#252 - The Rise of Laurel's Coffee: Whole Foods, Wegmans & 1,800 Target Stores in Two Years

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Isabel Washington, founder of Laurel's Coffee — an A2 dairy canned latte brand bringing coffee shop flavors like Dirty Chai and Matcha to retail shelves. Isabel left McKinsey in February 2024, launched in August 2024, and has already landed Whole Foods, Erewhon, Wegmans, and a chain-wide 1,800-store Target launch coming this August. That's not a typo.Isabel shares the full origin story: how her public health background shaped her "better for you" philosophy, why she spent her first six weeks at 40 hours a week on calls with anyone who would talk to her, and how she cold-emailed the Whole Foods refrigerated beverage buyer three months after launching — and got a response almost immediately. She also breaks down what A2 dairy actually is, why so many self-described lactose intolerant people may actually be A1 sensitive, and why Dirty Chai became their best seller at Whole Foods by 1.5–2x.Daniel and Isabel also dig into the consulting-to-founder pipeline, the art of running parallel work streams instead of sequential ones, what it felt like to say yes to a national Whole Foods launch with $10,000 in the bank, and why she nearly took a terrible term sheet before waiting it out for the right investors.Listen in as they cover:Why chickpea-to-oat comparisons feel familiar — and how A2 dairy works the same way for dairy drinkersThe McKinsey skill set that let Isabel go from idea to retail shelf in six monthsHow a five-sentence cold email landed a national Whole Foods authorizationWhy Dirty Chai outsells everything else — and what that taught her about flavor strategyThe difference between what a Whole Foods buyer cares about versus a Target buyerWhat a national Whole Foods load-in PO actually looks like (hint: not what you'd expect)How DSDs helped her avoid the deduction and build-back chaos that kills early-stage brandsWhy she said yes to Whole Foods with $10K in the bank — and what she'd tell founders about thatThe Target launch, upcoming Costco roadshows, and what's next for Laurel'sWhether you're a founder trying to break into top-tier retail, a consultant thinking about making the leap, or just someone who didn't know they might not actually be lactose intolerant, this episode is for you.Episode Links: Laurel's Coffee Website: https://drinklaurels.com Isabel Washington on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabeldwashington/ Laurel's Coffee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinklaurels/⁠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 Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by food scientist Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Abbey Thiel, a food scientist, science communicator, and consultant with a PhD in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and postdoctoral training at Wageningen University. Abbey specializes in food formulation, ingredient functionality, and technical problem solving for food and beverage brands — with deep expertise in confections and frozen desserts. She is also the creator of the YouTube channel Abby the Food Scientist, a six-year-old channel with over 150,000 subscribers, and the author of multiple books including a food science careers textbook and a candy science coloring book for kids.Abbey started her channel during her PhD as a creative outlet — and what began as procrastinating on her dissertation became one of the most recognizable food science education platforms on the internet. Along the way, the channel turned into an unexpected client pipeline, with founders reaching out after finding her ingredient explainer videos at the exact moment something was going wrong with their product.Adam and Abbey get into all of it — from the fascinating science of sponge candy and why gelatin will quietly sabotage your foam if you boil it, to the real reason ultra-processed foods make us overeat (hint: it is not the ingredient list, it is the microstructure), to the contract manufacturing trap that quietly kills small brands when founders realize too late they do not own their own formula.Listen in as they cover:Why you should bring a food scientist in before the catastrophe, not after it The microstructure of sponge candy — what foam actually looks like under a microscope and why every step in the process either protects or destroys it How Abbey diagnosed a failing candy product just by watching a video of the process Why gelatin must never be boiled — and what happens to it when you do The real science behind ultra-processed foods: why food microstructure and chewing matter more than the ingredient list What "natural" actually means — and why Abbey makes every client write a list before she starts formulating The contract manufacturing trap: how one founder had to hire Abbey to reverse engineer his own product because he never had the formula Why your co-manufacturer is not your friend — even if they are friendly How Abbey's YouTube channel became her most powerful business development tool Abbey's upcoming food science app launching this fallWhether you are a founder scaling your first food product, a brand owner trying to navigate a co-man relationship, or someone who has always wondered why your gelato keeps breaking, this episode is for you.Episode links:Abbey Thiel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-thiel-phd/ Abby the Food Scientist on YouTube: Search "Abby the Food Scientist" Website: abbythefoodscientist.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 Adam's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Rana Taghdisi Argenio, co-founder and General Partner at Palette Ventures, an early stage fund focused on pre-seed through Series A consumer brands. Rana brings a rare full stack perspective to investing, having started her career at Goldman Sachs, taken over a legacy manufacturing business, and bootstrapped her own direct to consumer brand before launching Palette alongside her partner Nina.Palette invests $100K to $500K checks in companies innovating across physical products, digital solutions, and services that make the everyday healthier, happier, and more accessible. What sets them apart is their operator first approach and a genuine commitment to being a WhatsApp message away when founders need them most.Rana and Hannah dig into everything founders need to know about building a fundable business: how to evaluate gross margin targets, what investors are really looking for in diligence, and why founder market fit matters more than almost anything else at the seed stage. They also get into the math behind venture fund construction, why isolation is the enemy of progress, and how to build a cap table that actually works for you.Listen in as they cover:Rana's path from Goldman Sachs to manufacturing to bootstrapped DTC to venture investing and what ties it all togetherThe fund dynamics every founder should understand before taking a check, including AUM, portfolio construction, and follow on strategyWhy solving for partner over price is one of the most important decisions a founder can makeWhat great founders actually look like, from radical resourcefulness to intellectual honesty and self awarenessHow to think about gross margin targets and why your manufacturing partner is one of your best resourcesThe KPIs that drive strong consumer businesses including month over month growth, repeat purchase rates, and contribution margin based LTV to CACWhy asking for help early beats explaining failures late every single timeHow Palette structures its relationship with founders and why they intentionally sit outside the boardroomWhether you're building, fundraising, or trying to understand what great really looks like in today's market, this one is packed with practical, thoughtful insight.Episode Links:Palette Ventures: linkedin.com/company/paletteventures Rana Taghdisi Argenio on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rana-argenio 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 Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Christine Liu and Clarissa Wei, co-founders of HEYDOH — a single origin soy sauce brand built to fill a massive gap in the American grocery market. The global soy sauce market is worth $40–59 billion, yet there is not a single origin option on the shelves of America's largest grocery stores. HEYDOH is here to change that.Clarissa is a food journalist who has spent 15 years covering Taiwanese and Chinese cuisine and has been based in East Asia for eight years. Christine is a data scientist from big tech who originally said no to the idea — until a factory visit in Taiwan and her first sip changed everything. Together they run what they call a 24-hour company: Clarissa in Taiwan, Christine in Brooklyn, an introvert running marketing and an extrovert running numbers.Caitlin and the co-founders dig into the origin of HEYDOH, how consumer surveys shaped the product lineup, and the packaging disaster that led to a complete rebrand — and ultimately three Dieline Awards including Best in Food. They also get into the operational realities of shipping glass bottles, how a 25% breakage rate got fixed, and the creative shipping rate hack that helped them stay in the green on D2C.Listen in as they discuss:Why the $40–59B global soy sauce market has no single origin options in major US retailers — and how HEYDOH is filling that gapHow Christine went from "absolutely not" to co-founder after one factory visit in TaiwanThe consumer survey process that shaped the classic vs. silky SKU split — and why low sodium was a no-brainerThe Robinhood-app branding disaster, the pivot to a studio, and three Dieline Awards including Best in FoodRunning a 24-hour company across time zones — and why the introvert/extrovert flip actually worksHow Startup CPG buyer meetings led to Happier Grocer, Good Stuff Distributor, and moreThe 3PL breakage crisis: 25% of glass bottles shattering and the wine shipper insert that saved themHow Christine forced their 3PL to shop against her own shipping rates — and cut costs by $3–4 per packageWhy chemistry with partners matters more than a resumeEpisode Links: Christine Liu – Co-Founder, HEYDOH LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinecliu/Clarissa Wei – Co-Founder, HEYDOH LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarissa-wei-b7a645117/HEYDOH Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heydoh/ Website: https://heydoh.co/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heydohco/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 Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Yoga Charya, President and COO of Mezcla, and Sebastiaan Debrouwe from Doss, the operations cloud built for fast-growing CPG brands. Together, they trace the rise of Mezcla — one of the breakout brands in the crowded protein bar category — and unpack the operational philosophy that made it possible: simplicity scales.Yoga shares how Mezcla has grown 2–3x annually for several years running, earned a cult following in specialty retail before breaking into Target, Publix, Costco, and Whole Foods (where they've expanded from 3 SKUs in 3 regions to 11–12 SKUs nationwide), and recently closed a Series B to fuel continued growth. The secret? Relentless focus on product quality, an ultra-lean team of tier-one operators, and a deliberate effort to keep the supply chain as simple as possible at every stage.Sebastiaan adds the systems perspective — what Doss sees across the fast-growing brands they work with, why the real danger isn't complexity itself but the failure to design against it, and what separates brands that scale cleanly from those that get buried in operational debt.Whether you're just figuring out your ops model or wondering what breaks when you hit hypergrowth, this episode is full of hard-won insight.Listen in as they discuss:How Mezcla cracked the protein bar category with a product-led growth model and a "bar made by foodies for foodies" brand ethosWhy showing the actual product on front-of-pack — not flavor cues — became a competitive advantageThe "land and expand" playbook that took Mezcla from 3 Whole Foods regions to full national distributionWhy Yoga consolidated from two 3PLs to one Midwest warehouse — and why emerging brands almost always shouldHow a fully turnkey co-manufacturer relationship gives Mezcla cost visibility without operational overheadThe Crunch Council: how Mezcla brings structure to product quality and ingredient decisions as they scaleWhy sample orders were eating 5–10 hours a week — and how Doss helped collapse thatThe Google Sheets → Airtable → Doss journey, and what you actually gain at each stepWhy traceability and a reliable system of record matter even when — especially when — things are going wellSebastiaan's advice for brands implementing new systems: peel the onion, build road before you drive on it, and never lower your standardsEpisode Links: Yoga Charya – President & COO, Mezcla LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yogaacharya/ Mezcla LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eat-mezcla/Website: https://eatmezcla.com/Sebastiaan Debrouwere – Doss LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdebrouwere/ Doss LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/doss-com/ Website: https://www.doss.comDon'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 Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Graham Garzon, Vice President at Ground Force Capital — a consumer focused growth equity fund with deep roots in food and beverage. Graham brings a background in investment banking and private equity to a firm whose two founding partners are CPG entrepreneurs themselves, giving Ground Force a rare combination of financial rigor and operator empathy. He plays a key role in sourcing, evaluating, and diligencing new opportunities, as well as supporting portfolio companies as they scale toward an eventual exit.Ground Force invests at the growth stage, typically writing checks between $10 and $40 million in brands doing north of $15 to $20 million in revenue. They are minority investors by default, focused on being the last institutional capital before an exit, and they lean in as active board members and thought partners — not passive check writers. Their portfolio spans food and beverage, fast casual restaurants, and the consumer enablement technology that powers emerging brands.Hannah and Graham get into what growth stage investing actually looks like from the inside — what acquirers care about, why profitability has become non-negotiable, and what the journey from first institutional check to exit really involves. Graham also shares what the best founders and operators he has worked with all have in common, why the P&L is the fastest way to understand any business, and what he wishes he had known earlier in his career about balancing quantitative rigor with the willingness to take a bet.Listen in as they cover:What growth stage investing looks like and how it is different from early stage ventureThe difference between minority and majority investment — and what it means for founders thinking about dilution and controlWhy profitability has become the most important shift in how investors evaluate CPG businesses in the last two yearsWhat acquirers are actually looking for today: scale, margins, and omnichannel executionThe milestones brands go through during a growth stage hold period — and what needs to happen before an exitWhy understanding your consumer purchasing journey is just as important as understanding your P&LThe founder and operator traits Graham respects most: deep business knowledge, humility, and genuine curiosityWhy Graham made a bet on meat sticks with Righteous Felon — and what it says about how Ground Force thinks about riding trend waves without overexposingWhat the first investor meeting actually looks like — and the three things you need to communicate clearlyAdvice for anyone looking to break into CPG investing and how to set yourself apartWhether you are fundraising, approaching a growth stage raise, or just trying to understand how later stage investors think about your business, this episode is packed with practical and honest insight.Episode Links: Ground Force Capital: https://www.groundforcecapital.com Graham Garzon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamgarzon/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 Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Ashley Whalen, founder of Chara — a Greek frozen yogurt brand bringing back the joy of froyo with a modern, better-for-you twist. High in protein, packed with certified living probiotics, naturally sweetened with maple and agave, and completely lactose free, Chara is the frozen treat today's health-conscious consumer has been waiting for. Ashley started the brand during her senior year at USC, launched less than a year ago, and is already in retail, doing pop-ups across SoCal in a renovated vintage Volkswagen bus, and landing brand collaborations with everyone from Fabletics to the Bureau Padel Classic.Caitlin and Ashley get into all of it — from the college apartment origin story and the seven roommates who inspired the product, to how Ashley is differentiating Chara in a crowded protein frozen dessert space by leaning into joy, natural ingredients, and a Mediterranean-inspired stripe aesthetic that nobody else in the freezer aisle has thought to own. Ashley also shares how she landed her first retail chain through a connection made at Nootopia Now, why she bought a vintage VW bus instead of running ads, and the founder mindset shift that changed everything for her: pressure is a privilege.Listen in as they cover:How Chara was born in a college apartment with seven roommates and a lot of Greek yogurt bowlsWhy Ashley chose maple and agave over artificial sweeteners — and why that decision is paying offHow Chara is differentiating from the protein ice cream category by decentralizing the narrative of proteinThe story behind the name Chara — and what the Greek word for joy has to do with frozen yogurtWhy Ashley bought a vintage Volkswagen bus and renovated it into a froyo pop-up vehicleHow cold outreach on LinkedIn led to brand collaborations with Fabletics, Shopbop, and celebrity Padel tournamentsLanding the first retail chain at Lunds and Byerly's through a connection made at Newtopia NowWhy building in public on TikTok is one of the most powerful tools a young founder hasThe advice that stuck: pressure is a privilege — and how that mindset shift changes the way you buildChara's 2026 goals: scaling the supply chain and expanding into natural retail nationwideWhether you're a young founder just getting started, a brand navigating the frozen category, or someone who just wants a better froyo, this episode is for you.Episode Links: Chara Website: https://www.charafroyo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charafroyo Ashley Whalen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-whalen321Don'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 Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Jacob Trumbull, founder of Roaring Fork Mill — a family owned and operated stone flour mill based in Carbondale, Colorado. Jacob is the only Regenerative Organic Certified mill in the Mountain West, a recent recipient of the Greg Stoltenpohl Pragmatic Visionary Award, and someone who went from exhibiting at his first trade show with Startup CPG to unlocking 700 plus stores in just a month and a half. He also just launched the first-to-market line of Regenerative Organic Certified cookies — and two days before this recording, those cookies won a major award he is not yet allowed to announce.Jacob has a background in Environmental Education, helped launch the Wendell Berry Farming Program at Sterling College, and holds a Master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Behavioral Decision Sciences. He moved to the Roaring Fork Valley for a desk job, quickly realized it was not for him, and started milling flour in his garage while still on work calls. What followed is one of the most quietly remarkable origin stories in the Startup CPG community.Caitlin and Jacob get into all of it — why stone milled heritage flour is fundamentally different from what is on most grocery shelves, what Regenerative Organic Certification actually requires and why it is harder to get than you think, and how Jacob is reintroducing a wheat variety called Defiance Wheat that has not been grown in the Roaring Fork Valley for 60 to 70 years — starting from one single pound of seed. They also talk about the Shelfie Award win that put Roaring Fork Mill on the map, the Unify trade show that unlocked 700 plus retail doors, and why farmer's markets remain one of the most underrated places to sharpen your pitch.Listen in as they cover:Why stone milled heritage flour is easier to digest — and why 32% of Americans think they are gluten sensitive when only 3% are celiacWhy a shorter shelf life on flour is actually a sign of quality, not a problemWhat Regenerative Organic Certification requires, why it is harder to get than organic, and why it is the fastest growing clean label certification in retailThe challenge of building a regenerative supply chain when there is not a single dairy provider in the world that is ROC certifiedHow Jacob is reintroducing Defiance Wheat to the Roaring Fork Valley from one pound of seedWhy Roaring Fork Mill won a Shelfie Award for their rye flour — the first ROC certified flour in the USGoing from the first trade show at Unify to 700 plus stores in a month and a halfLaunching the first-to-market Regenerative Organic Certified cookie lineWhy farmer's markets are one of the best places to sharpen your pitch — and how Jacob used them to build the foundation for retailThe business to business opportunity: why brands looking for ROC certified flour have almost nowhere else to goWhether you are a founder thinking about certifications, a retailer looking for what is next in regenerative, or someone who has never thought twice about the flour on their shelf, this episode will change the way you look at the baking aisle.Episode Links: Roaring Fork Mill Website: https://www.roaringforkmill.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roaringfork_mill/ Jacob Trumbull on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-trumbull-407490113/Roaring Fork Mill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roaring-fork-mill/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 Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by food scientist Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Lara Tiro, founder of Rebel CPG — a commercialization and innovation agency helping food entrepreneurs bridge the gap between a great recipe and a retail-ready product. Lara is a food scientist with over 20 years of experience in food manufacturing, quality assurance, product development, and commercialization. She has worked with brands across baking, frozen foods, refrigerated products, plant proteins, and value-added food categories, and is known for her practical, business-first approach to helping founders scale without bleeding money.Lara started her career grading organic eggs at a tiny local farm, moved on to processing raspberries at a jam facility, built her foundation in food safety and quality assurance, and eventually moved into product development for a commercial bakery before launching Rebel CPG in 2021. Along the way she picked up a degree combining food science and economics at the University of British Columbia — a combination that shapes everything about how she thinks about this industry.Adam and Lara get into all of it — why getting cozy with COGS is the single most important thing a food entrepreneur can do, how the PB&J framework gives founders a structure for thinking about their product, brand, and business, and why your formula is always going to change at scale and that is not a failure. Lara also shares a real client story about scaling a frozen baby food product from a home kitchen recipe to a commercially viable product — and what that process actually looks like when done right.Listen in as they cover:Why COGS is the most important and most overlooked thing early stage food founders need to understandThe PB&J framework: Product, Packaging, Pricing, Process, Brand, Buyer, Baseline, and JoyWhy your formula will always change at scale — and how to be okay with thatThe real difference between a recipe and a commercially scalable formulaHow Lara helped Wholesome Yum founder Megan take a frozen baby food concept from home kitchen to retail-ready productWhy food safety is the foundation of everything — and why it does not get celebrated enoughThe role of packaging in product development — and why it has to be developed in parallel with formulationWhat hydrocolloids and tamarind seed gum are doing in the sauce and dressing category right nowA palm oil fat replacer made of dietary fiber that Lara is helping launch at a sauce conferenceWhy done is better than perfect in product development — and what that actually means in practiceWhether you are a founder trying to scale your first product, a food entrepreneur who has been told it will be cheaper when you scale, or someone who just wants to understand what a food scientist actually does, this episode is for you.Episode Links: Rebel CPG Website: https://www.rebelcpg.com Rebel CPG LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rebelcpg/ Lara Tiro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laratiro Munching on Molecules Podcast: available on Apple, YouTube, and SpotifyDon'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 Adam's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Luba Safran, Venture Capital Lead at Mondelēz International's SnackFutures Ventures — the corporate venture capital arm of one of the world's largest snack companies. Luba brings nearly a decade of experience at AB InBev, where she helped build their Disruptive Growth Organization and spent seven years doing corporate venture capital, before joining Mondelēz two years ago to lead all deal-related activity for SnackFutures Ventures. She invests at the intersection of snack innovation, enabling technology, and the evolving consumer behaviors shaping how people discover and eat snacks.SnackFutures Ventures operates with a two-sided thesis: investing in enabling technologies that make Mondelēz better, faster, and stronger, and investing in snack brands that are either aligned with Mondelēz's current core categories — cookies, crackers, bars, and baked snacks — or represent where the category is headed. Luba has a preference for companies with solidly two-digit revenues and a credible path to profitability, and she is flexible on check size, focused on meaningful equity stakes, and deeply attuned to the strategic fit between a brand and Mondelēz's long-term direction.Hannah and Luba get into everything founders need to understand about corporate venture capital — how it is fundamentally different from traditional VC, why every CVC is its own special snowflake, and what the internal stakeholder management process at a company like Mondelēz actually looks like. They also dig into how Luba thinks about trends versus fads, why she loves a better mousetrap as much as a disruptive idea, and what the most dangerous thing a founder can do in an investor meeting actually is.Listen in as they cover:How corporate venture capital works and why every CVC is different — and what founders need to ask to understand who they are actually talking toThe difference between a strategic and a financial CVC — and why it matters for how you pitch and what you expectWhy CVC deals can take longer than traditional VC and what is actually happening internally during that timeHow Luba thinks about trend versus fad — and why supply matching demand is the real questionWhy she loves a better mousetrap just as much as a disruptive idea — and what that means for founders who are not building something novelThe diligence process at SnackFutures Ventures from first meeting to investment committeeWhy the ideal company profile does not actually exist — and what that means for how investors make betsWhy Luba asks founders how they respond to her doubts — and what she actually learns from that responseWhat to bring to a first investor meeting — and why the answer is simpler than most founders thinkWhere Mondelēz is leaning in right now: interesting crackers, premium indulgence, functionality, and net new snacking formatsAdvice for founders who want to get into CPG investing — and why you should ask yourself why before you start the searchWhether you are fundraising, want to understand how corporate venture capital actually works from the inside, or are just trying to figure out how investors evaluate opportunities in today's market, this episode is packed with practical and refreshingly honest insight.Episode Links:🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lsafran// 🔗 Company  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mondelezinternational/🌐 Mondelēz: https://www.mondelezinternational.com🌐 SnackFutures: https://www.snackfutures.comDon'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 Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics