In this Investor Spotlight episode, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Dan Graham, Co-Founder of Springdale Ventures, a firm writing seed-to-Series-A checks into fast-moving consumer brands. Dan breaks down exactly what Springdale looks for between early traction and institutional readiness - and why founders who lead with data, not narrative, win the room.

Dan's path to venture was anything but linear. After studying computer science and philosophy at UT Austin and starting law school, he co-founded a printing company in 2006 that grew for over a decade before selling to VistaPrint in 2018 for $280 million. That exit funded his family office, Notley, and years of direct consumer investing before he partnered with Genevieve Gilbert to launch Springdale Ventures,.

Hannah and Dan dig into Springdale's investment thesis and check size,how diligence splits between hard metrics and founder assessment, and the most common fundraising mistakes he sees at both early and later stages. They also unpack how forecasts are actually used in diligence and post-close, what "traction" really means in an intro email, and Dan's hard-won perspective on the emotional toll of founding a company.

Listen in as they discuss:

• The transition from a personal family office to launching a focused venture fund
• Springdale's thesis: seed-to-Series-A, better-for-you and repeat-purchase consumer products
• How Goodles exemplifies bringing disruption to an "old sleepy category"
• The split between quantifiable diligence (margin, velocity, CAC) and founder assessment
• Why Springdale sees 250 deals a quarter and how warm intros cut through the noise
• What makes First Day's Alice a "quintessential" founder in Dan's portfolio
• The narrative-vs-traction mismatch that trips up early-stage founders
• Why over-forecasting is a big pitfall for later-stage founders raising institutional money
• How investors actually use (and pressure-test) a founder's financial model before and after close
• Dan's advice for founders with zero finance background, including using AI as a thought partner
• What "traction" means in concrete terms when reaching out to an investor cold

Episode Links:
Dan Graham - Co-Founder, Springdale Ventures
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maharg
Email: [email protected]
Company LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/springdale-ventures
Website: www.springdaleventures.com
Instagram: @springdaleventures 

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Hannah's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected] 
• Episode music by Super Fantastics
  
  

In this founder feature, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Sheena Hamby, founder of Mac Squares, baked mac and cheese frozen into squares, made with real aged cheddar cheese straight from the block, fresh milk, eggs, and spices, with zero cheese powder. Needing a fast comfort food that wasn't messy, Sheena created Mac Squares in a hospital kitchen while her daughter Nova was going through chemotherapy. Nurses and doctors started stopping by asking what she was cooking. Her family ate them, her kids ate them, cold or hot, and customers are now hiding the salmon SKU in their own deep freezers.

Caitlin and Sheena dig into how frozen food is really just time travel, preserving the product at the exact moment it was made, Sheena's journey from hospital kitchen to her first retailer at Swamp Rabbit Cafe (which came from a Startup CPG event), her experience at the Fancy Food Show in New York, and the literal street sign that changed everything for her at a Startup CPG grocery run in Denver.

Listen in as they discuss:

• How the idea for Mac Squares came from needing something fast and mess-free during her daughter's chemo treatment
• Cooking from scratch in a hospital kitchen after learning her daughter was allergic to dairy
• The moment her daughter's oncologist tried Mac Squares during a Super Bowl watch and asked for the whole tray
• The real ingredients behind Mac Squares: block cheddar, fresh milk and eggs, and less than 1% sodium
• Building out five SKUs, including truffle, spinach, miso, salmon, and a dairy-free version made with oat milk
• How the D2C pre-order model, shipping twice a month, allows Sheena to control logistics and production
• Discovering Startup CPG through a chance conversation, and applying to the Denver grocery run on a whim
• The emotional Denver show: grieving her father, a street sign that felt like a sign, and pushing through anyway
• Landing Swamp Rabbit Cafe as her first grocery store account
• Why she reframes frozen food as "time travel," preserving a dish at the exact moment it was made

Episode Links:

• Sheena Hamby - Founder, Mac Squares LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/sheenahamby
• Website: https://www.smacsquares.com/
• Instagram: @macsquares

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Caitlin's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics
  
  

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Eve Ackerley, founder of Evie's Snacks, and Cody Ponsler from Belmark, one of the most recommended packaging partners in the Startup CPG community, to talk through how packaging evolves as a brand grows. Evie's Snacks makes direct-from-farm pecan snacks with only a third of the sugar of leading brands, sourced from Eve's family farms in South Texas.

Eve started at farmer's markets with a simple craft bag and hand-applied black and white stickers before eventually moving to a fully custom printed pouch with Belmark. Along the way, she landed a DSD deal into 50 stores in the Northeast that forced a faster packaging upgrade than she expected, and got a piece of buyer feedback ("I thought this was laundry detergent") that reshaped how she thinks about packaging as a selling tool.

Daniel, Eve, and Cody dig into the operational and strategic decisions behind pouch design: window versus no window, matte versus gloss, sizing, and why 50% of the brands Cody works with change their packaging art between their first and second production runs.

Listen in as they discuss:

• Why Evie's Snacks only needs a third of the sugar of other brands (hint: it starts with fresh, high-quality pecans)
• The evolution from craft bags with hand-applied stickers to a fully custom printed pouch
• The "three seconds and two questions" packaging rule Eve learned from a mentor in the potato chip industry
• Understanding the pecan category: where it's merchandised and why there's no dominant national player yet
• Why Eve chose photography over a clear window, and the shelf-life tradeoff behind that decision
• How a sudden DSD deal into 50 Northeast stores forced Evie's Snacks to upgrade its packaging faster than planned
• The buyer feedback that stuck with Eve: "I thought this was laundry detergent"
• Why Cody recommends founders put unfinished packaging in front of real buyers before finalizing it
• The overwhelming number of packaging choices founders face, and how Cody narrows them down to fit the brand story
• Why 50% of the brands Cody works with change their packaging art between their first and second production runs
• How distributor shelf-life requirements (often 75% remaining) directly shape packaging decisions
• Evie's Snacks' next chapter: nationwide at Sprouts and exploring new pack sizes

Episode Links:

• Eve Ackerley - Founder, Evie's Snacks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eve-ackerley-97200a2b/
• Website: eviessnacks.com
• Instagram/TikTok: @eviessnacks
• Cody Ponsler - Belmark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-ponsler-3852545b/
  
  

Belmark has helped hundreds of small- to medium-sized CPG brands like yours solve packaging challenges - and they want to help you too. You can meet directly with one of their packaging experts and talk through whatever you're tackling.

https://www.belmark.com/startup-cpg/

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Daniel's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics
  
  

In this episode of R&D RADIO, host and food scientist Adam Yee sits down with Lauren Senne, Senior Manager of Applications and Taste Modulation at Imbibe, a drink consultancy in Chicago, to break down the real difference between characterizing flavors and taste modulation. Lauren has spent over a decade at Imbibe and more than 13 years in the flavor industry, and is a certified flavor chemist through the Society of Flavor Chemists, a certification process that takes a minimum of seven years and, realistically, closer to a decade to complete.

Adam and Lauren dig into how bitter blockers actually work at the receptor level, why describing something as simple as "cherry" or "vanilla" can mean wildly different things to different clients, and what really happens to a product's mouthfeel and flavor balance when sugar gets pulled from a formula. They also get into why flavor houses guard their formulations as trade secrets and the clean-label trends reshaping the beverage world right now.

Listen in as they discuss:

• What flavor actually is, and the difference between characterizing flavor and taste modulation
• The rigorous, decade-long path to becoming a certified flavor chemist through the Society of Flavor Chemists
• What the certification exam actually tests, including identifying chemicals by smell alone
• How flavorists learn the natural chemical building blocks behind fruit, spice, and other flavor profiles
• Why aligning on something as simple as "cherry" or "vanilla" can be surprisingly difficult with clients
• Using reference products and live tastings to get everyone in the room aligned on a flavor direction
• How bitter blockers work by binding to bitter receptors so your brain can't perceive the bitterness at all
• Why most of Imbibe's taste modulation work is exclusively natural
• Where CPG founders commonly get stuck: stacking too many functional ingredients and creating unexpected off-notes
• What happens to mouthfeel and sweetness curve when sugar is removed and replaced with stevia or monk fruit
• Beverage trends Lauren is watching: clean label, protein and fiber combinations, and clear protein sodas

Episode Links:

• Lauren Senne - Senior Manager, Applications and Taste Modulation, Imbibe LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-senne-12102558
• Website: imbibeinc.com
  
  

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Adam's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics
  
  

In this Founder Fundraising Journey episode, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Victor Guardiola, Founder and CEO of Bawi, a sparkling agua fresca brand bringing authentic Hispanic flavors into the modern beverage aisle with a healthier twist. Beyond the product, Victor is equally driven by a mission to increase representation for Latino and minority founders in CPG.

Victor's path started with a food and beverage entrepreneurship practicum at UT Austin's McCombs School of Business, where he uncovered the data behind sugar-sweetened beverages' outsized impact on the Hispanic community and realized there was no mass-market, better-for-you Hispanic beverage to fill that gap. From there, he spent months selling on tap at farmer's markets, cold-emailing hundreds of potential investors, and eventually landing his first checks from Austin business figures like Patrick Terry of P. Terry's.

Hannah and Victor dig into the brutal reality of raising a first round without a "rich uncle," the tipping-point moment when a notable investor's name unlocked the rest of the round, and how Bawi is now scaling food service and retail density across its two core markets, Texas and California.

Listen in as they discuss:

• Why 80% of initial startup funding comes from friends and family, and what that means for founders without that access
• How a UT Austin entrepreneurship practicum turned into the idea for a mass-market Hispanic beverage
• Selling agua fresca on tap at farmer's markets, carbonating overnight in a commercial kitchen until 3am
• Landing the first equity round from Patrick Terry of P. Terry's and Torchy's Tacos founder Mike Rypka
• The "golden follow-up": how one notable investor joining the cap table triggered a tipping point
• Why cold-emailing without leading with a pitch dramatically increases response rates
• Building initial retail density through independents and the natural channel before chasing national programs
• The risk of emerging-brand retail programs that can hang small brands out to dry
• Restructuring go-to-market strategy around food service in Texas and California, and the Cosmic Coffee case study
• Victor's mission to provide a healthier alternative to sugar-laden big beverage offerings 
• Slack Q&A: how to structure an elevator pitch and initial outreach email

Episode Links:

• Victor Guardiola - Founder & CEO, Bawi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorhguardiola/
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @vichg
• Website: drinkbawi.com
  
  

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Hannah's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics
  
  

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Jocelyn Ramirez, Regina Trillo, and Stefanie Garcia Turner of Tuyyo Foods - a heritage-rooted modern Latin food company born from the merger of three separate brands. Toto Verde's umami chef-crafted taco seasoning, Tuyyo's redesigned agua fresca stick packs with electrolytes, and Nemi Snacks' high-protein chips made with nopal and prickly pear all came together under one name. Tuyyo means "you and me" and "yours" in Spanish, a name rooted in community and the belief that food is the great equalizer.

Jocelyn, Regina, and Stefanie each ran solo CPG brands before deciding, over car rides between trade shows and late-night calls, to merge into one company instead of competing for the same shelf space. In just 10 months, they've rebranded, launched at Whole Foods and Raley's, and built a company that divides marketing, sales, and operations across their individual strengths.

Caitlin and the three co-founders dig into why they chose to merge instead of go it alone, how they brought retailers into the conversation before making the change, and their current revenue-share Wefunder campaign to fuel inventory and growth.

Listen in as they discuss:

• Why three solo Latina founders decided to merge their brands instead of competing for the same shelf space
• The Uber ride and late-night calls that turned into an official merger conversation
• What each founder does and doesn't miss about running a business solo
• Why they landed on the name Tuyyo, and what it actually means
• How they brought retailers into the rebrand conversation before making any changes
• Splitting responsibilities by strength: marketing, sales, and operations
• Building at record speed: 10 months from merger to retail launches at Whole Foods and Raley's
• The family stories behind each founder's path into food, including a grandmother's aguas frescas and a mother's tamales
• Why community and farmer relationships are central to Tuyyo's mission
• The revenue-share Wefunder campaign to raise $500K for inventory and growth

Episode Links:

• Jocelyn Ramirez, Regina Trillo, Stefanie Garcia Turner - Co-Founders, Tuyyo Foods LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/regina-trillo-a5055711/; https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanie-garcia-turner/; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocelyncramirez77/  
• Website: tuyyofoods.com
• Instagram/TikTok: @tuyyofoods
• Wefunder campaign: wefunder.com/tuyyofoods

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Caitlin's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics
  
  

Head to eatmezcla.com and use code STARTUPCPG for 20% off your first order.
Promo code expires on September 30th 2026.

In this mini episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Hillary Hughes from Foster Garvey - a full-service legal firm supporting CPG brands across business formation, capital raising, IP protection, and regulatory compliance - to break down the legal fundamentals of co-branding agreements.

Brand collaborations are everywhere right now, from Doritos Locos Tacos to Oreo-flavored Coke Zero, but the legal groundwork behind them is where brands most often get caught off guard. Hillary brings years of experience helping CPG companies structure these deals from both sides of the table, walking through exactly what needs to be spelled out before two brands put their names on the same product.

Daniel and Hillary dig into the difference between true co-branding and simple licensing, how smaller brands can use collaborations to access a larger brand's customer base without the acquisition spend, and why the "divorce" clauses matter just as much as the excitement of the launch.

Listen in as they discuss:

• What co-branding actually means, with real examples: Doritos Locos Tacos, Intel Inside, and the Oreo/Coca-Cola collaboration
• Why smaller brands often benefit most from co-branding with a larger, established partner
• Cross-category co-branding opportunities beyond food, including travel and hospitality partnerships
• The difference between a true co-branding partnership and a simple licensing deal
• Key legal components every agreement needs: product scope, new IP ownership, term length, and economics
• Structuring the deal: fixed fee vs. per-unit royalty vs. revenue share, and how to justify the numbers
• Why termination and "divorce" clauses matter as much as the launch, covering recalls, scandal, bankruptcy, or acquisition
• Supply chain and quality commitments: what happens if a co-branding partner can't fulfill their side of the deal
• Marketing approval rights and why both brands should have some obligation to actually promote the collaboration
• When to bring in a lawyer, and what founders can safely handle on their own first

Episode Links:

• Hillary Hughes - Foster Garvey Email: [email protected]
• Foster Garvey CPG Practice Website: foster.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryhhughes/

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Daniel's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics
  
  

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Alan Chen and Conner Mennig, co-founders of Frozen One - a protein ice cream brand built to prove that "better for you" doesn't have to mean sacrificing taste. Frozen One delivers 40 grams of protein and under 400 calories per pint, a fraction of what a traditional pint of ice cream contains, and has grown into one of the fastest-rising frozen brands in the country.

Alan and Conner met at UW Madison in 2020 and reconnected in Austin while both stuck in unfulfilling sales jobs. A single gym conversation in January 2025 about the lack of good high-protein options turned into a Ninja Creami machine that same night - and a trademark filed two days later. Together they run a scrappy, relationship-driven operation: Conner focused on operations and finance, Alan on product and marketing, both present at every investor and buyer meeting.

Hannah and the co-founders dig into the three fundraising milestones that took Frozen One from a Ninja Creami in an apartment to over 2,300 doors nationwide, including Target, Wegmans, and Central Market.

Listen in as they discuss:

• How a single gym complaint in January 2025 turned into a trademark filing two days later
• Landing a $250K first check on a SAFE from a local Austin investor Conner met at a house party
• The scramble to close an oversubscribed $2M round after Target asked for 1,500 doors in three months
• Splitting founder responsibilities: Alan on product and ice cream R&D, Conner on operations and finance
• Landing Central Market by cold-calling the buyer - and how that velocity data fueled investor conversations
• Building the team: a creative director roommate, a "head of ice cream," an ad-ops hire, and a new COO from Van Leeuwen
• Why the current $5.5M round with Brand Foundry is primarily focused on closing the team and bandwidth gap
• Turning investor "no's" into direct, honest feedback conversations instead of walking away quietly
• What surprised them most about CPG: just how genuinely difficult and slow retail execution is, even after landing the deal

Episode Links:

• Alan Chen – Co-Founder, Frozen One Email: [email protected] (domain inferred from Conner's confirmed email - please verify)
• Conner Mennig – Co-Founder, Frozen One Email: [email protected]
• Frozen One Instagram: @frozenoneprotein
• Website: frozen-one.com
  
  

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Hannah's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics
  
  

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Bar Bruhis, founder of Boostcous - the world's first better-for-you couscous, built to fill a gap in a grocery aisle that hasn't seen a single innovation while pasta brands like Banza and Goodles have completely reinvented their category. Boostcous delivers 18 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber per serving using just three ingredients - chickpeas, lentils, and peas - with zero fillers or xanthan gum.

Bar was born in Israel, grew up eating couscous, and spent two years and over 100 kitchen batches formulating a version that actually tastes good. He comes from a DTC and SaaS background, launching direct-to-consumer first to prove product-market fit before ever approaching a retailer - hitting 10,000 Shopify orders in six months.

Caitlin and Bar dig into his immigrant mentality and why he built such a strong network early, the genius post-purchase survey question that got him a call with a Costco buyer, and why he's now in Lieber's Locavore and pitching Whole Foods and Walmart after his first trade show at Summer Fancy Food.

Listen in as they discuss:

• Why the couscous aisle has seen zero innovation while pasta has been completely reinvented by brands like Banza and Goodles
• How a licensing deal with an Italian protein-couscous manufacturer collapsed overnight because of Trump-era tariffs
• Betting a small, capped amount of personal capital with a U.S. co-man just to test product-market fit
• Hitting 10,000 Shopify orders in six months and why starting DTC-first was non-negotiable
• Bar's immigrant mentality, early mentorship from Noah Kagan, and building an entire events business (D2Ski) just to deepen his CPG network
• The one post-purchase survey question that turned into a Costco buyer call within three days
• Going from zero in-person sampling to landing on shelf at Lieber's Locavore through Startup CPG's Denver grocery run
• Key lessons from Boostcous's first major trade show at Summer Fancy Food, including new conversations with Whole Foods and Walmart
• Why gluten-free shoppers and parents of toddlers have become two of Boostcous's strongest customer demographics

Episode Links:

• Bar Bruhis – Founder, Boostcous LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbruhis/
• Website: boostcous.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/boostcous

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Caitlin's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics
  
  

Head to eatmezcla.com and use code STARTUPCPG for 20% off your first order.
Promo code expires on September 30th 2026.

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Sergio Tache, co-founder of Dossier, the fragrance brand that grew from hand-filling bottles in a Brooklyn basement in 2019 to $150 million in sales — including the #1 perfume spot at Walmart and #3 at Target — culminating in a recent successful sale of the business. Though Daniel and Sergio go back to their business school days playing rugby together, this is the first time the full Dossier story gets told in public.

Sergio breaks down the "aha moment" that started it all: realizing that a $52 bottle of luxury perfume costs roughly a dollar to produce, and that there was a massive opportunity to deliver the same quality — same French perfumers, same ingredients — at a fraction of the price. From there, Dossier built a DTC engine around fragrance "impressions" (legally distinct from counterfeits), a no-questions-asked return policy, and one of the most disciplined approaches to packaging economics in the category.

Daniel and Sergio also get into the brutal realities of scaling into wholesale — the cash flow shock of net-30/60/75 terms, a $33 bank balance four days before payroll, and a packaging redesign that took far longer than anyone expected — plus what's next as Dossier pushes its original fragrance line toward a $60 million goal by 2027.

Listen in as they discuss:

• The math behind Dossier's founding insight: luxury perfume margins and why a $52 bottle can cost about a dollar to make
• How "impressions" work legally — and why Dossier leaned into quality instead of just chasing the lowest price
• Building trust for fragrance e-commerce with a no-questions-asked return policy that kept returns under 5%
• Why using one bottle, pump, and cap design across all SKUs helped both branding and unit economics
• The CAC-as-rent mindset and why average order value matters as much as margin in DTC
• How an unsolicited email nearly got deleted before it turned into Dossier's Walmart partnership
• The steep learning curve of moving from DTC to wholesale — brokers, 3PL specialization, and demand planning
• The packaging crisis: why a "brand box" built for DTC completely failed on retail shelves
• Surviving a cash crunch with $33 in the bank four days before payroll — and what separates a good supplier from a great one
• Why fragrance is one of grocery's fastest-growing categories, driven by mass-tier accessibility rather than premiumization

Episode Links:

• Sergio Tache – Co-Founder, Dossier: LinkedIn
• Dossier Website: dossier.co 

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Daniel's LinkedIn
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics