Caro

This week on the Emerging Brands Podcast, I talk with Caroline McKay, founder of Caro, a PR agency bringing an insider understanding of how brands build cultural staying power. Formerly the Communications Manager for Soho House's North American properties, Caroline founded Caro to work with design-forward brands that have a story worth telling, from hospitality to home goods. Clients include standout consumer brands like Rocco, Equinox Hotels, Figlia, Jolie, and more. Caroline's latest offering, Office Hours, is a flexible monthly PR membership for founders who aren't ready for a full-scope retainer. It fills the gap between full-service PR agencies and DIY approaches, giving founders communication tools, real-time guidance, and direct access to PR experts, all without the agency price tag. Inside the Episode: Breaking down PR for emerging brands What makes a brand really stand out to media How to start your brand's PR strategy with Caro's Office Hours Caroline's PR advice for emerging founders Connect with Caro here!

Bringing culinary-grade quality to the everyday kitchen became Michael Laniak's mission when he realized how vastly overlooked standard grocery store pepper really is. As Founder of Milly Pepper, Michael is breathing new life into a staple ingredient by pairing single-origin, regeneratively grown peppercorns with thoughtfully engineered, refillable ceramic mills. Sourced directly from a fourth-generation farm in the Andean foothills of Ecuador, Milly Pepper's organic black, green, and white varietals are hand-harvested and sealed right at the source. Michael shares how he built a supply chain grounded in agricultural integrity while designing a sleek tool that lets home cooks seamlessly transition from coarse crusts to fine finishings with peak freshness in every grind. Inside the Episode: How Michael identified a massive gap in the spice aisle and set out to give single-origin, high-quality pepper the spotlight it deserves. Michael's transition into entrepreneurship and how his professional background equipped him with the skills to confidently take the leap into the CPG world. The marketing and brand strategy behind educating consumers, sparking curiosity around single-origin sourcing, and changing how people view a daily pantry staple. Shop here! This podcast episode was made possible by Glimpse — the AI-powered deduction management tool helping CPG brands recover lost revenue from invalid retail deductions. With in-house experts and custom-built AI, Glimpse saves founders time, money, and countless hours so they can focus on scaling. Book a call with the Team to get started!

Functional nutrition and regenerative agriculture took center stage when Alysa Seeland turned a personal health crisis into a mission to heal families from the inside out. As Founder and CEO of FOND Regenerative, Alysa is redefining the modern pantry with a growing portfolio of handcrafted, nutrient-dense bone broths, animal fats, and demi-glaces built for everyday sipping, snacking, and cooking. Following a severe health scare and an emergency appendectomy, Alysa turned to a five-week bone broth fast to heal her body naturally—avoiding a second surgery and discovering a life-changing connection to functional food. What began as a local Texas farmers market stand quickly scaled into direct-to-consumer and major nationwide retail channels, driven by the popularity of best-sellers like their Pure & Unflavored Chicken Bone Broth. Alysa shares how she grew FOND from a grassroots concept into a leading regenerative brand while balancing life as a mother of six. Inside the Episode: How Alysa's personal health complications led to the idea for FOND, using bone broth to rebuild and heal the digestive system from the inside out. Alysa discusses playing the long game as a founder, choosing deliberate, sustainable growth over shortcuts to ensure she never compromises on quality or core values. The vision for the future of FOND as a foundational foods brand, balancing growing customer demand with expanding direct access and support for regenerative farmers. Shop here! This podcast episode was made possible by Glimpse — the AI-powered deduction management tool helping CPG brands recover lost revenue from invalid retail deductions. With in-house experts and custom-built AI, Glimpse saves founders time, money, and countless hours so they can focus on scaling. Book a call with the Team to get started!

Kids already love the bubbles and brightness of sparkling drinks, the fizz, the cold can, the flavors, yet nothing had been made just for them. Ali Weiss is the Co-Founder and CEO of NoBiggie, and Aytunc Atabek is her Co-Founder; together they are building a kids' beverage brand reimagining everyday treats. Made with real fruit juices and purées, NoBiggie's juicy sparkling drinks come in 7.5oz aluminum mini cans with up to 5g of naturally occurring sugar and no added sweeteners or dyes. A mom of three and former Chief Marketing Officer of Glossier, Ali teamed up with Aytunc, a dad of two and former Vice President at Vita Coco, to create a clean-label, lower-sugar alternative to traditional juice and soda. NoBiggie bridges the gap between kids' juice boxes and adult-sized sparkling waters, with interactive four-packs featuring gameboard inserts, fun dares, and secret notes that blend flavor, fizz, and play. Inside the Episode: The at-home observation that inspired Ali and Aytunc to launch NoBiggie and their mission to give kids a sparkling drink they can call their own. Ali and Aytunc's journeys from Glossier and Vita Coco to CPG co-founders, and the lessons they carried into building a brand from scratch. The strategy behind finding whitespace in a mature category, creating emotional connection through packaging, and launching community-first before traditional retail. What's ahead for NoBiggie, their advice for emerging founders, and where to shop the brand. Shop here!

Rethinking daily household essentials took on a whole new urgency when Will Gahagan decided to confront a hidden environmental crisis: the billions of pesticide- and microplastic-laden wet wipes clogging oceans and landfills every year. As Co-Founder and CEO of Biom, Will is revolutionizing a massive everyday category with 100% plant-based, non-toxic, and fully biodegradable wipes designed to protect both households and the planet. Growing up on the water in Charleston, South Carolina, Will developed a deep connection to coastal conservation before building a successful decade-long career leading go-to-market teams at high-growth startups like Untapped and Legion Technologies. Combining his commercial scaling background with co-founder Hank Schellenger's industrial design expertise, Will shares how they spent over a year prototyping a zero-compromise solution that blends elevated aesthetics with clean-label, plastic-free performance. Inside the Episode: How turning over a generic wipe container and reading the label sparked Will's discovery of hidden microplastics and pesticides, launching his mission to create Biom. Will discusses the product design and development journey behind creating non-toxic, biodegradable wipes that deliver performance without sacrificing aesthetics. Key go-to-market strategies and scaling insights from Will's background in high-growth startups, and how those lessons apply to building a disruptive CPG brand. Shop here!

Lindsay Joyce is the President of Brand & Innovation at Pet Life Unlimited, where she leads a consumer-first mission to make the experience of dog parenting as rewarding as possible. Inspired by dog parents themselves, Lindsay and her team respond to long-ignored needs in the market, designing elevated care products that deliver on performance and design. Drawing on her deep background in scaling high-growth CPG and wellness brands, Lindsay combines operational rigor with empathetic brand strategy to transform a traditionally utilitarian space. She shares how listening directly to dog parents inspired a portfolio built for modern routines, expanding the brand's reach across both retail shelves and direct-to-consumer channels. Inside the Episode: How Lindsay and the founders of Pet Life Unlimited identified unaddressed pain points in traditional dog care to build products that truly serve modern pet parents. The brand's heavy emphasis on pet parent research, how deep consumer insights uncover unmet needs, and where the broader pet care category is heading next. The innovation framework behind expanding a pet care portfolio while maintaining high standards for performance, design, and customer trust. Find Pet Life Unlimited near you!

Bridging the gap between fresh homemade baby food and shelf-stable convenience requires a total rethink of standard processing. Jess Sturzenegger is the Founder and CEO of Amara, a food technology company redefining organic nutrition for modern families. Founded in 2016, Amara uses a proprietary process that preserves the taste, texture, and nutrients of whole fruits and vegetables without repeat high-heat processing. Propelled by her upbringing with entrepreneurial parents and a deep passion for food culture, Jess set out to make wholesome eating effortless for busy parents. Under her leadership, Amara has scaled from a direct-to-consumer startup to a nationally distributed brand, driving food technology innovation to shape lifelong healthy eating habits from a child's earliest years. Inside the Episode: The lightbulb moment that inspired Jessica to launch Amara and her mission to bridge the gap between truly healthy, nutrient-dense food and convenient, accessible snacks. Jessica's journey from consulting to CPG founder, and how relentless curiosity sparked her leap into the food technology space. The strategic vision behind innovating for modern families and building a mission-driven brand focused on long-term health and convenience. Shop here!  

Authentic regional Indian cuisine received a massive upgrade when Harish Visweswaran joined forces with co-founders Ragoth and Kiru to solve a major everyday dining challenge: how to bring wholesome, traditional Indian meals to busy consumers in a fast, convenient format. As Co-Founder and Lead of Growth and Analytics at The Cumin Club, Harish is driving the retail expansion and data strategy behind a brand on a mission to shift food culture toward nourishing, clean-label, five-minute meals. Growing up in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, before moving to the U.S. in 2014, Harish holds a master's in Data Science from Columbia University and honed his analytical rigor at organizations like Mu Sigma and The Weather Company. A lifelong foodie whose passion naturally aligned with the food industry, Harish shares how he applies data-driven decision-making as a co-founder to scale retail channels, optimize operations, and make high-quality, flavorful Indian dishes accessible to households everywhere. Inside the Episode: How The Cumin Club identified a key whitespace in the CPG market by merging authentic regional Indian flavors with ultimate five-minute preparation convenience. Why the team chose freeze drying as their core preservation method to lock in natural flavors, preserve clean ingredients, and eliminate the need for artificial preservatives. The strategic importance of starting as a direct-to-consumer brand and how early customer feedback and data collection shaped their product development and scaling strategy. Shop here! This podcast episode was made possible by Glimpse — the AI-powered deduction management tool helping CPG brands recover lost revenue from invalid retail deductions. With in-house experts and custom-built AI, Glimpse saves founders time, money, and countless hours so they can focus on scaling. Book a call with the Team to get started!

Disrupting a category requires a relentless commitment to innovation and a deep understanding of your audience. For over 30 years, Munchkin Inc. has done exactly that, growing into a global baby lifestyle powerhouse with over 350 patents, 250 design awards, and products sold in more than 50 countries. Leading the charge for their expansion into key growth categories is Kristin Pagano, General Manager of Infant Nutrition, who brings a wealth of experience managing multi-billion dollar campaigns at tech and entertainment giants like Intel and 20th Century Fox. In this episode, I sit down with Kristin to dive into the operational mechanics behind a brand that has earned over 1.45 million five-star reviews and consecutive placements on Fast Company's Brands That Matter list. She shares how her corporate background translates to the consumer goods space, how Munchkin maintains an award-winning workplace culture, and the media strategy behind StrollerCoaster, their hit show that ranks in the top 1% of Apple Podcasts and stands as the #1 parenting podcast on YouTube. Inside the Episode: Kristin shares how her marketing tenure at major tech and entertainment giants prepared her to scale a massive, legacy consumer lifestyle brand. A look inside Munchkin's product development engine, which has yielded hundreds of patents and recognition on Fortune's Most Innovative Companies list. What it means for Munchkin to stand as the only baby brand in the United Nations Global Compact, integrating strict animal welfare and environmental protection into their supply chain. Shop here! This podcast episode was made possible by Glimpse — the AI-powered deduction management tool helping CPG brands recover lost revenue from invalid retail deductions. With in-house experts and custom-built AI, Glimpse saves founders time, money, and countless hours so they can focus on scaling. Book a call with the Team to get started!

Jason Wright, Founder and CEO of WILDE Protein Snacks, has completely redefined what protein snacking can be by building an entirely new category from scratch. Driven by a mission to rethink food after growing up around carb-heavy cooking and family diabetes, Jason spent nearly a decade in trial and error to create a crunchy, flavor-packed snack made from real chicken breast. Today, WILDE Protein Chips have scaled into over 30,000 retail doors including Whole Foods, Costco, Kroger, and Walmart, surpassing $100M in sales, with their highly anticipated WILDE Protein Crackers rolling out nationally to mark the brand's next major expansion phase. Jason and I explore what it really takes to manufacture a product that has never existed before. He shares his hands-on journey from building custom machinery and partnering with university meat science departments to opening a dedicated USDA-certified facility to maintain complete product control. Jason opens up about the grit required to sustain a decade of product development, the logistics of managing massive retail scale, and how he keeps pushing the boundaries of food innovation without ever compromising on flavor or quality. Inside the Episode: How growing up with a family history of diabetes and later experiencing a high-protein lifestyle in New York City inspired Jason to dedicate his career to functional CPG innovation. The intense ten-year journey of trial, error, and deep food science required to transform real chicken breast into a crispy, shelf-stable snack chip. Tactical takeaways on scaling to 30,000 retail doors while staying relentlessly committed to clean, protein-first ingredients and bold flavor profiles. Shop here! This podcast episode was made possible by Glimpse — the AI-powered deduction management tool helping CPG brands recover lost revenue from invalid retail deductions. With in-house experts and custom-built AI, Glimpse saves founders time, money, and countless hours so they can focus on scaling. Book a call with the Team to get started!