Startup To Scale

Distributor deductions can quietly drain a CPG brand’s margins, especially when there is no clear process for planning, reviewing, and disputing them. In this episode, I sit down with Yuval Selik, co-founder and CEO of Promomash, to explore how AI is changing deduction and trade spend management.

We discuss where AI can save time, why clean data and proactive planning still matter, and why experienced people must remain involved in every decision. Yuval also shares why relying entirely on AI could lead to inaccurate accruals, incorrect promotional matching, unnecessary disputes, and damaged distributor relationships.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

Creating a great product is only the beginning. The real challenge is getting people to notice it, remember it, and ultimately buy it.

In this conversation, I sit down with Duncan Alney, founder of Firebelly Marketing, to explore what it takes to grow a CPG brand in today’s crowded and fast-moving market. We discuss why founder-led storytelling matters, how brands can turn one core story into consistent content, and why consumers need to see your message multiple times before they take action.

Duncan also shares lessons from launching his own tea brand, Brown Warrior, and explains why smaller brands can use speed, creativity, and authenticity to compete with much larger companies.

Listen in to learn how to build awareness, create familiarity, support sales, and develop content that connects with real people, not just algorithms.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

AI is rapidly changing the packaging design world, but most founders are still trying to figure out where it actually creates value.

In this episode, I sit down with Michael Keplinger from SmashBrand to break down how AI is being used in packaging design today, where it helps accelerate creative workflows, and where human strategy and expertise still matter most.

We discuss:

• The biggest misconceptions founders have about AI-generated packaging
• What AI is genuinely good at in the design process
• Why strategy and consumer psychology still can’t be automated
• How founders can use AI to communicate ideas more clearly to agencies
• The risks of relying too heavily on AI-generated concepts
• How agencies are adapting their workflows internally
• What packaging design could look like over the next 3–5 years

Whether you’re designing your first package or managing a growing retail brand, this episode offers a practical look at how to use AI as a tool instead of a shortcut.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

Getting in front of retail buyers can feel impossible, but it does not have to be a guessing game.

In this episode, I sit down with James Pippin of Good Now Foods and Harvest Hub to talk about what actually gets a buyer’s attention, how to send better pitches, when to follow up, and how brands can use the right data to improve their chances of getting on shelf.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

Packaging is often the first thing consumers notice, but knowing when and how to update it is one of the toughest decisions founders face.

In this episode of Startup to Scale, I sits down with Christopher Jane founder of Proper Good to discuss the real story behind his brand's packaging refresh. They unpack what prompted the redesign, the challenges of evolving a brand without losing existing customers, and what it was like working through a comprehensive packaging audit with EO Space.

Whether you're considering a subtle refresh or a complete overhaul, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at the decisions, tradeoffs, and lessons every CPG founder should understand before changing what sits on the shelf.

Sponsored by EO Space.

EO Space is an agile food & beverage design studio helping growth-stage CPG brands create world-class branding, packaging, and marketing built for modern retailers and today’s consumers. Get an expert review of your packaging. Limited Offer: Free Packaging Audit

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

Growth creates opportunity but also financial pressure.

As brands expand distribution, increase production, and invest in marketing, founders are often forced to make difficult decisions about how to fund that growth.

In this episode, I sits down with Dakota Sheets, founder of Dog Sauce, and Emily Reeves, VP of Capital Solutions at Bridge, to discuss the realities of scaling a CPG business. Dakota shares lessons from growing the brand and navigating cash flow challenges, while Emily provides an inside look at how lenders evaluate brands and what founders should know before pursuing capital.

Whether you’re preparing for your first major retail expansion or simply trying to better understand your financing options, this conversation offers practical insights from both sides of the table.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

In this episode, I talk with Adam O’Connor, founder of Smidge Beverage, about the financial side of building a CPG brand. We discuss cash flow, margins, inventory planning, forecasting, trade spend, billbacks, and why knowing your numbers is essential for growth.

Adam also shares how working with the right accounting partner helped him make better decisions and build a stronger financial foundation.

This episode is sponsored by BELAY, formerly Accountfully, which helps CPG brands with bookkeeping, accounting, tax support, and financial visibility.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

Amazon can drive sales, but that doesn’t always mean your brand is profitable. 

In this episode, I talk with Ryan Eales of The Amazon Whisper about the common mistakes CPG brands make on Amazon, from ads and inventory to listings, keywords, and agency expectations.

If you’re selling on Amazon or thinking about launching there, this episode will help you understand what it really takes to grow profitably.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

What actually happens when a CPG founder and a creative agency build a brand together from the ground up?

In this episode, I sit down with Dana Francks of JK Creative NYC and Grace Finerman of Date Smarter Snacks to break down the real-world branding process behind an emerging snack brand.

We walk through how Date Smarter developed its visual identity, packaging, ecommerce presence, and overall customer experience and why having one connected creative partner can make scaling a brand significantly easier.

The conversation also explores:

• The hidden operational cost of fragmented branding
• How cohesive design improves retail readiness and ecommerce conversion
• What founders should prioritize first when budgets are tight
• How to create premium perception without overspending
• The relationship dynamics between founders and creative agencies
• Lessons learned from building a modern snack brand in a crowded category

If you’re building a CPG brand and trying to make your packaging, website, social content, and customer experience actually feel connected, this episode is packed with practical insights.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

Jeff Church has built, scaled, and rebuilt in CPG.

As co-founder of Suja Life, he helped take the brand from zero to $100M+ in just over five years, becoming one of the most recognized names in the beverage space.

We also get into what he’s building now, from mentoring founders and writing his book to launching a new protein soda brand, Proda, nationwide at Sprouts Farmers Market, and developing a CPG-focused AI tool. 

As an 8x founder and BevNET Person of the Year, Jeff shares practical, execution-focused advice through CPG Founders Group that you can actually apply as you grow. Check out his free CPG toolkit at cpgfoundersgroup.com/resources.

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.