Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

On this episode, we’re joined by Jordan Wilson, Co-Founder & CEO of Sap’s, the clean, canned hydration brand built to deliver “powder-stick efficiency in an RTD can.” 

Jordan opens up his R&D playbook (coconut-water powder, a small amount of natural sugar, shiitake/adaptogens, and acidity/mouthfeel), explains why Sap’s moved from sleeves to digitally printed cans, and breaks down the realities of scaling with regional DSDs. 

We get tactical on EOS and core metrics, hiring, H-E-B’s flex-item authorization and how Jordan is working to solidify a permanent place on the shelf, c-stores, demos and the “experiential channel” Sap’s is building through run clubs, golf, and pickleball. 

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Episode Highlights:

💧 Formulating a daily-use hydration RTD in a can
🧪 Iterating flavor at scale: acid profile, off-note fixes, “easier to chug” mouthfeel
🥫 Why the can matters: sustainability, shelf pop, and social cues vs. PET
🎨 Visual identity that signals “pre-sugar Gatorade” trust
🧵 Sleeves vs. digitally printed cans: COGS, line speed, and operational complexity
🚚 Distributors: when small DSDs beat big houses, and how to make both win
🏪 H-E-B flex authorization
🛒 C-store strategy
🎟️ Building an “experiential channel” (run clubs, golf, pickleball) 
📊 Operating cadence: EOS rocks and scorecards
👥 Why Sap’s hired a Chief Sales Officer
🔭 Brands & trends Jordan is watching across hydration, better-for-you, and athleisure

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Table of Contents:

00:41:28 - Intro and origin story
03:20:22 - Formulation and R&D
07:28:15 - The impact of the can packaging form factor
10:48:21 - Visual identity and packaging design
12:15:17 - Sleeves vs digital printed cans
14:45:00 - Recs for the brand identity and vis id development process
15:49:06 - Distributors, big vs small, how to optimize for success
19:41:01 - Retail, flex auth at H-E-B, pushing velocity, demos
23:28:20 - C-stores
26:27:06 - Sap’s “experiential channel”
27:55:20 - Metrics, EOS
29:10:12 - Hiring, the new Chief Sales Officer
31:30:00 - Brands and trends Jordan is following

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Links:

Sap’s - https://www.sapsoriginal.com
Follow Jordan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-wilson-13209159/
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 Eric Girard, VP of Sales & Marketing at Van Holten’s, to break down all things licensing and co-branding. 

He explains how the first deal started when a Tapatío licensing agency approached them at a trade show, how he had to sell it internally (“why pay a royalty?”), and how mentioning Tapatío suddenly opened doors with category managers - 7-Eleven even helped launch it in 2019. 

Eric details their development rule of thumb (have a signed deal or at least royalty/terms outlined before going too far) and why they aim for the “essence” of a partner’s flavor rather than an exact match (Tapatío took ~27 iterations; the vinegar system sets guardrails). 

He gets specific on deal structure—keep royalties south of 10%, at least three-year terms, agreements focused on style guides—and differences by partner (e.g., Warner Bros/Pickle Rick is more structured than Impact Confections/Warheads). And Eric lays out the margin philosophy: the product must be profitable, but he’s okay with a lower margin if it helps sell core dill pickles and gets brokers and category managers leaning in.

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Episode Highlights:

🥒 Origin of the Pickle-In-A-Pouch and why ambient single-serve wins
🤝 Licensing & co-branding: choosing partners, briefs, and approvals
💸 Deal structure, royalties, MDF, and protecting margin
🧪 Multi-flavor production: brines, line changes, and QA at scale
🎨 Visual identity and packaging updates that drive velocity
⛽ C-store realities: planograms, secondary placement, and DSD
📣 Marketing resourcing: what to insource, what to outsource
🎪 Trade shows that matter and how to actually win them
🔭 Flavors, formats, and cultural trends Eric is tracking

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Table of Contents:

00:45:18 – Intro and overview, origin of the pouch
02:32:36 – How the pickle space has evolved, where it’s going
05:34:15 – Licensing and co-branding
14:13:16 – Licensing deal structure, margin philosophy
18:18:20 – Licensor and licensee commitments
22:01:27 – Recs for licensing-focused leaders
23:25:25 – Different flavors for different markets?
25:21:23 – Production logistics for multiple flavors, multiple formulations
27:20:12 – Visual identity and packaging design
29:44:06 – C-stores
31:24:03 – Marketing resources
32:53:19 – Winning at tradeshows
36:01:03 – Brands and trends Eric is tracking

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Links:

Van Holten’s – https://vanholtenpickles.com
Follow Eric on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-girard-a80782/
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 Eli Bank, the Co-founder and COO of Absurd Snacks, a top-9-allergen-free, snack company that started as a senior capstone project at the University of Richmond and now sells in Whole Foods, Kroger, Publix, and college campuses across the Mid-Atlantic.

Eli walks us through how he and co-founder Grace turned their classroom idea into a fully commercialized brand, navigating student grants, allergen-safe formulation, hand-filling tens of thousands of bags, and eventually scaling to a co-packer.

We dig into the behind-the-scenes of launching in national retailers, demo tactics that drive real velocity, and how grants in the early days can be an alternative to fundraising.

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Episode Highlights:

🥣 From college project to Whole Foods shelves
💰 How to fund your brand with grants (instead of VC)
🌰 Making snacks that are top-9-allergen-free
🏭 When to move to a co-man (and how to pick one)
🛍️ Opening doors at Whole Foods, Kroger & Publix
📈 Demo strategies that actually drive turns
🎯 Channel differences and retailer expectations
🚀 What he’s learned after producing 100K+ units by hand
📦 Fancy Food Show & trade show strategy
📊 Trends Eli’s watching in snacking and allergen-friendly CPG

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Table of Contents:

00:00:00 – Intro
00:40:11 – Absurd Snacks intro
04:17:00 – From capstone project to on the shelf
09:49:25 – Grants, the alternative to early-stage fundraising
11:48:25 – Formulation and commercialization philosophy
14:21:26 – Transitioning to a co-packer, allergen free reqs
19:36:22 – A bunch of recommendations surrounding co-packers
22:50:08 – Opening up the first few doors
25:54:07 – Demo strategies
29:36:18 – Whole Foods vs Kroger vs Publix
34:16:26 – Fancy Food 2025
38:37:09 – Trends Eli is tracking

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Links:

Absurd Snacks - https://absurdsnacks.com
Follow Eli on LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/elibank/
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 Mitch Jacobsen, P.Eng., Co-Founder & CEO of Rviita, a Calgary-based energy tea brand packaged in lightweight, resealable spouted pouches. 

Mitch went from petroleum engineer to beverage entrepreneur after a friend’s energy drink-related near-death experience. He walks us through the hard-won lessons of product development as a CPG newbie and why he chose to vertically integrate early and build a custom filling line. 

We also get tactical on distributor relationships in Canada, how to prep for buyer meetings, and channel strategies for Costco and Amazon.

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Episode Highlights:

 🍵 The “why” behind Rviita’s tea-based energy and low-sugar formulation
 🧪 Early R&D mistakes and how a bad taste test improved the product
 🧴 Why a spouted pouch (and how it became a moat)
 🏭 Building a custom filling line - costs, headaches, and speed advantages
 🔌 When vertical integration makes sense (and when it doesn’t)
 🛒 First retail commitments, buyer outreach, and meeting prep
 🚚 The Canadian distributor landscape and how to be a great partner
 💸 What distribution really does to your margins
 🏬 Costco realities: packaging, sampling, and velocity expectations
 🛍️ Amazon playbook: positioning, reviews, and ops basics
 🎨 Brand identity and packaging design choices that drive trial
 👥 Internal vs external resources as the team scales
 📈 CPG trends Mitch is watching next

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Table of Contents:

 00:41:10 - Rviita intro and origin story
 02:37:22 - The early days of R&D and formulation as a CPG newbie
 03:31:13 - Mitch’s two core product requirements
 04:10:06 - Ranking dead last in a friend and family taste-test
 05:53:26 - The path to a unique packaging form factor
 09:32:06 - The decision to vertically integrate early
 10:24:23 - Building the custom filling line, the pros and cons
 12:35:17 - Recs for early operators considering going vertical
 15:17:22 - How investors view the vertical integration decision now
 15:22:04 - Brand identity, packaging design
 18:04:00 - Getting the first retail commitment
 20:00:09 - Mitch’s cold call approach for buyers, how it’s evolved
 21:13:08 - Buyer meeting prep
 22:33:27 - The distributor landscape in Canada
 24:49:03 - How to be a good partner to your distributor
 26:20:17 - A distributor’s impact on margin
 27:17:25 - Costco
 30:25:29 - Amazon
 34:47:22 - Internal vs external resources
 36:20:10 - Trends Mitch is tracking

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Links:

Rviita – https://rviitalize.com/
Follow Mitch on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitch-jacobsen-p-eng-89277649/
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 Nick Mallory, VP of Marketing at Ackley Brands, the Pacific Northwest, family-owned beverage platform behind a growing portfolio of wine and beer brands (15 as of now).

Nick breaks down Ackley’s origin story and roll-up thesis, the decision framework for what makes a great fit, and the first-90-days playbook once a brand joins the family. We dig into “thin slicing” markets (how small is small enough), how to organize shared services vs. brand-dedicated teams, and what his marketing/creative org actually looks like.

From there, we get tactical: agency due diligence, shifting from big-budget playbooks to smaller-brand realities, and his empathy-first brand development approach (“VBBP”). We also cover “know your coloring box” (constraints that enable creativity) and how to approach refresh vs. rebrand decisions. We finish with Costco realities, the state of hemp beverages, and how Nick thinks about “share of throat” and “share of buzz".

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 Episode Highlights:

🍷 Ackley’s origin story and portfolio strategy
🧭 The post-acquisition playbook, first-90 days from audit to activation
🔬 “Thin slicing” your market
🏗️ Shared services vs. brand-specific teams across a portfolio
🎨 Inside the Ackley marketing & creative org
🤝 Agency due diligence
📉 Moving from big brands to small brands
💛 Empathy-first brand development (“VBBP”)
🖍️ “Know your coloring box”
🛒 Shopper & retail tactics that translate to velocity (pack, promo, POS)
🧺 Costco
🌿 Hemp beverages
📣 “Share of throat” and “share of buzz”

—---------------

Table of Contents:

00:47:13 – Ackley origin story and portfolio strategy/overview
03:55:18 – What determines if a brand is a good fit for the portfolio?
06:43:14 – The post-acquisition playbook
09:35:27 – “Thin slicing” your market, context switching
13:48:19 – Shared services vs brand-specific org across a portfolio
15:47:18 – The Ackley Brands marketing and creative org
17:50:00 – Nick’s agency due diligence process
18:49:10 – Shifting from bigger brands to smaller brands
25:28:20 – Empathy-first brand development, “VBBP”
30:04:03 – “Know your coloring box”
32:25:16 – Brand refreshes, questions to ask
36:16:02 – Rebrands: balancing the new and the old
39:25:14 – Shopper and retail marketing tactics
41:41:10 – Costco
45:19:09 – Hemp beverages
47:08:07 – “Share of throat” and “share of buzz”

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Links:

Ackley Brands – https://www.ackleybrands.com
Follow Nick on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmallory/
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 Jimmy DeCicco, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Super Coffee, the RTD coffee brand started by Jimmy and his two brothers that went from a dorm-room blend to 70,000+ doors and a $50M+ run rate.

A former captain of the Colgate football team, Jimmy unpacks what they got wrong when they tried to go “big-league” too soon, and the profit-first reboot that followed. We dive into how the team executed a 65→15 SKU rationalization and an 80% cost reset, plus Super Coffee’s “neighborhood by neighborhood” approach. 

We also cover exec team shake-ups, how a seasoned CMO sharpened positioning, and the systems that actually drive velocity.

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Episode Highlights:

🏈 From Colgate captain to CPG operator
🧪 Early R&D: cracking protein + coffee + zero added sugar,
🏭 Co-packers
🧃 Brand evolution: early cues from Honest Tea
🎯 Identity-building
🚚 Distributor partnerships: what “true partnership” looks like
🗺️ “Neighborhood by neighborhood” approach
🏟️ Thinking they were “big-league ready” everywhere at a $25M run rate
 📊 The 80/20 reality: doubling down on hero SKUs and hero doors
 🛒 Big-box takeaways: Target, Walmart, Albertsons
 ⛽ C-store strategy
 ✂️ SKU rationalization
 💸 Cutting costs by 80%
 🧭 Bringing in a seasoned CEO,
 🔭 Trends Jimmy is tracking

—---------------

Table of Contents:

00:40:23 - Intro and origin story
02:14:01 - Captain of the Colgate football team to captain of Super Coffee
05:39:24 - The early days of R&D and formulation
08:19:15 - Copackers and scaling up
11:51:13 - The evolution of the brand (initial influence from Honest Tea)
13:53:12 - Recommendations for building a brand identity
16:03:13 - An invaluable contribution from Super Coffee’s seasoned CMO
16:49:24 - Building a true partnership with your distributor
19:10:24 - A “neighborhood by neighborhood” approach
21:33:23 - Thinking they were ready for the “big leagues”
22:52:08 - The 80/20 rule is real
23:46:19 - Target, Walmart, Albertsons, etc.
25:53:21 - C-stores
29:04:10 - SKU rationalization (65 SKUs to 15 SKUs)
32:37:21 - Cutting costs by 80%
35:17:01 - Bringing in a seasoned CEO, and back again
37:52:23 - Trends Jimmy is tracking

—---------------

Links:

Super Coffee – https://www.drinksupercoffee.com
Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-decicco/
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 Peter Barsoom, the Co-Founder & CEO of 1906, the fast-acting, function-first cannabis brand that has defied the odds to become a leader in the space.

A former Wall Street exec turned plant-medicine operator, Peter breaks down how 1906 customized their rapid onset tech, why they started with pressed pills and how naming SKUs by effect helped create an entirely new lane in cannabis.

Peter takes us inside 1906’s R&D playbook, the terpenes and edibles myth, and best-selling SKUs.

We also dive into what’s broken in the dispensary experience, where hemp-derived products are headed, and how 1906 became the largest importer of kanna in North America.

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Episode Highlights:

💊 Why pressed pills came first
🧪 Rapid onset tech: platform basics, patents, and real-world onset times
🧉 Edibles & terpenes: A myth
🔬 How 1906 validates efficacy
🏆 Best-selling SKUs
🤝 State-by-state expansion
🎨 Brand identity, clear effect naming, and packaging strategy
🛍️ What’s broken in dispensary CX
🌿 The hemp landscape
🥂 Off Duty: a flavorless, sugar-free “add to anything” beverage in your pocket
🌺 Kanna
👥 The 1906 team

—---------------

Table of Contents:

 00:52:17 - 1906 intro and origin story
 03:57:07 - The early days of product development
 07:53:09 - Rapid onset tech, patents
 10:39:01 - Edibles and terpenes, it’s a “myth”
 12:10:28 - How the rapid onset tech works
 14:00:00 - How 1906 decided what SKUs (effects) to launch with first
 15:35:03 - Validating the efficacy of a product in development
 19:24:12 - Best selling SKUs
 21:03:21 - Building strong, state-by-state partnerships
 25:28:25 - Brand identity, messaging, packaging design
 29:05:07 - Succeeding where others have failed
 34:23:25 - The flaws of the dispensary customer experience
 37:01:22 - Where hemp is heading
 41:50:27 - Off Duty, the new new
 45:47:23 - 1906 is the largest importer of Kanna in N.A.
 46:49:16 - The 1906 team

—---------------

Links:

1906 – https://1906.shop/
Follow Peter on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/pbarsoom/
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 Shani Seidman, CMO at Kayco, the family-owned brand house behind Manischewitz, Kedem, Gefen, Heaven & Earth, Tuscanini and more. 

Shani takes us inside the Manischewitz rebrand: why it couldn’t be “just a facelift,” how her team translated 130 years of equity into a modern, welcoming voice, and the very real mechanics of changing over hundreds of SKUs across thousands of doors. 

We dig into the frozen-and-deli push that’s helping Manischewitz become an everyday brand (not just a holiday brand), the packaging system choices, and the operational forecasting required to retire old packaging, sync printers, and hit a clean Passover reset. 

Shani also shares why “identity decisions” should be debated widely but art direction should be singular,  what to measure (and what to ignore) in the first 6–18 months (and beyond) post-rebrand.

—---------------

Episode Highlights:

💡 The real “why” behind the Manischewitz rebrand
🆕 New SKUs 
🗓️ Going from holidays to everyday
🧰 The tactical process of a rebrand
🏷️ Packaging changeover at scale
⚖️ Key decision points in a rebrand
🧑‍⚖️ Decision by committee: when it does / doesn’t make sense
🧪 Misleading data 
✅ Rebrand recommendations

—---------------

Table of Contents:

00:25:22 – Kayco overview
02:10:17 – Manischewitz rebrand – the “why”, it wasn’t just a “face lift”
04:50:14 – Manischewitz rebrand – new SKUs
08:35:08 – Manischewitz rebrand – becoming an everyday brand 
11:57:00 – Manischewitz rebrand – what the tactical process looked like
20:13:28 – Manischewitz rebrand – the rollout and packaging changeover at retail
20:13:28 – Manischewitz rebrand – the response from the media, etc.
24:53:14 – Manischewitz rebrand – key decision points
30:05:29 – Decision by committee, when it makes sense and when it doesn’t
32:51:07 – Measuring the impact of a rebrand
36:10:25 – Misleading data
37:51:28 – Recommendations and things to watch out for during a rebrand

—---------------

Links:

Kayco – https://www.kayco.com
Follow Shani on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/shani-seidman-profile/
Follow Adam 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 Kate Harvey, the co-founder and CEO of Bare Bones, a category-defining brand on a mission to make nourishment more accessible, flavorful, and functional. 

What started out in a small kitchen has evolved into a national brand with innovative products like shelf-stable broths, instant protein sticks, and collagen-fueled hydration powders.

Kate joined Shelf Help where we dove into how Bare Bones went from frozen bone broth to an omnichannel platform brand. Kate breaks down the co-packer horror story that nearly derailed their Costco launch, the multiple iterations of their visual identity, and how she thinks about shelf placement, demos (or lack thereof), ExpoWest, and driving velocity.

We also get into on-the-ground tactics that are working right now and what trends Kate is tracking.

—---------------

Episode Highlights:

🥣 From journalism to bone broth founder
🧪 Early R&D and finding product-market fit
🧃 Why form factor changes everything
🚫 The co-packer horror story that almost derailed a Costco launch
🎨 Packaging design change that unlocked +40% velocity
🏬 How Bare Bones thinks about demos, displays & shelf location
🛒 What Costco taught them about scale
📈 Sampling strategies that actually work
📊 Tactics that are driving trial right now
🌿 Trends Kate is tracking across the store

—---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:38 – Bare Bones intro and origin story
02:36 – How Kate’s journalism background set her up for success in CPG
04:01 – Building Bare Bones with her husband
06:03 – Formulation and R&D - the first form factor (frozen bone broth)
07:43 – Expanding into the powder-stick format
11:48 – Learning lessons from a co-packer nightmare
14:44 – Visual identity and packaging design
22:01 – Rebrand learning lessons
25:08 – ExpoWest, what it’s actually good for
27:40 – Where bone broth sits in the store
29:29 – Costco
34:26 – Demos and sampling
36:48 – On the ground tactics that are working well as of late
38:14 – Brands and trends Kate has been tracking lately

—---------------

Links:

Bare Bones – https://www.barebonesbroth.com
Follow Kate on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinepoythress/
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 Kim McDermott, Senior Brand Manager at Egglife Foods, the brand that’s redefining what low-carb, high-protein eating looks like by replacing flour with eggs. With amazing wraps, and the recently launched pasta line, Egglife is just getting started.

Before joining Egglife, Kim led key marketing and brand initiatives at global CPG giants like Kellogg and Molson Coors, bringing that enterprise muscle to a fast-moving insurgent brand. At Egglife, Kim leads all things e-commerce, digital retail, shopper and experiential marketing.

Kim unpacks Egglife’s 2025 rebrand, from what triggered it to how they rolled it out across shelf, screen, and shopper marketing. We also dive into the nitty-gritty of Retail Media Networks, digital rebate strategies, driving trial, and what to expect as a marketer at a fast-growing upstart brand vs a multinational CPG conglomerate.

*There's a typo in the captions right at the end. Egglife's correct URL is https://www.egglifefoods.com/*

—---------------

Episode Highlights:

 🧠 Big CPG vs up-start brands
 🛒 Retail Media Network strategy by banner
 🔄 DTC vs. in-store marketing mix
 💸 Using digital rebates to drive first-time trial
 🎨 The 2025 rebrand - why they did it and how it landed
 📦 Packaging changes that actually drive velocity
 🎯 The right KPIs to judge a rebrand
 📈 How she thinks about internal bandwidth vs. agency help
 👀 Trends and brands Kim is watching closely

—---------------

Table of Contents:

 00:42:28 – Intro and Egglife origin story
 01:48:10 – Going from multinational CPG to a fast-growing upstart
 05:36:12 – The Egglife rebrand
 09:04:27 – The rebrand – key decision points
 11:21:05 – How to decide if a packaging redesign makes sense
 12:52:03 – Packaging redesigns – balancing the familiar with the new
 14:18:14 – Unveiling the rebrand at ExpoWest
 15:32:08 – The rebrand – KPIs
 16:39:27 – Retail Media Networks
 19:44:04 – Work with an expert to get Amazon listings set up
 20:36:08 – No two Retail Media Networks are alike
 21:57:04 – Retail Media Network recommendations
 22:43:17 – Driving ecom sales vs in-store sales
 23:46:23 – Digital rebates
 26:24:10 – Resourcing – internal vs external
 29:45:17 – Trends and brands Kim is tracking

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Links:

Egglife Foods – https://www.egglifefoods.com
Follow Kim on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmcd82/
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.

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