Because I cut my teeth in what most call the “Barnum & Baily Circus” side of ingestible CPG (aka the sports nutrition niche of the supplement industry), I’m very used to founders making “big things coming” proclamations. But that being said, I’m struggling to remember the last time I’ve felt this much pre-launch wonder/intrigue around a functional CPG product…with many competitors, retailers, and industry colleagues, reaching out to get my thoughts on David protein bars. Some of this could be attributed to that half-year “hype cycle” leaving many to wonder about the product details, but also that this is the categorical “second act” for Peter Rahal…who previously founded RXBAR, that exited to Kellogg’s in less than five years for $600 million in 2017. But beyond talking through some of the most interesting moments of that RXBAR wild ride, Peter and I discuss some of the strategic lessons from that successful first “protein bar venture” that became iterative direct applications within the conceptualization of David. Moreover, we talk through how watching the protein bar market staleness of the last handful of years helped reignite that entrepreneurial spark (after trying his hand at being a venture capitalist). Also, Peter and I cover the new strategic approach at David…including which “drivers of demand” are most important, the remix inspiration for its visual identity, and the brand’s bold long-term strategic narrative. But these are just some of the interesting topics we chatted about in this episode...

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