In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Grace Kennedy is joined by Stephanie Berwick, founder of Pastazerts—the first brand to bring chocolate ravioli to market. Stephanie shares her unique journey from a two-decade career in fintech to launching a frozen dessert product that’s carving out a completely new category in CPG.

She discusses how early success in amateur cooking competitions sparked the idea, and walks through the practical steps she took to validate the concept, navigate production challenges, and transition from self-manufacturing to working with a co-manufacturer. Stephanie also opens up about the realities of bootstrapping a frozen brand, conducting a debt-based crowdfunding round, and the strategic rollout into retail and foodservice.

This episode is packed with valuable insights on innovation, retail readiness, and managing operational complexity in the frozen space.

Tune in now!

Listen in as they share about:

• Overview of Pastazerts
• Early Steps & Product Development
• Product Development and Scaling
• Retail & Distribution Strategy
• Frozen Category Challenges
• Funding and Financial Strategy
• Marketing and Community Building
• Advice for Entrepreneurs

Episode Links:

Website: https://pastazerts.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-berwick/ 

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 Grace's Linkedin 
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics