We’re hearing a lot about AI, artificial intelligence these days, especially with the release to the public of Chat GPT, which may of you have been experimenting with. Chat GPT can help with brainstorming, writing, coding, and more - definitely check out the free version if you haven’t yet. When I first saw the demo of Chat GPT that used Instacart’s plug-in in a recent TED talk (which I’ve linked in the show notes) and it generated a shopping list based on a prompt for a dinner party, my first thought was, “How do emerging brands fit into this picture when AI helps us shop?” How can our community stay informed about how AI is involved in shopper choices and take advantage of the opportunities available now and going to be available? Because Instacart is on the forefront of using AI in grocery and because they are the leading grocery technology company in North America, I decided to reach out to them. Lucky for us, Ali Miller, their Vice President of Product Management, Ads, was willing to come on the show! As you’ll hear, I’ve been personally using Instacart since 2018 and love the platform and have dug into their ads platform, 3rd party tools, and their new AI features from the Chat GPT plug-in to the new Ask Instacart. I think this episode is packed with really powerful knowledge from Ali about how Instacart works and opportunities available for emerging brands to tap into this technology. Instacart partners with more than 1,200 national, regional, and local retail banners, which is approximately 80,000 stores in North America through their marketplace and nearly 6,000 brands use Instacart Ads to connect with consumers.

Listen in as Ali shares about:

• How Instacart’s 4-sided marketplace works
• How the platform has evolved in the last couple of years especially with ML, machine learning, and AI, artificial intelligence
• How Instacart is partnering with Chat GPT both as a plug-in and to power “Ask Instacart” and ways consumers are using these features
• Opportunities for emerging brands to keep their data up to date within the Instacart platform and use Instacart Ads to get great digital listings (despite physical shelf placement)
• How Instacart Ads automates and optimizes the process to your goals and how you can use Instacart to support retail launches
• How Instacart’s customer service balances using AI and traditional customer service methods
• What Instacart is working on next, how quickly the platform is evolving, and the excitement on what’s ahead
• And more!

Enter the July 2023 podcast review giveaway by completing this form: https://tinyurl.com/28zyjr3e

This episode was sponsored by Shopify. Go to shopify.com/startupcpg
This episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpg
This episode was sponsored by Kickfurther. Go to https://www.kickfurther.com/startupcpg

Episode Links:

• Instacart website
• Instacart Product Library tools & all brand tools
• Ali’s LinkedIn
• TED talk about Chat CPT (including the Instacart plugin)
• Ask Instacart release details
• Startup CPG Webinar recording: Leveraging Instacart for Early Stage Brands with Daybreak
• Brands mentioned: Liquid Death, New Seasons Market

July 2023 Podcast Review Contest:

• Enter the giveaway by completing this form (it only takes 1-2 minutes!)
• By completing the form, you’ll be entered to win one of six prize packages, each filled with goodies from past guests: Tsubi Soup, GoNanas, Forij, Amazi, Chia Smash, Eureka Tortilla, and Nowhere Bakery.
• Giveaway open to US residents only, age 18+. Giveaway ends on July 31st, 2023 at 11:59 pm PST. The winner will be notified via email.
• Thank you for listening to the show and helping new listeners find us!

Shopify Links:

• Start a free trial and enjoy 2 months of Shopify for $1/month

Graphite Financial Links

• Graphite Financial website
• Download a free financial model template, chart of accounts template, and more here
• Listen to our episode with Graphite founder, Paul Bianco, episode #96 here.

Kickfurther Links:

• Kickfurther website
• See how much inventory funding you qualify here

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (12K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi Freitag's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.com
• Episode music by Super Fantastics

I don’t usually like to play favorites, but this week’s episode is a really special interview, especially for me personally. I LOVE kombucha. I mean love kombucha. And as you’ll hear me mention during the interview, once I found Synergy Kombucha by GT’s Living Foods, I was hooked, and dug deep into the story of the brand, how it’s made, and started following founder GT Dave. I’ve listened to many interviews with GT over the years, so the chance to be the interviewer and spend some time with GT, is a personal dream come true. I also really thought that GT could offer a really interesting perspective to our community. He’s had multiple offers to acquire his company over the years and has taken on no outside investment, which is incredible for a nearly billion dollar brand that owns 40% of the kombucha market. For almost 30 years, he’s operated as the 100% owner and as you’ll hear, has no plans for that to change. I think there’s room for so many different operating models and perspectives in this space, and part of the fun of my job is getting to share different perspectives, hoping that you’ll be able to find and take pieces that resonate with you as you build your own adventure. 

If you aren’t familiar with GT’s Living Foods, you’ve no doubt seen the ubiquitous tall glass bottles with a white lotus - the Synergy line is oven what people recognize. GT was the first person to bottle kombucha back in 1995 after his parents received a SCOBY from a friend after a trip to the Himalayas - and this was well before you could Google making kombucha! As you’ll hear GT mention, he saw kombucha become part of his parents’ lives, help his mom while recovering from cancer, and he decided to try to sell a few bottles to the local health store as 15 year old who had dropped out of high school. He then got the product into Erewhon and Whole Foods and has grown steadily - while other kombuchas have entered the market and now it’s a whole separate category. GT continues to innovate in the living foods space with ancient mushroom elixirs, non-dairy water kefir, and raw, fermented, non-dairy, coconut yogurt. I’ve linked a few of my favorite other interviews with GT in the show notes in case you want to dig into more of the founder story - today’s conversation we really focus on leadership, culture, hiring, and health and priorities as a founder.

Listen in as GT shares about:

• How fermenting kombucha is similar to farming and how their manufacturing footprint has grown
• GT’s first hires and learnings and why he focuses on culture fit
• What it’s look like to grow a profitable business with no outside investment
• Why he’s taken a long-term view on building GT’s Living Foods
• His advice for starting new categories and educating consumers
• How they manage a massive brand ambassador force
• What health and wellness looks like day to day and his tips for prioritizing and the importance of communicating and setting expectations in relationships as a founder
• How he manages being a public figure and why he’s chosen to be a visible face of the brand
• We have some fun with questions about his love of animals and pets and halloween
• And so much more!

This episode was sponsored by Shopify. Go to shopify.com/startupcpg
This episode was sponsored by Maven Agency. Go to strategymavenagency.com
This episode was sponsored by Promomash + Crisp. Go to promomash.com/startupcpg

Episode Links:

• GT’s Living Foods website
• GT’s LinkedIn
• A few of Jessi’s favorite other interview’s with GT: 
  • Stick with Your Dreams Episode 26 (hosted by David Greenfeld another Startup CPG Podcast guest)
  • John & Ken Show Hour 3 (12/28)
  • The Gabby Reece Show: ****GT DAVE – MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ENTREPRENEUR WITH A MISSION
  • Taste Radio: GT DAVE HAS A REFRESHING TAKE ON HIS ICONIC BRAND
  • Visiting the Kombucha Lair

Shopify Links:

• Start a free trial and enjoy 2 months of Shopify for $1/month

Strategy Maven Agency Links:

• Strategy Maven website
• Book your free account audit here

Promomash/Crisp Links:

• Try Promomash + Crisp free for 30 days here
• Webinar recording: Promomash + Crisp Present: The Next Big Thing in WFM Demo Analytics
• Webinar recording: Distributor Data 101: 5 Things Brands Should Be Tracking and Why

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (12K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.com
• Episode music by Super Fantastics

I figured it was worth putting my soul on the line to bring you some behind the scenes content from one of the hottest brands in CPG. Just a few months ago in October 2022, Liquid Death Mountain Water closed a $70 million Series D round that valued the company at $700 million, their products are in over 60,000 retailers nationwide, they have over 160 employees, and they were only founded in 2018, so things are just getting started. Hamid Saify, Liquid Death’s SVP of Digital Retail, one of the company’s first hires and a long-time Slack community member, joins us today to dig into how he and the team at Liquid Death creates such incredible marketing and branding.

Listen in as Hamid shares about:

• Liquid Death’s early days testing paid social ads, video content, copywriting, community-building, and choosing to focus on niches like action sports and heavy metal
• Why their marketing is entertainment-led rather than product/feature-led - including some of Hamid’s favorite campaigns like one that included drawing Tony Hawk’s blood!?
• How starting with a focus on ecommerce helped their eventual retail expansion
• How they’ve used Amazon DSP and why they’ve 10xed their investment in Amazon in the last year and a half
• The importance of bridging the physical and digital worlds and their work on Instacart, a new rewards program, and frequent merch drops
• The details behind joining their Country Club and how some people want their souls back
• How Hamid and team noticed something magical happening in their reviews and used it as a community-building moment
• And so much more!

Episode Links:

• Liquid Death’s website & IG & TikTok @liquiddeath
• Hamid’s LinkedIn
• The Liquid Death Country Club
• The Time-Waster 5000
• Fastest-Growing Emerging Brands on Instacart 2022
• Companies mentioned: Pear Commerce, Tinuiti, Okendo

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (10K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

When you peruse Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors, do you ever think, “What would my flavor be if I were famous?” Maybe that’s just me, but perhaps you dream about your own brand one day collaborating with Ben & Jerry’s? This became a reality for Partake Foods, and when I saw the news, I wanted to know the behind the scenes of how a collaboration like this gets to market. Partake makes inclusive allergy-friendly snacks that give delicious peace of mind to those with dietary restrictions along with “How is this so good?!” enjoyment. Partake’s collaboration with Ben & Jerry’s all started with a cold email in 2020 from Marlo Giudice who was one of Partake’s 3 total team members at the time. Now their Ben & Jerry’s collaboration flavor, Oatmeal Dream Pie, launched this year and has been added to the Ben & Jerry’s evergreen lineup available nationwide in Target, Walgreens, and more retailers near you. Partake has also experienced other very impressive growth the past few years. Marlo is now Partake’s Vice President of Sales, Strategic Channels, there are nearly 20 people on the Partake team, and their cookies and snacks will be available in over 13,000 stores as of this July 2023.

Listen in as Marlo shares about:

• Her career journey from culinary school to food brand founder to selling her food company to working with Partake Foods
• The story behind Marlo’s cold outreach to Ben & Jerry’s and her tips for reaching out to dream partners
• The process of working with Ben & Jerry’s R&D team to develop the final flavor
• How Partake had to become an ingredient supplier to support the collaboration
• Tips for being a great partner as an emerging brand
• Partake’s strategy around the foodservice channel
• How to be “pleasantly persistent” and stay organized in your outreach
• And more!

Episode Links:

• Partake website, Instagram
• Marlo’s LinkedIn
• Find the Ben & Jerry's flavor near you

Shopify Links:

• Start a free trial and enjoy 2 months of Shopify for $1/month

Social Nature Links:

• Social Nature website
• Social Nature team email: marketing@socialnature.com
• Learn from & get to know the Social Nature team: 
  • Episode #87 How Natural Shoppers are Responding to Inflation with Social Nature's Jessica Malach
  • Episode #50 The Data Behind the Modern Wellness Consumer with Social Nature's Jessica Malach
  • Overview of Digital Sampling with Social Nature founder Annalea Krebs
• Episodes that mention Social Nature campaigns: 
  • Episode #66 Sharing is Caring: How Alison Cayne & Haven's Kitchen share cooking confidence and industry knowledge (Social Nature discussed at 41:15)
  • Episode #86 From Target Buyer to Nationally Launching Upcycled Pet Brand Shameless Pets with James Bello (Social Nature discussed at 37:33)

Strategy Maven Agency Links:

• Strategy Maven website
• Book your free account audit here

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (12K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.com
• Episode music by Super Fantastics

Today we have a special episode for you to celebrate the launch of the pet channel in the Startup CPG Slack! The number of pet brands in our community is growing and we wanted to create a space dedicated for pet brands to discuss unique challenges and regulations. We thought who better to join us than one of our early Slack members, Shameless Pets, who I’ve personally been following for quite a few years. James Bello is the co-founder and CEO of Shameless Pets and is a former Target Buyer with lots of wisdom to share that’s relevant to all CPG brands. Shameless Pets makes healthy dog and cat treats and foods that utilized upcycled ingredients in an effort to fight food waste. As of our recording date, they’ve saved about 1.2 million pounds of food from going into landfills.

Listen in as James shares about:

• His journey from Target buyer to brand owner
• Getting started in upcycled ingredients before the Upcycled Food Association even existed
• How pet food regulations differ from human food and the process of setting up their supply chain and manufacturing
• Launching in Whole Foods, Central Market, and Target, and how they used seasonal endcaps to manage establishing relationships with big retailers
• Navigating when to start taking a pay check as founders
• Marketing levers they rely on including in-store promotions and campaigns with Social Nature
• The debate on who the original Shameless Pet is
• And more!

To get the invite to our new pet Slack channel, go to startupcpg.com, sign up for our emails at the bottom of the page, and then grab the Slack link at the top of any email from Startup CPG. Once inside, head to “All Channels” or “Channel Browser” to find the pet channel. That sounds like a lot of steps, but it takes less than 5 minutes and is free! See you there!

This episode was sponsored by Social Nature. Go to business.socialnature.com

Episode Links:

• Shameless Pets website
• Jame’s LinkedIn & email james@shamelesspets.com
• Brands mentioned: Upcycled Food Association, Social Nature

Social Nature Links:

• Social Nature website
• Social Nature team email: marketing@socialnature.com
• Learn from & get to know the Social Nature team: 
  • Episode #50 The Data Behind the Modern Wellness Consumer with Social Nature's Jessica Malach
  • Overview of Digital Sampling with Social Nature founder Annalea Krebs
• Episode that mentions a Social Nature campaign: 
  • Episode #66 Sharing is Caring: How Alison Cayne & Haven's Kitchen share cooking confidence and industry knowledge (Social Nature discussed at 41:15)

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (12K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

A few weeks back, we talked about Angel Investing 101 on the show, and equity crowdfunding got a brief shoutout. I was super curious on the topic and thought who better to talk about equity crowdfunding than someone in the process right now! Today we’re joined by Elena Guberman, co-CEO of tbh, a brand focused on reimagining nostalgic snacks. Their first product is a better for you, better for the planet, plant-based version of Nutella - with no palm oil, 50% less sugar, and 3x the protein! tbh was co-founded by someone you may know - Stranger Things actor and entrepreneur, Noah Schnapp.

Listen in as Elena shares about:

• The details on their current equity crowdfunding raise on Republic (that as of our recording date has blown past it’s $25,000 goal with over $450,000 raised from over 550 investors)
• Why they chose equity crowdfunding
• What it’s like getting set up on an equity crowdfunding platform as far as the due diligence process and Elena’s launch prep tips
• How they are using the campaign to educate Gen Z consumers about investing and why keeping the minimum investment at $50 was important (as a side note, Elena will mention that over 70% of campaign investors invested less than $250 - so cool!)
• The story behind their Nosh award-winning collaboration with Chubby Snacks and why collaborations are part of the thh strategy
• What’s it like to have a celebrity co-founder
• And more!

And, stay tuned at the end for a bonus segment - today featuring Startup CPG Shelfie Award winner, Popadelics - Elena and I will share our reviews mid-episode and then at the end of the episode (41:55), you can catch a mini-interview (25:53) with Popadelics’ founder, Marilyn, to learn more!

Episode Links:

• tbh website & @snacktbh on IG & TikTok
• Elena’s LinkedIn
• tbh Republic campaign page
• Elena's article "tbh raised over $700k on Republic: Here's What I Learned"
• Article mentioned by Elena: “How to Rock a Republic Campaign” by Courtney at AKUA
• Brands & companies mentioned: Chubby Snacks, Rhythm Superfoods, TERRA, Rodeo CPG
• Popadelics Links: 
  • Popadelics website & IG @popadelics
  • Marilyn’s LinkedIn

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (10K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Content creation. We all know it’s more important than ever. But how do you actually create great content as a brand and measure success? To help us answer these questions, we have David Greenfeld of Dream Pops joining us today. Dream Pops is re-imagining cult classic desserts with plant based ingredients - my current favorite is the frozen cookie dough bites. At the time of recording, Dream Pops has created thousands of TikTok videos with nearly 200,000 followers and over 5 million likes, an Instagram with nearly 100,000 followers, David has 45,000 Linkedin followers on his own page and a podcast with 70 episodes, and he and his team just started getting into YouTube Shorts, by uploading about 500 videos in the last few months.

Listen in as David shares about:

• How he got started at Dream Pops and why the branding and name are so intentional
• David’s early days of using Instagram, then TikTok, LinkedIn, and other platforms
• Why content creation is like building a workout routine
• How David grew his LinkedIn presence and the content that he finds resonates the most
• The importance of regularly testing and evaluating different platforms and how David thinks about driving store velocity
• What it was like to start the Stick with Your Dreams podcast
• Why Dream Pops entered the Canadian market
• How Dream Pops stays true to their values during tough decisions
• And more!

And stay tuned at the end of the episode (at minute 45:19) for a mini interview with Saphira from Startup CPG Shelfie Award winner Nowhere Bakery. You won’t want to miss her story about getting a text from Gwyneth Paltrow!

Episode Links:

• Dream Pops website, IG @dreampops, TikTok, YouTube
• Buy Dream Pops candy on Amazon
• David’s LinkedIn
• David’s Stick with Your Dreams Podcast
• Other great interviews with David: “The Story of a Brand: Dream Pops - The Willy Wonka of Plant-based Desserts” & “Founder to Mentor: David Greenfeld”
• Vendors mentioned: aisle, Paperwhite Studio, hatch, SWIMSOCIAL
• Nowhere Bakery Links: 
  • Nowhere Bakery website & IG @nowherebakery
  • Saphira’s LinkedIn & IG @peanut.head

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (9K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Today’s hot topic is fundraising. And what could be better than talking fundraising with our favorite weird sparkling water brand, Aura Bora. Aura Bora just raised a Series A round, led by Siddhi capital, bringing their lifetime funding as a brand to $10 million, and co-founder Paul Voge is here to share the details with us. Paul and his wife Maddie founded Aura Bora in 2019, and they make sparkling water from herbs, fruits, and flowers for earthly tastes and heavenly feelings. They use unique ingredients like basil, cactus, and lavender for a better-tasting experience, all while donating 1% of annual revenue to environmental causes via 1% For The Planet. Aura Bora is one of the fastest-growing beverage brands in the country with their 0 calorie, 0 sugar, non-GMO, plant-based, and craft flavors.

Listen in as Paul shares about:

• Aura Bora’s different funding stages from friends and family, to seed rounds, to the recent Series A with institutional investors
• How he learned about the world of fundraising and his recommendations for getting started
• The logistics behind tackling fundraising from staying organized, to working as a team, to a favorite question to ask someone who says “No”
• How he says motivated and how they’ve built long term relationships with potential investing partners along the way
• The newly formed Aura Bora board of directors and what that means
• How Aura Bora will use the funds and exciting future growth plans
• And more!

This episode was sponsored by Mondelēz International - applications for the 2023 SnackFutures CoLab program are open now! Go to applycolab.com

Episode Links:

• Aura Bora website & IG @drinkaurabora
• Paul’s LinkedIn
• Resources mentioned by Paul: Book “Venture Deals” by Brad Feld, Book “High-Hanging Fruit” by Mark Rampolla, Book “Mission in a Bottle” by Seth Goldman & Barry Nalebuff, The Angel Group, SKU Accelerator, Y Combinator Safe documents, Law Firm Giannuzzi Lewendon, Law Firm Foster Garvey, DocSend as a data room
• News coverage of the recent Aura Bora fundraise: Food Business, Food Navigator
• Other Startup CPG episodes mentioned: Venture Capital 101, Ask Seth Goldman Anything
• Other podcast interviews mentioned: Paul’s interview on In the Sauce
• Watch Aura Bora on Shark Tank Season 12, Episode 11 (clip here)
• Forbes article "The Seltzer Industry Is Notoriously Tough, But Here’s How Aura Bora Convinced Siddhi Capital Of Its Business Viability"
• Brand mentioned: Super Coffee

Mondelēz International‘s SnackFutures CoLab program:

• Apply for the 2023 cohort here (open as of 9/20/22)
• Podcast episode #67 sharing the CoLab experience of Bunny James Boxes
• Podcast episode #54 sharing the CoLab experience of alumni Pan's Mushroom Jerky and GoNanas
• Podcast episode with the Mondelēz International team about CoLab
• SnackFutures website
• Mondelēz International website

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (9K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

What's it like to build out a new section at the grocery store? We saw Perfect Bar create a refrigerated bar section, so why not a refrigerated, delicious, easy-squeezy sauce section? That's what Haven's Kitchen is bringing to a store near you - fresh sauces that help home cooks feel like a champion in their kitchen. I became a Haven's Kitchen fan through our Startup CPG partner Social Nature and can attest that it's leveled up my home cooking significantly and even inspired me to cook more and feel more confident prepping food at home that isn't bland (thank you Chimichurri sauce). I'm so excited that today we're joined by the delightful Founder & CEO of Haven's Kitchen Alison Cayne, who you may also know from her podcast, In the Sauce.

Listen in to hear from Ali: 

• How Haven's Kitchen got started and where they are right now (which includes being in Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Target) 
• Important lessons from their early days of just a few employees (when they now have over 10 employees)
• What it's been like to launch at Target and the difference between a Target and natural channel store launch
• How they used Social Nature to drive trial during the pandemic and why they aren't going back to traditional demos
• Ali's framework for tough decisions as a founder
• And more!

This episode was sponsored by Mondelēz International - applications for the 2023 SnackFutures CoLab program are open now! Go to applycolab.com

Episode Links:

• Haven’s Kitchen website & IG @havenskitchen
• Ali’s LinkedIn
• Ali’s podcast In The Sauce
• 1-800-DTC article mentioned: “Under The Hood: Alison from Haven's Kitchen”
• Brands mentioned: Oat Haus, Sweet Nothings, Aura Bora, Social Nature

Mondelēz International‘s SnackFutures CoLab program:

• Apply for the 2023 cohort here (open as of 9/20/22)
• Podcast episode #54 sharing the CoLab experience of alumni Pan's Mushroom Jerky and GoNanas
• Podcast episode #59 with CoLab alum Ali Bonar at Oat Haus
• Podcast episode with the Mondelēz International team about CoLab
• SnackFutures website
• Mondelēz International website

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (9K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

What does it take to build the next household chocolate brand name like Hershey or Cadbury? The team at Mid-Day Squares is on the road to find out, and today we’re joined by Jake Karls, Co-Founder and Rainmaker. If you aren’t familiar with Mid-Day Squares, head to your nearest Target produce section, grab a square of incredible functional chocolate, and give their product a little quick merchandising love in Startup CPG community fashion. My favorite flavor on the market is Peanut Butta, but as you may have heard in our Expo East recap, I got to try the new Cookie Dough flavor and it was my favorite bite of the show, maybe my new favorite in general and, P. S., this new flavor that we talk about in the episode drops December 22nd this year. Mid-Day Squares is on the road to $100 million in revenue and entertains die-hard fans (like myself) with their innovative use of social media as reality television. There are so many incredible interviews with the Mid-Day Squares team, including their own podcast and I’ll link a few favorites in the show notes, so I asked Jake if he’d go in deep for our Startup CPG community about mental health, navigating challenges, and how to celebrate wins and build momentum. And of course, he delivered.

Listen in to hear from Jake about:

• Their recent national US Target launch
• How the Mid-Day Squares team is structured, including working with two other co-founders and co-CEOs
• Why Mid-Day Squares is on the “road to $100 million” and to be “world-class” and what those mean
• How and why they intentionally work with a business therapist regularly and why founder conflict kills so many brands if left unresolved
• How they navigated really tough decisions and situations recently with changing pack sizes and pausing US e-commerce shipments
• What it looks like to regularly celebrate wins as a team and keep the momentum rolling
• Jake’s daily dance habit and how he now brings it to people around the world
• And more!

This episode was sponsored by Mondelēz International - applications for the 2023 SnackFutures CoLab program are open now! Go to applycolab.com

Episode Links:

• Mid-Day Squares website & IG @middaysqares
• Jake’s LinkedIn
• Mid-Day Squares UNCENSORED Podcast link
• Favorite other interviews with Jake: Kirk & Kurtts #31: Jake, not from State Farm and The 7 Hats Podcast: Jake and the Chocolate Factory

Mondelēz International‘s SnackFutures CoLab program:

• Apply for the 2023 cohort here (open as of 9/20/22)
• Podcast episode #54 sharing the CoLab experience of alumni Pan's Mushroom Jerky and GoNanas
• Podcast episode with the Mondelēz International team about CoLab
• SnackFutures website
• Mondelēz International website

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (9K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

I'm so excited to share a conversation with you about kombucha and operations - two of my favorite topics! I recently was the moderator for a session that was held at UCLA Anderson by The Food & Agriculture Business Association for a group of MBA candidates where I had a fireside chat with Justin Trout, co-founder and former COO of Health-Ade Kombucha. In this conversation, Justin dives into the nitty gritty, behind-the-scenes stories about growing a kombucha business from a single farmers market to almost 50,000 retail doors during his tenure as COO and you get some snippets from me about growing LivBar. Listen in to learn the stages of Health-Ade's growth, the decision to self-manufacture, the process of transitioning from doing operations work to managing a team of operations personnel, first operations hires, overcoming a year with over 2,000 employees turning over, implementing an ERP system, discerning which experts to listen to, where Justin draws inspiration and why he loves operations, and more.

Episode Links:

• Health-Ade's website & IG @healthade
• UCLA Anderson website
• Audience questions at the end facilitated by MBA Candidate Julia Sweitzer 

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (7K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

We've got a really fun episode today that I think will bring you a lot of joy and inspiration. It's probably no surprise but your Startup CPG team members are big Shark Tank fans. Our Startup CPG founder Daniel was watching Shark Tank a few months ago and he just knew today's guest was someone we all needed to know. From the Season 13 finale, where he landed a $600,000 deal from Mark Cuban and Kevin Hart, today's guest is Alexiou Gibson. You don't need to have seen the Shark Tank episode to enjoy our conversation but I definitely recommend watching it as soon as you can. So a little about Alexiou - he's founder and CEO of The Transformation Factory and creator of their Sea Moss Gel product and he scaled the company to $3.5 million in revenue in just 11 months (watch the Sharks faces when they hear that!). He's an incredible story teller and I hope you'll be smiling and laughing along with us (or even crying a little like me), plus you might need a notebook for all the wisdom he shares. Listen in as Alexiou shares about his career path from NASA to entrepreneurship, his personal health journey and transformation, launching a sea moss product during a pandemic, the best story I've ever heard for finding an online advertising expert, the process of getting on Shark Tank and what it was like to being on the show, making a deal, and the post-show diligence process, what's next at The Transformation Factory, and more.

Episode Links:

• The Transformation Factory / Sea Moss Gel website and IG @seamosstransformation
• Alexiou's LinkedIn & IG @alexiou2.0
• More info on Season 13, Episode 24 of Shark Tank
• Watch the episode on Amazon (should be available again on Hulu or ABC soon)

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (8K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.c

Today's guest you may recognize for a number of reasons but specifically from the cover of the Startup CPG Spotlight magazine! Ali Bonar, Co-Founder, CEO, and Chief Vibes Officer of Oat Haus and other members of the Oat Haus team were featured in last winter's magazine edition, so today we get to hear the latest news podcast style! Oat Haus makes the world's first oat-based spread: Granola Butter. Born out of Ali's eating disorder recovery, the mission behind the brand is to bring fun & play to food! Ali and her two other co-founders were on Shark Tank Season 13 in October of 2021, so make sure to check out that episode of the show (and if you love Shark Tank, make sure to listen to our recent interview with Alexiou Gibson (#57) where we do a deep dive on Shark Tank and that experience). It's going to come through in this conversation how much I love the Oat Haus granola butter products, but since we recorded, I did also get my brownie batter pre-release order and it. is. decadent. Somehow it's like eating brownie batter out of the bowl but without the stomachache or the top allergens. It's not going to last long in our "haus."

Listen in to hear from Ali:
- More about Oat Haus' founding story
- The behind the scenes of their recent flavor hype drop and how they started collaborating with Jameela Jamil
- Oat Haus' first marketing and sales hires
- How they secured a national Sprouts launch and how they've supported that launch with influencer marketing
- The realities of mental health as a founder
- Riding the up and downs of publicity like Shark Tank
- And more!

Content warning: episode mentions eating disorders and sexual assault.

Episode Links:

• Oat Haus website & IG @oat.haus
• Ali's LinkedIn & IG @alibonar
• Ali's podcast "Alicast"
• Startup CPG magazine issue featuring Oat Haus
• Join the #founder_health_and_wellness channel in the Startup CPG Slack
• Interviews with Ali on The Shine Online podcast and the Dare to Self Care podcast
• Lauren Leavell Fitness mentioned by Jessi

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (8K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com