In this episode:

This week, the podcast team is turning its attention to how small brands are navigating tariff turmoil. The CPG Week podcast hosts talked with several food and beverage founders about the issues most pressing for their respective businesses amid the rapidly changing environment. From pulling back on trade spend to changing packaging solutions and tariff-related spring sales, emerging brands are getting creative in how they plan to survive a potentially protracted period of import taxes.

Show Highlights:

0:30 - Is Pirate’s Booty on its way back to its founder Rob Ehrlich? At the moment, the brand appears to be staying under Hershey ownership, but Ehrlich continues his nearly two-year campaign hinting that it will be back in the Vegan Rob’s portfolio.

4:15 - Tariffs are all the rage right now, but how are small food and beverage brands dealing with added costs? Senior reporter Brad Avery explained what Just Ice Tea founder Seth Goldman said about his company’s moves to ease the burden of new import taxes.

7:00 - The dynamic nature that tariffs have been announced to the public has caused not only uncertainty but also a fear that demand shock will cause prices to rise steeply.  

10:30 - Packaging is a major concern for CPG entrepreneurs because much of it comes from China, which is facing over 100% tariffs currently. For many brands, pivoting to a domestic supplier is not available, leaving limited options to counter elevated costs. 

14:00 - There are only so many ways to squeeze cost-savings out of a startup’s supply chain, especially when many of these costs are being felt weeks or months after orders were made.

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

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