The Startup CPG Podcast

By Startup CPG

The top CPG podcast in the world, highlighting stories from founders, buyer spotlights, highly practical industry insights - all to give you a better chance at success.... more

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How many episodes does The Startup CPG Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 501 episodes available.

Best of The Startup CPG Podcast

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: R&D RADIO: How Startup CPG's Product Developer Database Helped This Founder Reformulate
In this episode of R&D Radio, host Adam Yee sits down with Drake Nickell, founder of Dimitri's Greek Kitchen, to talk through how he used Startup CPG's Product Developer Database to find the right partner for reformulating his brand's pita chips. Drake and his sister built Dimitri's Greek Kitchen around traditional Greek and Mediterranean snacks with a modern twist, starting with whipped feta before pivoting into pita chips after finding a manufacturing partner who could bring the product to life. With the chips now in over 300 stores, including all 189 Jewel-Osco locations across Illinois, Drake turned to the Product Developer Database to level up the product with a well-defined scope of work rather than spending months experimenting in his own kitchen. Adam and Drake dig into how Drake filtered and vetted eight different product developers, why having a clear scope of work upfront made those conversations more efficient, how founders and food scientists can use shared reference points like well-known snack brands to communicate flavor and texture, and what "soft skills" mattered most in choosing the right long-term partner. Listen in as they discuss: How Drake and his sister built Dimitri's Greek Kitchen around whipped feta and pita chipsWhy a viral TikTok moment around spicy whipped feta helped validate the product ideaHow Drake used Startup CPG's Product Developer Database to find and filter relevant expertsWhy having a clearly defined scope of work made his vetting conversations far more efficientWhat matters most when choosing a product developer beyond price, including communication style and personality fitWhy quick follow-up and pricing transparency were strong signals in choosing the right partnerHow food scientists use a "gold standard" reference product to reverse-engineer texture and flavorHow Drake described mouthfeel and flavor using widely available snack brands as a shared reference pointWhy founders shouldn't take early "no's" from experts personally, even when they stingWhat's next for Dimitri's Greek Kitchen, including new pita chip flavors and a whipped feta relaunch Episode Links:Drake Nickell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drake-nickell-267b54161Dimitri's Greek Kitchen Website: www.dimitrisgreeksnacks.comDimitri's Greek Kitchen Instagram: @dimitrispitachips 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 (40K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpg Visit host Adam's LinkedInQuestions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected] Episode music by Super Fantastics
September 14, 202626min
Number 2: Turning Customers Into Investors: A Popcorn Brand's Crowdfunding Playbook
In this Founder Fundraising Journey episode, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Tal Moore, founder and CEO of Popsmith, a design-forward stovetop popcorn brand that's landed on Oprah's Favorite Things list and is heading into Williams Sonoma nationwide this year. Tal is a serial e-commerce founder with 25 years in the space, starting as a 12-year-old selling gumballs and candy in elementary school before building and exiting multiple online businesses, including a popcorn equipment store he ran two decades before launching Popsmith. After divesting from his other ventures, he went all-in on building the popcorn brand he always wished existed, one built around the nostalgia of movie nights and the superior taste of kettle-popped corn. Hannah and Tal dig into the real cost of bringing a premium physical product to market, the inventory mistake that nearly sank the business in its first year, how Oprah's Favorite Things bailed them out at the perfect moment, and why equity crowdfunding on StartEngine turned out to be the ideal fundraising path for a consumer brand like Popsmith. Listen in as they discuss: Tal's decades-long path through e-commerce, from candy sales as a kid to running seven-figure online storesWhy Popsmith set out to recreate movie-theater-quality popcorn with an heirloom-quality stovetop popperThe $2.2 million in personal capital and $1.6 million friends and family round that got Popsmith off the groundThe inventory miscalculation that nearly sank the business before Oprah's Favorite Things saved itWhy equity crowdfunding through StartEngine made more sense than venture capital at their stageThe key ingredients Tal believes make a brand succeed on an equity crowdfunding platformWhy Popsmith invites its own customers to become equity holders starting at just $500What the new StartEngine raise will fund, from holiday inventory to accelerating marketing spendTal's biggest lesson on capital management: never let yourself get undercapitalizedWhy 25 years of community involvement made his friends-and-family raise possible Episode Links: Tal Moore LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/talmoorePopsmith LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/popsmithPopsmith Website: www.popsmith.comPopsmith Instagram: @ilovepopsmith 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 @startupcpgVisit host Hannah's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-dittman-011b844bQuestions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected] Episode music by Super Fantastics
September 05, 202639min
Number 3: She Couldn't Find a Clean Electrolyte Brand, So She Created One
In this Founder Feature, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Danielle Nuss, founder of Short Story, a clean electrolyte mix made with organic fruit powder and naturally sourced minerals - and notably, zero natural flavors. Danielle is a mom of two boys working full-time in tech who started making her own electrolytes at home during her second pregnancy after struggling to find anything clean on shelf. What began as homemade batches for personal use turned into a farmer's market launch in Denver, where she sold through her first full production run and is now heading toward retail. Danielle is also a 2026 Shelfie Award winner, a detail she didn't even know about at the time of recording. Caitlin and Danielle dig into why natural flavors lack real transparency, how the lack of regulation around the word "natural" is more unsettling than most consumers realize, why entering a crowded electrolyte category was actually a signal of strong product-market fit, and what it looks like to build a CPG brand in the seams of an already full life. Listen in as they discuss: Why Danielle started making her own electrolytes during pregnancy after finding nothing clean on shelfWhy entering a crowded category can actually be a sign of strong product-market fitThe white space Danielle found for a clean, retail-ready electrolyte brandWhy natural flavors lack the same transparency required of everything else on a nutrition labelHow Short Story's front-of-package approach lets the product speak for itselfWhat brands legally can (and can't) say about organic certification before it's officialWhy "natural" isn't actually a regulated term, and why that should give consumers pauseHow retailers like Sprouts publicly weighing in on natural flavors could shift the categoryWhat it's really like building a brand as a mom of two working full-time in techWhere Danielle sees Short Story in five years, from new flavors to major natural retailers Episode Links: Danielle Nuss LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniellenussShort Story LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/drinkshortstoryShort Story Website: www.drinkshortstory.comShort Story Instagram: @drinkshortstory 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 @startupcpgVisit host Caitlin's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinbrickerQuestions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected] music by Super Fantastics
September 04, 202631min
Number 4: #264 How Foundation Foods Became One of SoCal's Most Trusted Grocery Distributors
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Louis D'Angelo, founder of Foundation Foods, a beloved natural products distributor serving Southern California's most quality-focused retailers, to talk about how the company was built, what it takes to get on their shelves, and why strict ingredient standards have always been non-negotiable. Louis got his start freelancing as a de facto sales rep for small organic brands before ever knowing what a broker was. His path to founding Foundation Foods took a dramatic turn when a rattlesnake bite left him hospitalized for two weeks, during which the distributor he'd been working for stopped paying him and every brand he represented. That crisis - paired with a sudden sense of clarity - led him to take out a $25,000 loan, get his own warehouse in 2018, and build Foundation Foods from the ground up. Daniel and Louis dig into the strict organic ingredient standards Foundation Foods holds brands to, why they never charge brands beyond their margin, how they've grown from a scrappy one-truck operation into a trusted distributor for retailers like Erewhon, Jimbo's, PCC, and now Whole Foods, and exactly what brands should have ready before their first meeting. Listen in as they discuss: The rattlesnake bite and near-death experience that led Louis to launch Foundation FoodsWhy Foundation Foods only takes a margin and never charges brands hidden or additional feesThe strict organic ingredient standards that have led them to reject even great productsWhy USDA certification isn't required, so smaller brands aren't priced out of working with themHow Foundation Foods differs from broadliners and other SoCal-focused distributorsWhy inventory availability is the number one factor in getting - and staying - on the shelfHow Foundation Foods helps brands gain organic distribution through buyer relationships and catalog visitsWhy communicating with your regional distributor before adding a broadliner matters more than brands thinkCommon compliance mistakes that get products pulled from shelves, from pricing to Prop 65 labelingWhy patience matters just as much as inventory when working with retailers and distributors Episode Links: Louis D'Angelo LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/louisdangeloFoundation Foods LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/foundationfoodsFoundation Foods Website: www.foundationfoods.comFoundation Foods Instagram: @foundation.foods 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 @startupcpgVisit host Daniel's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danscharffQuestions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected] music by Super Fantastics
September 01, 202635min
Number 5: Why Investor Ryan Ball Wants You to Pivot Fast and Fundraise Smart
In this Investor Spotlight, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Ryan Ball, founder of Sperian Ventures, to unpack the data, mindset, and founder qualities he looks for before writing a check into an early-stage CPG brand. Ryan's path into investing started almost by accident, coordinating a group investment while getting his MBA at the McCombs School of Business. That first deal evolved into Sperian Ventures, an angel network that pools capital into individual deals. Ryan brings a founder's perspective to every evaluation - he's started a spice company of his own and now runs a freight logistics company that gives him a front-row seat to the operational realities CPG brands face day to day. Hannah and Ryan dig into the metrics and data Ryan needs to see before considering an investment, why he sees pivots as a good sign rather than a red flag, the founder qualities that consistently stand out in a pitch, and what founders across different CPG subcategories should expect when it comes to fundraising. Listen in as they discuss:Why Ryan almost always requires sales velocity data - especially pre-, during-, and post-promo - before considering an investmentWhy Ryan sees pivots as a positive signal rather than a red flagThe revenue range and business maturity Sperian typically looks for in a CPG brandHow Ryan's own founder and logistics experience shapes his diligence conversationsThe founder qualities that get Ryan excited, from listening skills to staying level-headed under pressureWhat "give the investor no reason to say no" means in practice when preparing to raiseWhy LTV and category-specific limitations (like kids products founders age out of) matter to investorsThe consumer trend Ryan is most drawn to right now: simple, clean-label products with few ingredientsWhat a special purpose vehicle (SPV) is and how Ryan's angel network structures individual dealsHow to get in touch with Sperian Ventures if you're raising or interested in joining the investor network Episode Links: Ryan Ball LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-ball7Sperian Ventures LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sperian-ventures/about/Sperian Ventures Website: sperianventures.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 @startupcpgVisit host Hannah's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-dittman-011b844bQuestions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected] music by Super Fantastics
August 15, 202634min