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How do you build a consumer packaged goods business that's breaking through $100 million in gross sales, entirely bootstrapped, with no outside investment?

My guest today is Scott Mendelsohn, founder of Raw C, Australia's leading coconut brand. I first interviewed Scott back in October 2023 (link in show notes), and this is the follow up so many of you have been asking for, what does the business actually look like now, a few years on.

The numbers are staggering. Coconut water as a category is up 99 per cent in supermarkets in two years. Household penetration has gone from around 13 per cent to 34 per cent. Raw C has doubled in that time. But Scott doesn't just talk top line, he gets real about what that kind of growth actually costs behind the scenes, and the moments he's wanted to throw it all in.

You'll hear:

😬 What Scott admits he still feels, even at this level of success

🤝 How Scott decides which brand collabs to say yes to, and which to walk away from

🥥 The story behind the Woolworths pistachio collab launch, the biggest first week of any coconut product in Australian retail history

🛒 What's really happening with private label in the coconut category, and whether it's a genuine threat or a distraction

📺 The cost of Natural Raw C's first ever TVC campaign

🇺🇸 What's next for Natural Raw C, including a US Target launch

If you want a real look at what it takes to build a category leading, independently owned brand in a genuinely tough market, this episode is for you.

Season 18 is brought to you by NFTC, a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods like nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds and more for emerging food and beverage brands.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Natural Raw C website
• Natural Raw C Instagram
• Scott Mendelsohn LinkedIn
• #84 Natural Raw C: Behind the Scenes of What it Really Takes to Scale
• NFTC website
• NFTC LinkedIn page
• BlueRock website
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

If you treat distributors like a sales opportunity to be won - like a grocery store, cafe, pharmacy, or speciality retailer - you'll go far. Unfortunately, most brand owners think landing a distributor is the finish line, a "set and forget." That's not how they work, no matter what level of distributor you're working with.

Bronwyn Manolas runs Devine Food Wholesalers, a distribution business built around beautiful, high-quality products kept out of the major supermarkets, and a door-to-door, relationship-first sales model most brand owners never see from the inside - the door-knocking, the tastings, the relationship-building that happens long before an order shows up in your inbox.

In episode 168 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Bronwyn opens the door and invites you in on what a distribution business actually looks like day-to-day - so you know how you need to fit in.

If you have a distributor and the relationship isn't working, or you don't have one but want one, do not miss this episode - you'll learn:

💰 What margin you need, and how to think about pricing before you approach one
🎯 What Bronwyn looks for before she'll even consider sampling a new product
🤝 What's more important - tastings or discounts, and why
📅 When you need to take action for Christmas listings
💳 Payment terms to plan your cash flow around

If you've ever wondered what a distributor is really thinking when your product lands on their desk, this episode answers it.

Season 18 is brought to you by NFTC, a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods like nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds and more for emerging food and beverage brands.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Devine Food Wholesalers website
• Devine Food Wholesalers Instagram
• NFTC website
• BlueRock website
• Loco Love website
• Enriche Foods website
• Sorry Nonna website
• Tummy Gummies website
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

Nicky Jackson has been a CPG brand owner before, so she knew the ropes. When she first talked to Target US, she didn't ask for a trial, she asked for 700 doors. What came next was a surprise even to Nicky. Target came back with an offer of over 1,900.

Nicky is the founder of Lioness, a daily functional snack range built around what women actually want throughout their day. Before Lioness, Nicky spent years at Kellogg Company  and Pepsi Co, then built RangeMe, the platform that changed how brands and retailers find each other.

In episode 167 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Nicky and I get into why she built a product the category didn't have, and what it actually cost her to get there.

Don't miss this episode, you'll learn:

 🎯 How Nicky decided what type of product to create
💰 The funding required just to cover a first Target order
🛡️ Why you need insurance, and how far in advance
🤝 What most founders don't realise about broker relationships 
🍬 The thinking behind three products for three moments

If you're chasing your first major retail listing, wanting to get into Target US, or you just want a grounded, numbers-informed look at what that journey really costs, this episode is essential listening.

Season 18 is brought to you by NFTC, a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods like nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds and more for emerging food and beverage brands.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Lioness website
• Lioness Instagram 
• Lioness TikTok
• Nicky Jackson LinkedIn 
• NFTC website
• BlueRock website
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

Food and drink brands that stand for nothing fall for everything. And that doesn't work.

In episode 166 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, my guest is Janice Williams from Universal Media Co, a digital marketing and publishing company working with food and wellbeing brands. Janice makes the case for finding the right audience, not just a bigger one.

We get into why behavioural data beats demographics every time, and why borrowing trust from a brand that already has it can do more for a new product than any ad spend. The opportunity you now have is finding which brand is best for you to borrow from. Listen to learn how and:

💬 How to distil years of product development into one or two lines that land;

🤝 Why media should be treated as an influencer, not just a channel; and 

🛒 What retailers actually want to see before they'll back you.

If you've ever felt like you're shouting into the void on social media, wondering why sales still aren't moving, this episode will change how you think about where your marketing effort goes.

Season 18 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase — scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement — NFTC is worth knowing about.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Universal Media Co. website 
• NFTC website
• NFTC LinkedIn page
• BlueRock website
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

In the eighth and final episode of Season 17 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I am joined by Helen Johnston, co-founder and creative director of Honey and Fox, and Henry Nevile from the Natural Foods Trading Company - two industry insiders who were on the ground at both the BiteBack Awards and Foodpreneurs Festival on 21 and 22 May. Both were there last year, too.

Together, the three of us unpack what actually happened. What stood out at Stickybeak Station, our product showcase. What Brand Story Studio revealed about where emerging brands are right now. And what Helen and Henry observed about the sophistication of this year's attendees' businesses.

More than 15 brands are named throughout the conversation - not as a roll call, but as real examples of what's working, what's standing out on shelf, and what the market is telling us right now to help you grow.

And after four years of bringing the event to life, and ten years working directly with emerging brands, I share what I’m seeing across the market and give you practical advice to help you grow your sales and brand faster.

If you were at the Foodpreneurs Festival, this is your recap. If you weren't, prepare to take notes - this is your free advisory session.

Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement—NFTC is worth knowing about.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Collide Drinks
• Intentional Tea
• Mulled Beverages
• Uproar Snacks
• Spicetub
• Oaty Butter
• Seedy Foods
• Coast N Smoke
• Fabio Soda
• Umei Foods
• Made4Change
• Urban Forager
• Raffi Cookies
• Get Dressed
• Sweet Pea & Poppy
• Download your FREE Brand Story Starter Kit
• Honey & Fox website
• Honey & Fox Instagram
• Food Marketing Academy
• Jayne Gallagher LinkedIn
• Helen Johnston LinkedIn
• NFTC website
• NFTC LinkedIn page
• Henry Nevile LinkedIn
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

Most people only think about fibre when something goes wrong. It's been sitting in the health aisle, powdered and medicinal, for decades. Nobody had moved it - until now.

Priscilla Mellado saw something everyone else missed.

Twenty years ago, pregnant and struggling with gut issues, she looked at the fibre category and thought: somebody has to do this better. That child is now 24. And Liquify Drinks is finally here.

In episode 164 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Priscilla pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to build a CPG brand from scratch. The 6,000 bottles she couldn't sell. The 6am fitness classes she shows up to pour tastings. Packing orders - even on the morning of this interview. 

Priscilla describes it best herself: sometimes it literally feels like hanging upside down, spinning.

And yet - she's built something with real substance, and this week she walks into a room of investors and pitches for the future of her business. You're hearing her story right before that moment.

This is episode one of two. Priscilla pitches at Foodpreneurs Festival this week. We follow up after. You're coming on the journey with us.

Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase - scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement - NFTC is worth knowing about.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Liquify Drinks website
• Liquify Drinks Instagram
• NFTC website
• NFTC LinkedIn page
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

Many  founders sense something is getting in the way of their growth. They just can’t put their finger on what it is.

My guest today is Janessa Rutter, founder of Bask & Co., a Coeliac Australia-endorsed breakfast and snack company. Three years ago, Janessa was on the show with 40 stockists and baking her own product. Today she has 650 stockists nationally, including 300 Woolworths supermarkets and a co-manufacturer.

In this episode, Janessa and I talk about what actually changed  and what had to change, inside and out, before the business could scale. We get into her ADHD diagnosis, what it explained about the imposter syndrome and rejection sensitivity she'd been carrying for years, and why that single realisation was the moment everything shifted.

We also talk about the decision to step out of production, how niching into the coeliac community changed her ranging conversations with buyers, and why systems aren't boring;  they're the business.

If you face personal challenges that get in the way of building a scaling business, this episode is for you.

Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement—NFTC is worth knowing about.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Bask & Co website
• Episode #75 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome to Land More Accounts
• NFTC website
• NFTC LinkedIn page
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

Finding the right manufacturer is usually the key to scale. And getting it wrong doesn’t just slow you down. It costs you time and money.

My guest today is Naishad Dalal, founder of Food Entrepreneurship Academy, also known as FEA Food Innovation. They take brands from product concept all the way to shelf.

In this episode, Naishad and I talk about the red flags you should watch out for when you're talking to co-manufacturers — and the three questions every founder should ask before committing to a co-packer. We also talk about why the wrong fit doesn't just cost you money. Of course it does. But something far more valuable in small business. And that's time.

We also break down minimum order quantities and what happens when your packaging format blows your numbers out.

If you've ever looked at a shot bottle or a sauce jar and wondered how the math works at scale — listen closely.

If you're developing a product, about to go into commercial production, or dealing with issues with your current manufacturer — this episode is for you.

Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement—NFTC is worth knowing about.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• FEA website
• Naishad Dalal LinkedIn
• Stickybeak Station & People’s Choice Award at Foodpreneurs Festival
• NFTC website
• NFTC LinkedIn page
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

Don't treat your label as the last thing you sort before going to print. Retail buyers assess your label before they'll taste your product. They have to. Competitors can scan your claims looking for grounds to report you. A formulation change — even a small one - or a new product launch means you need a compliant label. Every time.

Bring compliance into your NPD from the start - not as a checklist, but as a strategic tool. Nutrient content claims, general level health claims, health star ratings — used together, they let you build a marketing story that's genuinely substantiated. One that holds up to a buyer, a competitor, and an enforcer. That's differentiation. And it comes from your regulatory work, not despite it.

In episode 161 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Roslyn Anderson — founder of Tastebuddies, a regulatory compliance consultancy — breaks down why your food label is a legal document, not a design asset, and what's actually at stake if you get it wrong.

Don't miss this episode - you'll learn:

🛒 Why retail buyers assess label compliance before they'll taste your product 

⚗️ The ingredients tripping founders up right now

🔄 What a formulation change means for your entire regulatory position 

🚨 Allergen recalls: what they look like for a small brand, and why your recall plan needs to exist before you need it 

📈 Claims stacking: how to use compliance to build brand differentiation and a substantiated marketing story

This episode of Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase - scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter - NFTC is worth knowing about.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Tastebuddies website
• Tastebuddies Instagram
• NFTC website
• NFTC LinkedIn page
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Grab Your Foodpreneurs Festival Ticket
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

What does it take to build a brand that lives in the hearts and minds of consumers without a big budget, a big team, or a big agency behind you?

In episode 160 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I sit down with Mirko Bonmassar, founder of Social Fixation, a marketing agency with a fixation on making brands impossible to ignore. 

In this episode you’ll learn:

🎯 What a brand campaign actually is and why it doesn't have to cost what you think it might

🏗️ The difference between building a product, a brand, and a business and why it matters 

👀 Who you're really competing with for attention (it's not who you think)

💡 The "What If" practise Social Fixation uses to unlock creative campaign ideas 

🙌 A case study that proves a great campaign can cost next to nothing and how you can do it yourself 

🏆 Why the BiteBack Awards Brand Campaign category is more within reach than you think

The BiteBack Awards Brand Campaign category is sponsored by Social Fixation. If this episode has you thinking you've got a campaign worth entering, head to https://foodpreneursfestival.com/biteback-awards/ to find out more.

This episode of Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Social Fixation website
• Mirko Bonmassar LinkedIn
• BiteBack Awards webpage
• Hyro website
• NFTC website
• NFTC LinkedIn page
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Grab Your Foodpreneurs Festival Ticket
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 18 with NFTC

Season 18, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.

If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.

They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.

Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.

Check them out at nftc.com.au