Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

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.

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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

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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

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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. 

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Jessica Berger, Founder & CEO of Bundle X Joy, the female-founded, purpose-driven pet brand rethinking dog nutrition, branding, and community.

Jess brings nearly two decades of experience from inside the pet industry, including building private label brands and working across major retailers, before stepping out to create the brand she wished existed.

We get into the realities of launching a modern pet brand from scratch - how early formulation and R&D decisions shape everything that comes next, how to think about initial SKU strategy, and what founders should know about pet co-packers and commercialization before scaling.

We also dig deep into brand identity and packaging design and why Jess trusted her gut despite some tough feedback. Jess shares how she built community before launch, the go-to-market strategy that unlocked early traction, and what it really took to land major retailers like Walmart and Costco.

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Episode Highlights:

🐶 Jess’s origin story and journey through “Big Pet”
🏭 Building private label brands and lessons from inside the industry
🧪 Formulation, R&D, and early SKU decision-making
📦 Working with pet co-packers and commercializing products
🎨 Brand identity and packaging design decisions
✏️ The naming process behind Bundle X Joy
🤝 Building community before launch
🚀 Go-to-market strategy and early traction
🛒 What it really took to land Walmart
🏬 Lessons from selling into Costco
🔮 Brands and trends Jess is watching next

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Table of Contents:

00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Origin story
03:33 - “Big Pet” experience, building private label brands
07:07 - Formulation and R&D, go-to-market SKU decisions
10:53 - Pet co-packers and commercialization
14:44 - Brand identity and packaging design, sticking with your gut
19:49 - The naming process
22:12 - Building community pre-launch
23:56 - Go-to-market strategy
29:45 - Walmart and beyond
34:17 - Costco
35:46 - Brands and trends Jess is watching

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Links:

Bundle X Joy – https://bundlexjoy.com
Follow Jess on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicarberger/
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 Gabriel González, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Casalú, the rum-based RTD cocktail brand.

In Gabriel’s own words, his goal is to build the Red Bull of Latino culture.

We dive into the initial insight that rum was missing from the hard seltzer boom, and the broader cultural shift that made a Latino-first brand not just viable, but necessary. Gabriel shares how Casalú was built for their own community first, and why Latin culture becoming pop culture fundamentally changed the opportunity.

We also dig into early formulation and R&D decisions, including painful product failures and fermentation issues that forced production shutdowns and hard resets. Gabriel walks through what those moments taught them about liquid development, co-packers, and knowing when to rethink both product and process.

We talk candidly about starting with self-managed distribution, learning the hard way how to actually drive velocity, and what it really takes to succeed with major retailers like Walmart. Gabriel also breaks down Casalú’s recent brand refresh, why clarity at shelf matters more than just being “cool,” and how they’re thinking about culture, community, and scale heading into 2026.

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Episode Highlights:

🍋 Why rum was missing from the hard seltzer boom
🧪 Early formulation and R&D lessons
🏭 What they learned working with co-packers
⚠️ Product failures that shut down production
🎶 Building the Red Bull of Latino culture
📈 Growing a following from nothing
🚚 Starting with self-managed distribution
⚡ Tactics for driving real retail velocity
🏪 Getting in the door and succeeding at Walmart
🎨 The strategy behind the Casalú brand refresh
🎯 2026 goals and what’s next

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Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:51 – Origin story
02:55 – Formulation and R&D
05:20 – Co-packers
10:22 – Formulation challenges and failed product
12:32 – Building the Red Bull of Latino culture
19:07 – Building a following from nothing
22:21 – Starting with self-managed distribution
25:40 – Tactics for driving velocity
29:48 – Getting in the door and succeeding at Walmart
32:30 – The what and why of the Casalú brand refresh
40:46 – 2026 goals

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Links:

Casalú – https://casalu.com/
Follow Gabriel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielgonzalezorta/
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 Cody Allen and Alex Bennet, Co-Founders of Joon Foods, the award-winning pistachio brand that’s gone from zero to roughly 1,500 doors in just seven months.

Built on a 300-year-old family recipe and a modern, flavor-forward approach, Joon is showing consumers what pistachios “really taste like”.

We get into the realities of formulation and R&D, how they approached finding the right manufacturing partner for a unique cooking process, and why they chose to start with just three flavors instead of chasing constant innovation.

They also unpack their go-to-market strategy - from leaning into C-stores early (thanks to Cody’s family distribution background) to using Faire as both a revenue driver and an unexpected marketing engine. We talk pricing, velocity versus door count, grocery delivery platforms like Thrive and Hungryroot, and how they think about scaling without getting ahead of themselves.

This is a tactical, in-the-weeds conversation about building a modern snack brand the hard way through distribution, data, and discipline.

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Episode Highlights:

🥜 Turning a 300-year-old family recipe into a modern CPG brand
🚀 Growing to ~1,500 doors in seven months via C-stores
🏭 Formulation, R&D, and finding the right manufacturing partner
🌿 Clean-label flavor strategy (no seed oils, no artificial flavors)
🎨 Brand identity, naming, and award-winning packaging design
💰 Pricing a premium product across channels
📦 Lessons from multi-generation food distribution
🛒 Using Faire as both a sales and marketing engine
📊 Velocity vs distribution and avoiding overexpansion
🔍 Snack brands and trends Alex and Cody are watching

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Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
01:06 – Origin story
04:05 – Formulation and R&D
07:08 – Finding and partnering with a co-packer
08:45 – Flavor strategy
12:49 – Brand identity, naming, and packaging design
19:49 – Pricing
22:52 – Lessons from Cody’s family distribution business
25:22 – Starting with C-stores
28:26 – Faire
29:15 – Grocery delivery
30:22 – Velocity vs distribution, Faire
41:02 – Brands and trends Alex and Cody are watching

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Links:

Joon Foods – https://eatjoonfoods.com/
Follow Cody on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyallen24/
Follow Alex on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/al
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 Mac Anderson, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of Cleveland Kitchen (formerly Cleveland Kraut) - the #1 kimchi and kraut brand in the U.S.

Mac, his brother Drew, and their brother-in-law Luke built the company from Saturday farmer’s markets into a national fermented-foods platform spanning kraut, kimchi, pickles, and more, now sitting at roughly 15,000 doors.

We get into the real mechanics of building in the fermented category. Mac breaks down how farmer’s markets became their most valuable feedback engine, what finally gave him the confidence to leave his day job, and how they approached formulation and R&D when “fermented” is both a flavor and a process.

Mac also walks through what it takes to scale without losing quality - minimizing batch variance, deciding when to go vertical with in-house manufacturing, and how a cold-chain, time-based product fundamentally changes the business model.

We dig into brand identity and packaging decisions that help Cleveland Kitchen win on shelf, how they think about defending territory as the category leader, and what they learned from acquiring Sonoma Brinery.

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Episode Highlights:

🥬 Building Cleveland Kitchen with family
🧺 Why farmer’s markets are the best real-world product lab in CPG
🚪 When it actually makes sense to leave your full-time job
🧪 Formulation & R&D in a process-driven category
📉 Minimizing batch variance as you scale
🏭 Going vertical: when in-house manufacturing becomes the edge
🧬 The fermentation business model (time, cold chain, inventory)
🎨 Brand identity & packaging decisions that drive velocity
📈 Scaling into ~15,000 doors
🛡️ Defending territory as the market leader
🤝 Lessons from acquiring Sonoma Brinery
🔭 Trends and brands Mac is watching right now

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Table of Contents:

00:00 - Intro
00:47 - Cleveland Kitchen origin story, building with family
05:54 - Farmer’s Market learning lessons
07:34 - When to leave your full-time job
10:01 - Formulation and R&D
12:29 - Minimizing batch variance at scale
14:06 - Going vertical (in-house manufacturing)
17:26 - The fermentation business
19:59 - Brand identity and packaging design
22:48 - Scaling into 15,000 doors
26:52 - Defending territory as the market leader
29:59 - Acquiring Sonoma Brinery
34:06 - Trends and brands Mac is watching

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Links:

Cleveland Kitchen – https://www.clevelandkitchen.com/
Follow Mac on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mac-anderson-98500973/
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 Kristina Marino, BevAlc consultant and marketing leader, who’s helped scale brands like Mr Black and Kombrewcha just to name a few. Kristina brings an operator’s lens to today’s bevalc reality: tougher distributor dynamics, shifting shopper behavior, and the need to design brands that earn repeat in both off-prem and on-prem.

We get into what’s working now in bevalc: how to earn a distributor’s attention without overspending, why on-prem needs a purpose-built SKU or ritual, and how early wins come from ruthless focus on route-to-market and velocity metrics (not just awareness).

Kristina also shares her brand identity playbook, the levers that actually move repeat purchase, and what the post-M&A integration process looks like from the inside.

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Episode Highlights:

🥃 Learning lessons from scaling Mr. Black and Kombrewcha
📉 Distributor reality in 2025
🧭 Route-to-market first
🍸 On-premise with purpose
🔁 Driving repeat purchase
🪪 Brand identity playbook: briefs that translate, system-first packaging, and shelf ↔ digital alignment
🧩 Post-M&A integration
📈 Where she’d place bets now and the spirit trends she’s watching

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Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:39 – Kristina’s experience in the bevalc
03:12 – The current bevalc landscape
05:14 – Trends Kristina is seeing
09:25 – Today’s bevalc distributor landscape
11:53 – How a bevalc startup can win in today’s market
13:42 – What category Kristina would focus on today if she started a brand
15:43 – Brand identity playbook in bevalc
17:34 – On-premise vs off-premise in the early days
18:49 – Driving repeat purchase
21:37 – What the post-M&A integration process looks like
23:17 – Brand and trends Kristina is excited about in spirits

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Links:

Follow Kristina on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/krimarino/
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 Tyrel Johnson, the Co-Founder & CEO of Natty Ice Cream, the high-protein, clean-label ice cream brand rapidly breaking into the frozen set. 

Tyrel and his brother Garrett turned a home fitness journey, a Ninja Creami obsession, and relentless R&D into a brand that's gaining traction fast.

Tyrel shares the inside story of building Natty from a Breville machine to a fully licensed dairy manufacturing facility, then making the pivotal decision to shift from in-house production to a co-packer to support scale. 

We dive deep into brand identity and how Natty’s bold, dark packaging and Greek-god iconography carve out visual white space behind foggy freezer doors. Tyrel shares tactics on breaking into frozen retail, working with brokers and distributors, managing trade spend, and building a brand that wins the first trial and earns repeat.

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Episode Highlights:

🍦 The fitness journey that inspired Natty Ice Cream
🧪 How they cracked the code on high-protein ice cream texture
🏭 Building a licensed dairy facility - then pivoting to a co-man
🎨 Why contrast drives frozen aisle packaging strategy
🔍 Visual storytelling and owning white space in frozen
📈 Breaking into Erewhon and early retail traction
🤝 Working with brokers, distributors, and deciding when to scale
📊 Modeling trade spend, margins, and operational realities
🚀 Emerging brands and trends Tyrel is tracking across CPG

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Table of Contents:

00:00 - Intro
00:37 - Natty Ice Cream origin story
03:12 - Building a brand with family
05:33 - Early days of formulation and R&D
09:46 - Product roadmap
10:48 - Pivoting to a copacker
13:34 - Brand identity and packaging design
18:24 - Operating in the frozen category
20:35 - Strategies to stand out in frozen at retail
23:30 - Erewhon
27:37 - Brokers and distributors
31:22 - Brands and trends Tyrel is watching

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Links:

Natty Ice Cream – https://nattyicecream.com/
Follow Tyrel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyreljohnson/ 
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.