Allison Cayne launched her CPG product in Fresh Direct and sold out in 4 hours. She credits this success to how she has built a customer base that has a deeply rooted relationship with her brand. It's not only about growing their email list to 70,000 subscribers but creating that genuine relationship with consumers that lasts for a long time. Listen to this episode to learn:  1) How to make your customers feel connected with your brand? 2) How do you achieve a sold-out launch? 3) Why making your audience part of the brand process important? 4) What are the CPG foundations for growth ..read more

Being a CPG founder is tough. It takes courage, business acumen, and mental fortitude to succeed. This conversation is both insightful and vulnerable, uncovering not only the business side of CPG but also the realities of being a founder. In this episode, Leonard is joined by Joe Hill, co-founder of One Planet Pizza, who opened up about his ups and downs in building his company alongside his dad. Listen to this episode to learn:  1) Why is testing and failing a critical part of CPG success? 2) What's the #1 challenge to expect when starting a CPG brand? 3) Why scaling down is a growth st ..read more

85% of CPGs fail after two years. One of the main reasons is the inability to generate awareness and drive product trials.  In this episode, Leonard talks to Hank Watt, CEO of Nature's Wild Berry, a Shark Tank brand that's been growing in the past 8 years, who shared how they pivoted their marketing game to drive more awareness and reach more customers. Listen to this episode to learn:  1) What's the importance of driving product trials?  2) How to be more effective with your marketing? 3) Why it's important to have a high-margin product? 4) How to get investment from Shark Tank ..read more

Driving product trials is a key to success for any CPG company. It's foundational for growth for CPG start-ups, emerging CPGs, and even CPGs that are in growth mode. But how do you get more product trials in such a competitive industry?  In this episode, Leonard is joined by Kevin Smith, a CPG founder and fellow Brand Development Expert who's the CEO of SmashBrand, to talk about the importance of branding and product positioning in achieving CPG success.  Listen to this episode to learn:  1) What's the #1 factor in driving CPG product trials? 2) Why is brand development at the c ..read more

Finding product-market fit in the CPG space is a critical component of success for any CPG brand. It's how you know that you've reached a point where there's promising demand for your product, your marketing is working, and your sales are growing. In this episode, Leonard is joined by fellow CPG expert, Jordan Buckner, who's a former CPG founder himself, to talk about how CPG founders can be more strategic and efficient in finding product-market fit.  Listen to this episode to learn: 1) What are the key steps in finding product market fit? 2) How do you create a product with the customers ..read more

BTR Nation started as a DTC better-for-you protein bar brand. When scaling, they expanded into retail and grew their door count and distribution channels by 300% at a rapid phase.  Leonard talked to Ashley Nickelsen, its founder & CEO, who shared her journey from getting the product idea when both her parents were diagnosed with a rare form of cancer to scaling it to a $1,000,000+ brand. Listen to this conversation to learn: 1) How do you differentiate your product in a saturated category? 2) What's the key to succeeding in DTC and Amazon? 3) How do you scale your retail door count an ..read more

This 2023, we've featured some of the most inspiring and successful founders in the better-for-you food and beverage CPG space. For the first time ever, we're giving you a year-end treat for a 2-part The Best of Brand Start 2023.  Our team at The Vineyard picked some of the best moments with CPG founders who share their biggest lessons, inspiring stories, and business advice all in 2 episodes.  In this 1st part, you'll hear valuable insights from:  Isabelle Steichen of Lupii on understanding CPG profitability and how you can reach it  Christina Drake of Willa's Oat Milk on ..read more

No Sh*t, No Fluff Conversation on CPG Success and Challenges with Mark Samuel of IWON Organics. Listen to this conversation to learn: 1) Why you should think long and hard before starting a CPG brand? 2) What is the single most important thing for any CPG company? 3) What's a fatal CPG packaging mistake to avoid? 4) Why should you treat DTC as an independent business? 5) How do you create a balanced lifestyle as a CPG founder? Subscribe to this podcast if you want more valuable and insightful CPG conversations.  Learn more about Mark Samuel and support their brand at https://iwonorga ..read more

Anika Sawni is the founder of a non-alcoholic beverage CPG brand called Gruvi. In their quest for growth, they learned to take a multi-demographic approach to appeal to a wider audience. She joined Leonard in this episode to talk about how they are navigating CPG challenges and competing in this promising category. Listen to learn:  1) How can you innovate in your CPG category? 2) Does having a big WHY help with business growth? 3) How do you build a movement with your product positioning? 4) What is a multi-demographic marketing approach? 5) What are the 3 components of beverage CPG grow ..read more

The vegan and plant-based sectors continue to grow but consumer education remains challenging. How do you appeal to vegan customers? How do you expand your addressable market? In this episode, Leonard talks to Radhika Datt, co-founder of One Good, about how they are building a brand that makes delicious plant-based vegan products accessible and affordable in India. Listen to this conversation to learn: 1) Why must you know your trademark laws when naming your brand? 2) What is an effective consumer marketing strategy for plant-based CPGs? 3) What are the challenges and opportunities in the ..read more