The CPG Operator Podcast

The obvious path to growth isn’t always the right one for your product. Burlap & Barrel has built a successful spice business by making some decidedly unconventional choices about where it sells, how it reaches consumers and what it refuses to compromise. Founder Ethan Frisch joins Sourcery founder Bhavna Kolakaluri, to dig into the creative ways brands can work around the realities of their products instead of forcing them into a growth model that doesn’t fit.You will learn:How to decide whether coveted retailers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s actually make sense for your businessHow to sell a product that’s difficult to sample through traditional in-store demosHow to make a premium product feel worth the money when consumers are watching their spendingHow to work around long production cycles using multiple sales channels and other operational strategiesHow changing something as simple as case-pack size can make your product work for smaller retailers

When your product has several compelling benefits, which one should lead?Jous founders Nicolas Jeffery and Camilo Ortiz sit down with Chris Robb of Supernatural Ventures and The Angel Group to work through how to sharpen the story behind their magnesium-infused juice, make the product easier to understand, and build a stronger strategy for growth.You Will Learn:How to determine which of your product’s benefits should lead your positioningWhen a functional ingredient strengthens your story and when it complicates itHow to make an unfamiliar product immediately understandable to consumersHow positioning can change your competitive set, shelf placement, and growth opportunitiesHow to test whether your current brand story is actually driving trial and repeat purchase

New York's density makes it one of the best cities to build retail distribution — and one of the hardest to crack. Namik Soltan, founder and CEO of GNGR Labs, spent six years self-distributing into hundreds of NYC bodegas, independents, and chains before handing accounts to a distributor. Sean Rosenberg, founder of Goldie, is about to do the same. In this episode, Namik shares tips with Sean through the exact playbook, store by store.You will learn:How to build a retail footprint in NYC without a distributor, starting from zeroWhat it actually takes to get into bodegas, independents, and regional chainsWhen to bring on a distributor, and how to prep your territory before they arriveHow to use free product, sales sheets, and intro deals to drive trialWhat separates brands that scale past their first 50 stores from those that stallHow self-distribution today sets you up for regional and national growth later

CVS may not be the first retail opportunity food and beverage brands evaluate, but it's important to know when it can be the right fit. Ashley Czerwien spent two and a half years as a CVS buyer and now manages the CVS relationship at KeHE, and she breaks down what actually needs to be true about your business before CVS makes sense.You will learn:What CVS's 9,000 doors actually look like, and which ones fit your brandThe real submission process, from ECRM events to award lettersWhat CVS costs versus what brands assume it costsThe readiness signals CVS looks for: production, lead times, marketingTwo programs built for emerging brands: Open Air Cooler and Healthy ConsumablesWhat buyers listen for in a category review pitch