On this episode, we're joined by Christian Karim Khalil, Founder & CEO of Yaza - the fast-growing brand bringing traditionally made, clean-ingredient labneh and Mediterranean dips to the U.S. market. 

Christian brings years of global CPG experience from a handful of countries around the world.

Christian walks through the nine-month R&D process, the grueling six-month search for a dairy co-packer (printing hundreds of pages from the FDA's IMS certificate list and cold-calling every company on it), and the production challenges that came with scaling up for Whole Foods.

We get into the Yaza rebrand, why Christian pushed for it early, and his framework for deciding when a rebrand is worth the investment: it has to solve specific problems, not just look better. Christian also breaks down what it took to land Whole Foods nationwide before even having product in market, the Costco roadshow model and selling a unit every 30 seconds, and the consumer education playbook for a category that's still new to the majority of American shoppers.

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Episode Highlights:

🧀 How labneh is traditionally made (and why it's different in the U.S.)
🏭 The six-month co-packer search (FDA binders, cold calls, near-quitting)
🧪 Nine months of R&D to match Lebanon's gold standard
🎨 Why Yaza rebranded early and the problems it solved
🛒 Landing Whole Foods nationwide before having product in market
📈 Growing 200%+ at Whole Foods through strategic promotions
🏪 The Costco roadshow model (selling a unit every 30 seconds)
🍽️ Labneh on Michelin-star menus as a consumer education driver
📦 Building a "brand block" with baba ganoush and muhammara
🚀 Why Yaza skipped Expo West (and where that $100K+ goes instead)
👀 Why protein and fiber shouldn't be "trends" - they should be daily staples

---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:54 – Origin story and the Hashimoto's connection
02:57 – Early R&D and making labneh at home
05:09 – Researching the market at Whole Foods
05:40 – Finding a co-packer (the IMS binder story)
07:18 – Perfecting the formulation
10:04 – Scaling production for Whole Foods
11:35 – Brand identity and the first packaging
13:43 – The rebrand: why, when, and how
16:00 – Expanding the product line (baba ganoush, muhammara)
19:25 – Advice on when a rebrand is worth it
22:01 – Landing Whole Foods nationwide
24:55 – Costco roadshows and what they revealed
28:04 – Consumer education and category creation
29:37 – Driving velocity: demos, promotions, social media
33:07 – Why Yaza skipped Expo West
34:30 – Trends, brands, and what's next for Yaza

---------------

Links:

Yaza – https://yazafoods.com/
Follow Christian on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-karim-khalil-8b615b185/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees. 

On this episode, we're joined by Betsy Gillette, Co-Founder and CEO of Synergy Sales Consulting Group - the specialized sales management firm that acts as the full sales team for emerging CPG brands looking to scale nationally across grocery, natural, and mass channels. 

Betsy brings deep industry experience from leadership roles at UNFI, White Wave, Ignite Sales Management (before it sold to Acosta), and a decade at Jewel-Osco.

Betsy walks through the common mistakes she sees founders make, including hiring a marketer before a salesperson, staffing a friend in a sales role they'll outgrow in a year, and expecting retailers to just fall in love with their product off-cycle. We get into building a strong sales deck, what a one-pager needs to include, how to communicate price increases, and when to be transparent with retailers about supply chain issues.

We also cover how to partner with UNFI and KeHE, why their sales teams won't sell on your behalf, how to select and manage brokers, and what metrics matter in a category review beyond units per store per week.

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Episode Highlights:

🏪 Why Synergy caps their portfolio at 10-12 brands
💸 Hiring a sales agency vs. building an internal sales team
⚠️ Why hiring a marketer before a salesperson is a costly mistake
🛒 How retail buyers actually make decisions (and what founders get wrong)
📊 Metrics that matter beyond units per store per week (dollar sales, household penetration)
📝 What a strong sales deck and one-pager need to include
💰 How to communicate a price increase through distributors
🤝 Partnering with UNFI and KeHE (and what brands misunderstand about them)
🚚 When and how to select and manage brokers
🎯 What a well-rounded go-to-market strategy looks like
🔬 Trends: protein, fiber, GLP-1s, and the new food pyramid guidance

---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:52 – Origin story and what Synergy does
05:26 – When it makes sense to hire a sales agency
07:50 – Why 10-12 brands is the sweet spot
09:28 – Sales agency vs. internal sales team
11:13 – Buyer turnover and younger buyers at retailers
13:30 – What to look for in sales leadership hires
16:52 – The mistake of hiring a marketer before a salesperson
18:17 – How founders misunderstand retail buyer decisions
21:10 – Getting into retailers off-cycle (and why it rarely works)
23:13 – Key metrics for a strong sales story
24:52 – Preparing for category reviews
25:58 – Communicating price increases to retailers
26:20 – Being transparent with retailers about supply chain issues
28:31 – What a go-to-market strategy looks like
30:18 – What a good sales deck and one-pager should include
33:21 – How to truly partner with your distributor
36:01 – What brands misunderstand about distributors
37:54 – When and how to select and manage brokers
41:19 – Trends: protein, fiber, GLP-1s
42:35 – Where to find Betsy and Synergy

---------------

Links:

Synergy Sales Consulting Group – https://www.synergyscg.com/
Follow Betsy on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsy-gillette-2712074/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees. 

On this episode, we're joined by Andy Kurtts, Creative Director and Founder of Buttermilk Creative - the North Carolina-based CPG design firm behind some of the most recognized better-for-you brands on shelf. 

Andy breaks down the most expensive packaging mistakes he sees founders make, specifically how RGB-to-CMYK color mismatches compound across substrates and SKUs, and why the nutrition facts panel is not the place to get creative.

We also get into the tension between designing for yourself vs. your target customer, why your logo probably isn't the most important thing on pack, and how hierarchy and clarity beat loud, busy design. 

Andy walks through the Blue Zones Kitchen project, including the design sprint with multiple agencies, the handcrafted ceramic bowl that became the brand's most ownable asset, and why they're refreshing the packaging based on what they learned behind the freezer door.

We also cover DTC-to-retail packaging transitions, the debate around owning a color block on shelf vs. a rainbow approach, where AI is actually useful for design teams today, and the CPG trends Andy is tracking, including protein's staying power and how brands are visually tackling the dye removal movement.

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Episode Highlights:

🛒 What retail buyers actually look for (hint: shelf-readiness over taste)
📦 Why back panel formatting can disqualify you before the tasting
🎨 The most expensive packaging mistake (RGB vs. CMYK color builds)
🖌️ Designing for your customer, not yourself
✨ Great packaging clarifies, it doesn't shout
🔤 Why your logo isn't the most important thing on pack
🧊 The Blue Zones Kitchen design sprint and freezer door lessons
🏺 The handcrafted ceramic bowl that became a brand asset
🌈 Owning a color block vs. the rainbow shelf approach
🤖 Where AI actually helps design teams (and where it doesn't)
👀 Trends: protein's staying power and the dye removal movement

---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:44 – Lessons from nearly a decade at The Fresh Market
03:30 – How retail buyers evaluate private brand packaging
06:12 – What buyers actually look for in new products
08:52 – Packaging deal breakers that disqualify brands
11:10 – Designing for your customer, not yourself
13:58 – Great packaging clarifies, it doesn't shout
15:54 – The most expensive packaging mistakes (color)
20:04 – Unconventional design inspiration (museums, art, global markets)
23:11 – DTC vs. retail packaging
27:01 – Hierarchy on pack and why your logo can be secondary
29:12 – The Blue Zones Kitchen design story
34:47 – Owning a color on shelf vs. the rainbow approach
38:07 – AI in packaging design
42:21 – CPG trends: protein and the dye removal movement

---------------

Links:

Buttermilk Creative – https://buttermilkcreative.com/
Follow Andy on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/andykurtts/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees. 

On this episode, we're joined by Kiera Kehoe, Brand Manager at Smash Kitchen - the organic condiments and cooking oils brand co-founded by actor Glenn Powell.

Kiera previously built and ran Lift Off, a demo and merchandising agency covering roughly 40 states, and honed her brand management chops at cool brands like Zack's Mighty.

We dive into the real mechanics of building and running a demo program from the ground up. Kiera walks through how she thinks about budget allocation (sponsored search first, demos second), when brands should start demoing (three to four months after launch, not day one), and which categories see the best demo ROI - impulse-priced items like snacks and beverages versus low-margin singles where the math rarely works.

We get into how to find, hire, and motivate top brand ambassadors (referrals first, Facebook groups second), the case for starting with an agency before building in-house, and how to diligence demo agencies by asking where their strongest regions are. Kiera also talks candidly about the realities of scaling a national demo program, including why most brands eventually have to pull back on demo spend around the two-year mark as they move into conventional retail.

---------------

Episode Highlights:

🛒 How Lift Off demo agency was born from Zack's Mighty
🎯 Two marketing buckets: like your brand vs. buy your product
💰 Budget priority: sponsored search first, demos second
📊 Metrics that matter (samples distributed, sales, reorders)
🍟 Demoing frozen products (the tater tot air fryer story)
🤝 Why ambassadors are your best source of store-level intel
🎨 Table setup details that actually drive traffic
🔍 How to find great brand ambassadors (referrals and Facebook groups)
👀 The future of demos and co-demoing to cut costs

---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:32 – How Lift Off demo agency started
03:08 – What a great demo actually accomplishes
04:08 – Biggest misconceptions about demos
05:14 – Common mistakes brands make with demos
06:47 – When demos make sense (and when they don't)
08:16 – Categories where demos work best
09:54 – Demoing frozen and cooked products
11:24 – Allocating marketing budget to demos
13:01 – Choosing which stores to demo at
13:45 – What a great demo setup looks like
15:17 – Reporting and tracking ROI with Piñata
16:06 – Metrics that matter during and after demos
18:10 – What makes a great brand ambassador
19:34 – How to motivate and incentivize ambassadors
20:53 – Where to find top brand ambassadors
22:13 – Agency vs. in-house demo teams
24:22 – How to diligence a demo agency
25:58 – In-store realities and what goes wrong
29:04 – Common consumer objections at demos
30:16 – Scaling a national demo program
32:04 – Core tools for running a demo program (Piñata, Gusto)
33:16 – The future of demos
34:25 – Wrap up

---------------

Links:

Smash Kitchen – https://smashkitchen.com/
Follow Kiera on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieragk/
Follow Smash Kitchen on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/smash-kitchen/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees. 

On this episode, we're joined by Sam Nebel, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Goodwipes, a fast-growing eco-friendly wet wipes brand that's secured shelf space in pretty much every major retailer across the country. 

In this episode, Sam shares the wild origin story of Goodwipes - which started with a bathroom conversation at a Florida State fraternity house - and breaks down how they've built a premium flushable wipes brand that's revolutionizing the restroom routine for millions of Americans.

We dive into their scrappy early days, the importance of bootstrapping and building on a budget, and how they navigated formulation challenges to create a product that truly stands out. Sam gets tactical on brand identity and packaging design, explaining why "in-home aesthetics" matter just as much as shelf appeal, and walks through the naming process that led to Goodwipes.

We also cover retail strategy at scale - what's unique about Walmart, Target, and Kroger, why placement in the toilet paper aisle vs personal care matters, and how they've successfully scaled into 10,000+ doors. Sam shares insights on the challenges of sampling wipes, their growing presence in airports, and what it takes to launch new products successfully.

---------------

Episode Highlights:

🚽 The fraternity house origin story
💪 Bootstrapping lessons from franchising and nightlife
🧪 Formulation R&D and product iteration
📦 Brand identity, packaging, and "in-home aesthetics"
✏️ The naming process and creating approachability
🛒 Walmart, Target, Kroger—what's different about each
📍 Why aisle placement matters (TP aisle vs personal care)
✈️ The airport channel opportunity
📈 Scaling from 100 to 1,000 to 10,000+ doors
🚀 New product development and hitting timelines
🎯 Risk and opportunity ahead
👀 Trends and brands Sam is watching

---------------

Table of Contents:

0:00 - Intro
0:47 - Origin story and goodwipes overview
3:21 - Lessons as a franchisee
5:22 - Lessons as a nightlife agency owner
7:59 - Building on a budget, fundraising
11:02 - Formulation and R&D
14:00 - Product roadmap and innovation
15:32 - Brand identity and packaging design
19:41 - The importance of in-home aesthetics
21:43 - The naming process
23:32 - Walmart, Target and Kroger and beyond
27:41 - Sampling wipes?
29:12 - Airports
31:10 - Scaling into 10K+ doors
32:28 - NPD decision process, getting it right
35:15 - Risk and opportunities
36:58 - Trends and brands Sam is watching

---------------

Links:

Goodwipes – https://www.goodwipes.com
Follow Sam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingofwipes/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Seth Waite, Partner at Schaefer, the buyer psychology firm that helps brands understand why people actually buy. Seth has spent his career building, advising, and investing in businesses at the intersection of CPG, ecommerce, and analytics, with a deep focus on turning consumer insight into commercial clarity.

Seth breaks down how Schaefer approaches buyer research, why brands routinely misdiagnose demand, and the lies teams tell themselves about customer behavior. He introduces the single highest-leverage question a brand can ask to uncover true motivation and walks through Schaefer’s core frameworks, including the Kingpin Strategy and the Why People Buy Pyramid.

We also get into the Marketing Efficiency Paradox, why functional benefits alone rarely create durable advantage, and how brands accidentally make shoppers do the work through over-messaging and feature overload. Seth brings the theory to life with real-world examples, from kale at Pizza Hut buffets to what French’s Mustard teaches us about focus, meaning, and growth across DTC and retail.

---------------

Episode Highlights:

🧠 How Schaefer studies buyer psychology
❌ The lies brands tell themselves about why customers buy
❓ The highest-leverage question in consumer research
🎳 The Kingpin Strategy and why focus beats expansion
📉 The Marketing Efficiency Paradox
🔺 The Why People Buy Pyramid
🥬 Kale at Pizza Hut buffets and what it proves
🛒 Why brands shouldn’t make shoppers do the work
🟡 Lessons from French’s Mustard
🏬 DTC vs. retail: what actually changes
📦 Why “functional” is rarely enough
🔮 Trends and brands Seth is watching

---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 - Intro
00:47 - Schaefer breakdown
07:08 - Lies that brands tell themselves about why customers buy
09:20 - The highest leverage question a brand can ask
13:11 - The Kingpin Strategy
17:18 - The Marketing Efficiency Paradox
19:58 - The Why People Buy Pyramid
28:54 - Kale at Pizza Hut buffets and beyond
30:31 - Don’t make shoppers do the work
33:25 - What we can learn from French’s Mustard
37:42 - DTC vs Retail
42:43 - Functional this, functional that
45:00 - Brands and trends Seth is watching

---------------

Links:

Schaefer - https://schaefer.co/
Why People Buy - https://whypeoplebuy.com/
Follow Seth on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwaite
Follow me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Jeff Grogg, Founder & Managing Director of JPG Resources - one of the most influential food and beverage innovation and operations platforms in CPG. He's also a Co-founder of RCV Frontline Ventures.

Jeff has spent decades building, scaling, and advising brands across every stage of growth - from early formulation through commercialization, scale, and exit.

Before founding JPG Resources, Jeff held senior R&D and innovation roles at Kellogg and Kashi during its hypergrowth years. Since then, he’s worked alongside hundreds of emerging and established brands.

Jeff breaks down the current state of innovation in food and beverage, where founders are quietly taking on the biggest risks without realizing it, how to build a true culture of innovation, when product portfolio expansion makes sense (and when it absolutely doesn’t), and how brands can launch products on time and on budget without blowing up margins.

Jeff also shares hard-earned insights on convenience as a growth driver, reducing COGS without sacrificing quality, navigating co-manufacturer relationships, the difference between chasing microtrends versus building around durable macro shifts, and how brands should think about preparing for an exit.

---------------

Episode Highlights:

🥦 Scaling Caulipower into a nine-figure brand
🧠 The current reset happening in CPG innovation
⚠️ The biggest hidden risks founders take with innovation
🏗️ Building a real culture of innovation
📊 When product portfolio expansion is justified
⏱️ Launching products on time and on budget
🛒 Why convenience drives repeat and scale
💰 Practical ways to reduce COGS
🏭 How to work with co-manufacturers strategically
🌊 Macro vs. micro trends in food & beverage
🔮 Where Jeff sees the biggest opportunities ahead
🚪 What it really takes to prepare for an exit

---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:55 – Origin story, JPG Resources services & venture investing
03:10 – Scaling Caulipower to nine figures
04:10 – The state of innovation in CPG
07:46 – One of the biggest risks to innovation
10:09 – Building a culture of innovation
12:43 – Justifying product portfolio expansion
14:53 – Launching products on time and on budget
17:19 – The importance of convenience
20:48 – Reducing COGS
24:21 – Co-manufacturers
29:10 – Macro vs. micro trends
31:06 – Trends and opportunities
33:40 – Getting ready for an exit

---------------

Links:

JPG Resources – https://www.jpgresources.com
Follow Jeff on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgrogg/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Kathrin Henon, Founder & CEO of Planet Bake - the better-for-you donut brand making sugar-free, low-carb, gluten-free, plant-based donuts that actually taste indulgent.

Kathrin shares her journey from a design and fashion background to building Planet Bake during the pandemic, driven by a desire to solve real problems around sugar, metabolic health, and access to healthier indulgences. Growing up in Germany shaped her perspective on food quality and sugar consumption, and that lens heavily influences how she thinks about formulation, branding, and product strategy today.

We get deep into the tactical side of building an early-stage CPG brand. Kathrin walks through brand identity and packaging decisions, early formulation and R&D challenges, how Planet Bake explored different sweeteners before landing on the right solution, and what it takes to find and work with co-packers early on.

A big part of the conversation focuses on early-stage financial pressure: managing cash when vendors want upfront payment, tools that can help bridge cash gaps, and why fundraising, banking, and credit are especially broken for emerging CPG brands. 

---------------

Episode Highlights:

🍩 Building a better-for-you donut brand from scratch
🇩🇪 How Kathrin’s German upbringing shaped Planet Bake
🎨 Brand identity and packaging design decisions
🧪 Formulation, R&D, and sweetener exploration
🏭 Finding and working with co-packers early
💸 Cash flow challenges most founders underestimate
🧰 Tools that help relieve early-stage cash crunch
🤝 Fundraising and financial support for early brands
📦 Velocity vs. distribution in the early days
👥 Building demo collectives to drive sell-through
🚚 Distributors, brokers, and retail strategy
🚀 2026 goals and trends Kathrin is watching

---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:48 – Origin story
02:57 – Kathrin’s German upbringing
04:22 – Brand identity and packaging design
06:31 – Formulation and R&D
09:36 – Sweetener exploration
11:52 – Product roadmap
12:29 – Co-packers
15:56 – Cash flow challenges
17:52 – Tools to help with the cash crunch
20:08 – Fundraising at the early stage
21:54 – Support communities for early-stage founders
24:04 – Velocity vs. distribution in the early days
25:41 – Building a demo “collective” to drive sell-through
26:42 – Distributors and brokers
29:18 – 2026 goals, Sprouts
29:54 – Trends Kathrin is watching

---------------

Links:

Planet Bake – https://planet-bake.com/
Follow Kathrin on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrinhenon/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Jake Tannenbaum, Founder & CEO of Craftmix - the instant cocktail (and other things) mixer brand built for people who want better drinks without the mess, prep, or sugar bombs. 

Jake started Craftmix after years of bartending and realizing that even he couldn’t make a decent cocktail at friends’ houses with what they actually had on hand. That insight turned into a new product format - single-serve powdered mixers - and eventually an entirely new product category. 

We get into the early days of Craftmix, from six months of kitchen R&D and roommates spitting out bad iterations, to the “brownie mix” insight that explains why a little bit of participation makes products more fun. 

Jake breaks down the decision to move from DIY production to co-packers, what founders consistently underestimate about formulation and scale, and how building a brand is very different from building a product category. 

We also dig into demand planning lessons from selling out multiple times, how brand identity and packaging design impact shelf clarity and velocity, why the target demographic ended up being different than expected, and what it really took to win on Amazon before expanding into retail. 

We cover Kroger learnings, corporate gifting as a legitimate channel, how QVC works behind the scenes, and what’s next on Craftmix’s product roadmap.

---------------

Episode Highlights:

🍸 Bartender-to-founder origin story and the real problem Craftmix solves
🧪 Formulation and R&D lessons from early kitchen experiments
🧁 The “brownie mix” variable and why interaction matters
🏭 When and how to transition to a co-packer
📦 Building a brand while educating consumers on a new category
📊 Demand planning, inventory risk, and avoiding stockouts
🎨 Brand identity and packaging design in a cluttered aisle
🎯 How and why the target demo shifted
🏆 Winning on Amazon before expanding into retail
🏪 Retail velocity, Kroger learnings, and category education
🎁 Corporate gifting as a real, scalable channel
📺 QVC: live selling, pressure, and unexpected upside
🧭 Product roadmap and trends JT is watching

---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 - Intro
00:00 - Origin story
02:37 - Formulation and R&D
03:43 - The “brownie mix” variable
05:13 - Transitioning to a copacker
10:34 - Building a brand AND a product category
12:10 - Demand planning
14:43 - Brand identity and packaging design
16:43 - Target demo
17:51 - Winning on Amazon
21:11 - Breaking into retail
26:23 - Brand awareness and product category drive velocity
27:19 - Winning in Kroger
28:16 - Corporate gifting is a real channel
29:26 - QVC
31:41 - Product roadmap
32:21 - Trends JT is watching

---------------

Links:

Craftmix – https://www.craftmix.com/
Follow Jake on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-tannenbaum-a21876128/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Matt Borish, VP of Marketing at Union Chill Cannabis Co. - a multi-state cannabis retailer operating in New Jersey and New York.

We get into the realities of driving foot traffic and new customer visits when paid media options are limited and competition ramps quickly. Matt breaks down how Union Chill approaches the Super Bowl of cannabis, how they think about platform spend, and how to balance acquisition versus retention in a category where margins are constantly under pressure.

We also dive deep into promo mechanics, product mix decisions, and how category trends like beverages and infused prerolls are reshaping the retail experience. Matt shares how Union Chill thinks about tech stack, consumer demographics, and what he’s watching as the cannabis retail landscape continues to evolve.

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Episode Highlights:

🌿 Driving foot traffic with limited paid media
🔥 Green Wednesday strategy and promo planning
💸 Marketing budget allocation and platform spend
🔁 Balancing acquisition vs retention in cannabis retail
📊 Building repeatable promo frameworks
🧠 Retail tech stack and tooling decisions
🚀 Launching dispensaries in new adult-use markets
📦 Product mix strategy and category performance
🥤 Beverages and infused preroll trends
👥 Understanding shifting consumer demographics
📉 Marketing under 280E constraints
📈 Trends shaping the future of cannabis retail

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Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:42 – Matt’s journey in cannabis
03:16 – Green Wednesday
04:00 – Driving traffic and new customers to retail
06:55 – Marketing budget allocation
09:12 – Platform spend
10:15 – Retention strategies
11:25 – Recurring promo strategy
14:37 – Tech stack
15:54 – Dispensary launch strategy
17:58 – Building out a retailer promo framework in a new cannabis market
19:29 – Product mix
20:51 – Beverages
22:22 – Infused prerolls
22:54 – Consumer demographics
25:43 – Optimizing for 280E
26:24 – Trends

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Links:

Union Chill Cannabis Company – https://unionchillco.com/
Follow Matt on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-borish-09933b27/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.

Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.