Express Checkout

This week, we're sharing the second episode of our interview series, Brand’s Biggest Fan—featuring Evan Burns, CEO and Co-founder of The Finnish Long Drink—and Long Drink's biggest fan, DJ!We (admittedly) recorded this a few months ago, but were excited to share it today after the news of Long Drink's acquisition by the Mark Anthony Group of Companies, the company behind category-defining beverages including White Claw and Mike's Hard Lemonade.With this new acquisition, and Mark Anthony Group's goal of expansion throughout North America, you can now expect to see this bev everywhere. So, we decided it was time to share some of the behind-the-scenes of who built this company... and who's been evangelizing it.Buckle in for a great ep, where Evan shares the real, unsexy truth behind building a brand worth a multimillion dollar acquisition in just 4 years.The Breakdown00:00 Background on Long Drink06:11 Meet DJ, Long Drink's biggest fan08:23 How DJ discovered Long Drink16:30 Evan on fans, marketing & distribution20:49 Building a national brand (distro strategy + celeb investors)31:15 The future of Long Drink

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Express Checkout - https://www.instagram.com/expresscheckout/

DJ Waldow (aka Long Drink Lover) - https://www.instagram.com/longdrinklovers/

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Daniel Solomons, CEO of Update—the caffeine-free energy drink that caught Kim Kardashian’s eye organically before she became a full creative partner. We break down the science behind paraxanthine, the surprise of 4,000+ Walmart doors, and what it means to build a brand around a completely new ingredient.

We also cover every Kardashian-Jenner in CPG this week (yes, all of them)—Kylie’s pivot from vodka soda to beauty hydration powder K2O, Khloe’s new Khloud protein tortilla chips, and Lemme finally launching a multivitamin after 17 other SKUs. Plus: the Hershey reformulation saga, McCormick’s $45B acquisition of Unilever’s food business, goPuff’s surprisingly successful private label expansion, and Mars Men—an 18-month-old testosterone supplement brand already at $100M run rate. Let’s get into it!The Breakdown

00:00 Intro

0:05 Interview with Daniel Solomons (Update Energy)

20:28 Kylie's K2O Beauty Hydration Powder

27:20 Khloud Protein Chips

30:39 Lemme Launches a Multivitamin (Finally)

32:50 The Hershey/Reese's Reformulation Drama

44:43 McCormick Buys Unilever's Food Business ($45B)

47:50 goPuff's Private Label Expansion

50:10 Mars Men: $100M Testosterone Supplement Brand

58:26 Wrap-up

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we dive into Danone’s $1.15B acquisition of Huel—and what it says about the future of meal replacement, GLP-1 consumers, and food as pure function.

We also cover Alix Earle’s skincare launch (Reale Actives), Cardi B’s surprisingly well-aligned haircare line, Olaplex’s acquisition by Henkel after losing 95% of its market cap, the rise of hard sodas, and Lucille—a long-overdue dignity-first nutrition brand for older adults. Let’s get into it!

We recently wrote a report with data from our friends at Faire highlighting the dichotomy of “clean” vs. science-forward positioning for beauty and wellness brands. Check it out here.

https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/the-state-of-beauty-and-wellnessThe Breakdown

00:00 Intro03:13 Danone bets on Huel18:07 Alix Earle launches a brand24:22 Cardi B's new haircare brand26:07 Olaplex gets acquired27:29 The "hard soda" trend32:49 The future of senior nutrition35:44 Wrap-up

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today we’re joined by the incredible Chimene Ross, CEO of Killer Brownie, for a discussion on the power of branding in bakery, running a family business, and moving from private-label to a branded product.

We also dive into the convergence of beauty + wellness (ft. hydration powder with UV protection…), why owning manufacturing is the new CPG moat, and Little Spoon’s entrance into infant formula. Let’s get into it!

Check out NECTAR’s Taste of the Industry sensory analysis on dairy-free products here.

The Breakdown

0:00 Intro and Nate’s United Airlines adventure

1:24 Interview with Chimene Ross, CEO of Killer Brownie

16:07 Habiza Hummus and the new CPG moat

20:03 The beauty and food convergence

27:19 Kraft’s new protein Mac

32:00 Dairy-free taste parity report

36:00 Little Spoon enters baby formula

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! We're coming at you with a special episode today with our lovely partners over at Faire, the global online marketplace for wholesale for independent retailers. Because Faire works with thousands of retailers and brands from around the world, they are an incredible source of data on burgeoning trends within countless categories.We collaborated on a report which dove into the beauty & wellness category—everything from which ingredients are trending, to the unlikely retailers stocking beauty products. Then, we talked to Jen Burke, Faire's Chief Revenue Officer, to learn a little more about the stories behind the data and how Faire works.Hope you enjoy this special episode!!! If you're a retailer looking to discover the coolest new products, or a brand looking to enter a breadth of retailers, check out Faire.com.

Interested in partnering with Express Checkout on future content? Reach out to us at [email protected] :)

Read the full report here:

https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/the-state-of-beauty-and-wellness

The Breakdown00:00 Recapping our Beauty & Wellness Report with Faire

8:08 Meet Jen Burke, CRO at Faire

8:56 The retailers and brands using Faire (and how it works)

19:24 The “clean” vs “science” dichotomy in beauty

28:03 Beauty + wellness expanding across categories

32:25 AI, discovery, and the future of retail

37:54 Trends to watch

40:43 Conclusion

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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We just got back from the “Super Bowl of CPG”, AKA Expo West, and we have thoughts. In this episode, we’re digging into the overall vibe of the show, the trends we saw, the brands that left an impression, and what Expo even is. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into these trends, check out our newsletter from this week, linked below!

The Breakdown00:00 Intro01:15 What Expo West is and who attends08:38 Vibes of the show13:56 The seed oils of it all...16:07 Beef tallow + avo oil18:39 The obsession with “real” ingredients20:27 Eggs are everywhere27:29 How protein + fiber actually showed up (and David’s special appearance...)35:55 The candy dates takeover39:54 Flavor trends: sour, the new “global” flavors, pistachio, and more50:57 Rapid fire trends: baking mixes, hydration, dairy, tortilla chips55:26 Wrap up

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today we’re joined by the incredible Jenna Goldring, co-founder of The High Confectionary, to talk about navigating the complex world of hemp-derived THC, building low-dose edibles for a new generation of consumers, and breaking cannabis stigmas through creator collaborations.

We also dive into PepsiCo’s big bet on fiber and protein, the rise of squeeze bottle innovation, and why 72% of American households are now buying groceries at Walmart. Let’s get into it!

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Tapcart (www.tapcart.com), the ultimate mobile app builder for Shopify brands!

Get the 2026 Mobile Trends Report HERE → https://www.tapcart.com/report/2026-trends-report

They interviewed 1,200+ shoppers and the findings are wild — 71% of impulse purchases now happen on mobile, and brands are massively over-discounting (50% of shoppers only need 25% off to convert, yet brands are bleeding margin at 40-50%). The report breaks down how top brands like Reformation, Gymshark, and Cymbiotika are using AI to get ahead — plus plug-and-play workflows you can steal. Worth a read if you’re in eComm.

The Breakdown

00:00 Interview with co-founder of The High Confectionary02:33 Hemp vs Cannabis 10105:06 The legal challenges of THC09:16 Building an edibles brand during a THC beverage frenzy15:40 The High Confectionary x Broma Bakery product launch18:56 News of the week kickoff22:19 Pepsi's bet on Fiber AND Protein31:03 Tahini in a squeeze bottle 33:17 Food tech that's changing the snack game36:58 Babybel Pro38:59 The iced tea comeback story42:27 Walmart’s grocery dominance46:51 Expo West update47:36 Conclusion

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome to the first episode of our interview series, Brand’s Biggest Fan—featuring Ben Goodwin, CEO, Co-founder, and formulator of one of our favorite brands of all time: OLIPOP!The premise: We sit down with a self-proclaimed “biggest fan” of some of our favorite buzzy CPG brands—not influencers or famous ambassadors, just regular people who happen to be a little obsessed with a brand.Then, we go back to the founders of these brands to learn how this fandom aligns with—or departs from—the story they’ve told themselves about their own brand's success.There are countless fantastic learnings and insights in this episode—from how Ben thinks about nostalgia when formulating OLIPOP, to soda’s wild history, to how OLIPOP reaches a mass audience of soda lovers + health freaks alike, and so much more.If you give it a listen, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments! And if you just so happen to know (or be) a buzzy brand’s biggest fan, let us know—maybe we’ll feature you in our next episode.

The Breakdown

00:00 Welcome00:49 Meet Ben Goodwin, CEO of OLIPOP02:25 OLIPOP's "biggest fan" story09:12 What Ben thinks about Amy's story14:00 The art and science of product formulation25:10 How OLIPOP appeals to a mass market28:34 The history of soda (and why that matters to OLIPOP)31:32 Competing with Big Soda40:56 How OLIPOP stays consumer-focused44:45 Closing thoughts

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today we are joined by the wonderful Sarela Herrada, co-founder of SIMPLi foods, to talk about regenerative organic agriculture and building authentic supply chains. We also dive into function-washing, the creator-led candy revolution, and why Kraft Heinz just hit pause on their big split. Let's get into it!

The Breakdown:

00:00 Interview with Sarela, Co-Founder of SIMPLi20:29 News of the week kickoff20:52 “Functionwashing” explained28:27 Nurri's new protein creamers31:19 Candy’s new era: creator-led brands & European gummies38:13 The future of oat milk is... a sheet?!42:06 Kraft Heinz pauses the split46:59 Conclusion

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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This week, we're diving into the Super Bowl ads (CPG trend version), what Once Upon a Farm’s IPO tells us, how BigCo brands are getting squeezed by private label, and more. Check out our most recent newsletter:

The Breakdown:

00:00 What Super Bowl ads tell us about CPG trends 12:45 Once Upon a Farm’s IPO and the better-for-you kids space23:19 PepsiCo's price cuts and squeezing the middle26:45 Discontinuing Minute Maid’s frozen juice29:58 Creatine controversy32:18 Lactaid enters the creamer market36:34 Bachan's acquisition

🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly.

📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co.

🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout

💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us!