In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Caitlin Bricker sits down with Erica Groussman, founder of Trubar—a vegan protein bar brand in nearly 25,000 retail locations doing close to $100 million in gross revenue. Erica shares her journey from going door-to-door with laminated signs and brown boxes to building a brand focused on what women actually want: high protein and fiber without sugar alcohols or seed oils, all wrapped in decadent dessert flavors.

The conversation reveals how Erica built Trubar by wearing every hat—from negotiating ingredient contracts with zero background to hand-repacking four-count boxes for hours to fulfill big orders. She discusses her retail strategy (or lack thereof in the early days), the importance of reformulating to remove seed oils and add fiber, and why not taking yourself too seriously while staying in the day-to-day operations has been key to her success. Erica also shares insights on launching Trubar Kids nationwide, partnering with Universal for a Wicked collaboration, and navigating the challenges of being a female founder in a male-dominated industry.

Packed with candid stories about building credibility through transparency with vendors, leveraging LinkedIn to break into Whole Foods, and maintaining levity while scaling to Target and Costco, this conversation is essential for founders learning to balance authenticity with ambition, female entrepreneurs navigating industry dynamics, and anyone building a better-for-you CPG brand.

Listen in as they share about:

• Trubar's origin story: door-to-door sales with brown boxes and laminated signs
• Building a protein bar specifically designed for what women want
• Reformulating to remove seed oils and increase fiber content
• Hand-repacking orders and wearing every operational hat as a founder
• Breaking into Whole Foods through persistent LinkedIn outreach
• Launching Trubar Kids nationwide in Sprouts and Hy-Vee
• The Universal/Wicked collaboration and getting into Target with shippers
• Being strong but feminine: advice for female founders in male-dominated spaces
• Transparency with vendors and why honesty builds long-term credibility
• Not taking yourself too seriously while building something massive

Episode Links:

Website: https://www.trubarinc.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eaweiss121/
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trubar/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trubar.brands/ 

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (20K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Caitlin's Linkedin 
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics