Harry Kane backed this brand. Four retailers in four months. And it all started with Google.
Al Duffield, founder of Vital, didn't follow the typical CPG playbook. No splashy ad campaigns. No army of junior hires. Just a relentless focus on proving the concept - one contract caterer at a time - before walking into supermarket boardrooms with receipts.
In this episode, Al breaks down how Vital went from zero to listings in Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Ocado, Breaks, and Foodbuy Compass, why they partnered with Harry Kane ahead of the World Cup, and what most functional drinks brands are getting completely wrong about the mass market.
He's brutally honest about the early mistakes, the investors they wished they'd avoided, and the unconventional team structure that's quietly outperforming everyone around them.
If you're building a CPG brand, trying to crack UK retail, or just obsessed with what it actually takes to scale - this one's unmissable.
What we get into:

• Propercorn's hypergrowth era and what Al took from it
• Why they launched in vitamins first - and what he'd do differently
• Google as their proof of concept and how it opened supermarket doors
• The real story behind the Harry Kane partnership
• Point-of-purchase vs. above-the-line - where the money actually works
• Senior freelancers over junior full-timers - the Vital team model
• The investor who asked "have you thought about Tesco?"
• Early mornings, daily runs, and life at the tipping point between firefighting and growth

Connect with Al Duffield: https://www.linkedin.com/in/al-duffield-40b207116
Connect with VITAL Drinks: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vital-drinks
Visit VITAL Drinks Website: https://vital-drinks.co.uk

Connect with Connor Macpherson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-retail/
Connect with Luke Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-anthony-%F0%9F%8D%B5-394052131/

Powered by Plus Forty: http://plusforty.co/
Book a call with Plus Forty: https://calendly.com/d/cr89-stz-hcy/shared-booking-link

What happens when you walk away from a multi-million dollar tech-bro business model to bootstrap a lean CPG brand from scratch?In this episode, we sit down with Charlotte Langley, founder of Nice Cans, to unpack the unfiltered truth about building a sustainable consumer product goods brand. After navigating the high-pressure, venture-backed growth trap with her previous brand, Scout, Charlotte decided to change the game. She rejected the traditional venture capital playbook to launch Nice Cans with just $90K—and still hit major retail targets like Sprouts, Kroger, and Erewhon.We dive deep into the reality of the premium retail grind, why scaling too fast is a trap that breaks most founders, and how Nice Cans is driving massive profit margins by capitalizing on the booming "Hot Girl Tin Fish" economy using sustainable CPG waste streams. If you want to learn how to build a high-margin, independent business on your own terms without sacrificing cash flow to investors, this anti-VC playbook is for you.💡 Key Takeaways From This Episode:→ Why shortcuts cause massive accidents in retail distribution.→ The exact $90K blueprint used to launch into national grocery chains.→ How to source sustainable growth and navigate complex CPG supply chains.→ The operational reality of exiting a rapid-scale venture to build something that matters.📌 Subscribe to the podcast for more raw, unfiltered CPG growth strategies and founder breakdowns.#CPG #Bootstrapping #Venture Capital #NiceCans #RetailGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessStrategy #SustainableBusiness

How do you walk out of a trade show with 1,200 new points of distribution? In this episode of Shelf Space, hosts Connor Macpherson and Luke Anthony sit down with Justin and Tony, the powerhouse "Coco Bros" behind Coaqua. They share the raw, unfiltered journey of taking a premium coconut water brand from a passion project to dominating shelves at major retail hubs like Sprouts, Circle K, Wegmans, and Giant.

The boys unpack the high-stakes world of CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), explaining why they took a massive gamble on a radical, neon-yellow rebrand that completely disrupted the crowded coconut water category. From scaling up production via a custom BPO setup in the Philippines to turning face-to-face trade show hustle into immediate purchase orders, this episode is a masterclass in CPG strategy, athlete mindset, and retail expansion.

What We Discuss in This Episode:

• The Coaqua Origin Story: How a trip to New Zealand inspired a premium coconut water hustle.

• Category Disruption: Why they abandoned safe packaging for a radical, "contrarian" rebrand that pops off the shelf.

• Cracking Convenience & Grocery: The strategy behind scaling to 800+ Circle K doors and surging to the #1 velocity spot at Giant.

• Building a Built-to-Scale Team: Leveraging high-level operations talent in the Philippines and giving employees equity.

• The Trade Show ROI Debate: How the Coaqua Bros turn Expo West and KeHE shows into immediate mass distribution.

• Mission-Driven Scale: Giving back via the Bikes for Kids Foundation.

  
  

Connect with Coaqua:

• Website: https://www.drinkcoaqua.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqAh8VEU4ZiHX_6jtlVWOxPn8EfezXPU0esmLWwDSVBTp2ZmVK0

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coaqua/

Follow the Shelf Space Podcast:

• Subscribe to the channel for more CPG insights!

• LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/plus-forty

#CPG #RetailExpansion #Entrepreneurship #ExpoWest #MassRetail #CoconutWater #BusinessGrowth #ShelfSpacePod

Can an independent, non-alcoholic Aussie beer brand out-rank Heineken at Coles and Woolworths? 🍻

In this episode of Shelf Space, we sit down with Tim Snape, Head of Brand at Heaps Normal, to unpack how a tiny startup grew into one of Australia's top-performing non-alcoholic beer brands. Tim shares the unconventional strategies they used to disrupt a category dominated by corporate giants, all while staying 100% independent and B Corp certified.

We dive deep into how they cracked the retail code, their unique cultural alignment with the music industry (including a not-for-profit record label and a Sydney live music venue), and how they are appealing to a sober-curious Gen Z without being "preachy."

• Challenging Big Beer: How Heaps Normal out-ranks Heineken at major retailers.• The Anti-Wellness Approach: Why advocating for balance, not absolute sobriety, unlocked their mass appeal.• Retailer Relationships: The pitch that convinced Coles and Woolies to subsidize alcoholic revenue with non-alc alternatives.• Culture-Led Growth: Building a community through music, their own record label, and strategic investors like Robbie Williams.• The Future of Consumption: Navigating the lowest alcohol consumption rates on record and exploring future functional categories.

Heaps Normal is an independent, Australian-owned non-alcoholic beer brand on a mission to shift drinking culture toward mindfulness and balance.

Learn more: https://heapsnormal.com/

Subscribe to Shelf Space for more deep dives into the minds behind the world’s most disruptive consumer brands.

#HeapsNormal #NonAlcoholicBeer #ShelfSpace #CPG #MarketingStrategy #RetailGrowth #AussieStartups

Most founders think scaling a consumer brand means making a brutal choice: either dilute your equity with venture capital, or drown in the slow, rigid paperwork of legacy banks. But as the retail landscape gets faster, a third option is quietly leveling the playing field.

In this episode, we sit down with Will Fischer, a seasoned fintech executive with deep roots at high-growth capital platforms like Wayflyer and Highbeam. Will shares his journey from traditional restaurant banking to fintech entrepreneurship, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how technology is completely rewriting the rules of brand finance.

We dive deep into the biggest bottleneck for growing brands: cash flow gaps. Landing a deal with a retail giant like Walmart or Costco is a dream, but funding the massive upfront inventory required to fill those shelves can easily break a business. Will breaks down exactly how Spring Cash uses automation and real-time data to solve this, enabling brands with as little as $250K in revenue to unlock millions in inventory funding.

Here is a quick look at what we cover:

• The Mechanics of PO Finance & Invoice Factoring: How to bridge the gap between receiving a massive purchase order and actually getting paid by retailers, without getting stuck with hidden fees.
• Speed vs. Legacy Finance: Why traditional onboarding takes weeks, and how tech-forward lending simplifies the process to match the fast-moving retail market.
• Maintaining Control: How to secure flexible working capital so you can say "yes" to major growth opportunities while keeping full ownership of your company's destiny.

Whether you’re a founder trying to navigate your next pivotal growth stage, an investor looking at the future of brand funding, or just curious about how modern retail supply chains are financed, this conversation is packed with actionable strategies to scale faster and safer.

“Everyone told me it was the dumbest thing I could possibly do.”

In this episode, we sit down with Dejan Rankovic, the mind behind Man Cereal, the world’s first high-performance cereal infused with creatine. After a high-stakes career in growth strategy at Netflix and helping scale Dr. Squatch to a 9-figure household name, Dejan is now disrupting the stagnant $12B cereal category.

We dive deep into the "Anti-Marketing" playbook, how to build a brand that rejects boring category norms, solves the "creatine problem" in functional foods, and uses DTC as a testing sandbox to dominate retail.

• The Netflix Departure: Why Dejan left a "safe" tech giant to sell soap, and eventually, creatine loops.

• The Science of Man Cereal: How they masked the bitterness of creatine monohydrate to create a high-protein, zero-sugar breakfast that actually tastes good.

• Anti-Marketing 101: Why boring brands are dying and how the "Liquid Death" framework is changing CPG.

• The Retail Bridge: Why DTC is just a "testing sandbox" and how to design packaging that jumps off a Walmart shelf in 3 seconds.

• Action vs. Strategy: Why in a startup, doing is almost always more valuable than planning.

In this episode, we dive into the incredible story of how Sophie Hood scaled her functional wellness brand, Seoul Tonic, to over 4,500 stores across Australia, the US, and the UK with absolutely no sales team. As a former strategist for industry giants like Red Bull and LVMH and the winner of Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, Sophie shares a masterclass in modern entrepreneurship, grit, and authentic brand building. Throughout the interview, she pulls back the curtain on her early days of bootstrapping, explaining how she managed to balance a demanding corporate role while writing a business plan that secured backing from the South Korean government. Sophie breaks down her highly successful retail strategy, sharing how focusing entirely on the retailer's needs, rather than pitching selfishly, allowed her to secure massive retail accounts like Woolworths and Dan Murphy's entirely on her own.

Beyond retail strategy, Sophie delivers an eye-opening critique of the modern beverage market, exposing major misconceptions about popular hydration drinks, artificial ingredients, and the rise of unnecessary sodium overload on TikTok. She details how she collaborated with a neuroscientist to formulate Seoul Tonic’s new, ultra-clean everyday hydration range that prioritizes natural recovery without high sugar or artificial dyes. A central highlight of the discussion is her legendary relationship with her single-source Korean manufacturer, the iconic Mr. Park. Sophie recounts how she trusted her gut to partner with him over a polished diplomat who later attempted to steal her designs, and how highlighting Mr. Park's genuine personality in her content helped build a deeply authentic global brand. This conversation is a must-watch for aspiring founders, retail disruptors, and wellness enthusiasts looking to understand the reality of scaling a physical product on the world stage.

#SeoulTonic #SophieHood #Entrepreneurship #StartupGrowth #BeverageBrand #RetailPitch #HydrationDrinks #KoreanWellness #FoodStars #FemaleFounders #BusinessPodcast

In this episode of Shelf Space, we sit down with Caleb Marshall to discuss the journey of building Tropeaka from the ground up and scaling it into an eight-figure business using cashflow alone.From the early challenges of starting with nothing to the key strategies behind sustainable growth, this conversation explores what it really takes to build and scale a successful brand without outside investment.Tune in for valuable insights on entrepreneurship, business growth, and the mindset required to create something from scratch.#podcast #entrepreneurship #businessgrowthsolutions #shelfspace

The first episode is in!
Most brands fail in retail because they ignore the one thing that matters most: shelf space. In this episode, Matt Cauble reveals how simple, eye-catching packaging and clear messaging can make or break your product in stores like Whole Foods and Walmart.
Learn how to stand out in just 3 seconds, craft packaging that sells, and understand real consumer buying behavior. Matt shares lessons from building Kin, transitioning from DTC to retail, and why focusing on one core product can drive massive growth.
If you’re a founder, marketer, or CPG brand trying to win in retail, this episode breaks down proven strategies to dominate crowded shelves and scale successfully.
Connect with us:
 Luke’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-anthony-%F0%9F%A5%AD%F0%9F%8D%B5-394052131/
 Connor’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-retail/
 Matthew Cauble’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-cauble-183a64357/
Visit our website: https://plusforty.co/
#RetailStrategy #CPG #Branding #Marketing #Entrepreneurship