured $27M in fresh funding to help expand their product nationwide. Wet hydration has also raised $4.5M and brought on the former EVP from Celsius

Hershey has agreed to buy the organic popcorn giant LesserEvil for about $750 million, a figure that could increase if the brand meets certain performance benchmarks, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing anonymous sources. The deal accelerates Hershey's expansion into salty snacks, and aligns with a broader rush by food giants to snap up smaller, more nimble competitors to reach new customers.Last but not least, Mela has been acquired by the beverage company Calypso. Which is under the umbrella company King Juice Holdings - a platform company backed by Mason Wells - a $2B PE firm out of Milwaukee that owns businesses across the CPG value chain

This week we are featuring emerging and fast growing brands on our show in all different categories including hummus, chocolate bars, and energy drinks.

We are bringing on:

Nick Wiseman - Founder and CEO of Little Sesame

Carla Spiruoulo - CEO of Nelly's Organic

Hamid Saify - CMO of Lucky Beverage Co.

We are excited to talk with these brands, hear their stories, and they will share insights and tips on how they have scaled.