Founder Feature: Bringing Froyo Back, Building in Public, and Why Pressure is a Privilege - Ashley Whalen of Chara

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

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Margo Harrison, founder and CEO of Wave Bye — a menstrual health company developing a proactive, OB/GYN-formulated treatment for period pain and bleeding. Margo is a board-certified OB/GYN, former NIH-funded academic researcher at the University of Colorado, Planned Parenthood provider, and founder of a femtech consulting firm that served over twenty venture-backed women's health companies. She brings a rare combination of clinical expertise, research credentials, and startup experience to one of the most underserved categories in consumer health.Wave Bye is not a supplement and it is not a conventional OTC pain reliever. It is a pharmaceutical-grade product designed to be taken premenstrually — before the pain and bleeding start — shifting women from a reactive approach to their period to a proactive one. With an FDA meeting on the horizon and a pipeline that could reach market as early as 2027, Margo is building something that has never existed before in the over-the-counter space.Caitlin and Margo get deeply personal in this one — from Caitlin's own experience with PCOS and the impact of Wave Bye's Bioregularity supplement on her cycle, to what it means to grow up never having been taught to track your period, to why TikTok has done more for women's health than medical school curriculums ever did. Margo also walks through the science behind her formulation, what it actually means to seek FDA approval for a drug versus selling a supplement, and why she views the FDA meeting not as something to fear but as the next move in the game.Listen in as they cover:Why bodily autonomy begins with understanding your menstrual cycle — and why that matters for human potentialHow Inositol works for PCOS and why it outperforms Metformin in Canadian clinical guidelinesWhat makes Wave Bye different from everything else on the market: timing, formulation, and packagingThe difference between a reactive approach to period pain and a proactive one — and why it changes everythingWhat FDA approval actually means for a consumer health product and why it matters for trustHow to prepare for an FDA meeting — and why Margo's approach is less war room, more game theoryWhy TikTok is pushing women's health forward faster than the medical establishmentThe moment Margo put a cardboard sign on a lemonade stand table at a Greek festival and the dads were the ones who stoppedWhy tracking your cycle is one of the most empowering things a woman can do — and how our daughters will have it better than we didWave Bye's timeline to market: late 2027 to early 2029 depending on the FDA outcomeWhether you're a founder building in femtech, a consumer navigating your own menstrual health, or someone who has simply never been taught to track their cycle, this episode will leave you informed, empowered, and ready to wave bye to period pain.Episode Links: Wave Bye Website: https://www.waveby.co Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wavebyeinc/ Margo Harrison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margoharrisonmd/ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3lEvr8doFjx89HW382Hy55Don'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 Chiara Munzi, co-founder of ChiChi Foods — the winner of Startup CPG's first-ever Expo West Pitch Slam, powered by Advantage FDM Sales. ChiChi makes the world's first chickpea hot cereal: a shelf-stable, high-protein, high-fiber breakfast that cooks just like instant oatmeal but delivers everything oatmeal doesn't — more protein, more fiber, and none of the sugar crash.Chiara shares the full story: how she and co-founder Izzy started mushing chickpeas in their college dorm room after realizing their morning oatmeal was leaving them hungry and crashing an hour later, how they applied to every pitch competition at Expo West instead of paying for a booth, and what it felt like to walk into a room of 200 people and a panel of top retail and distribution judges expecting eight.Daniel and Chiara walk through the entire Pitch Slam experience — from the application strategy to the five-minute pitch, the surprise questions from the judges, the tight deliberations, and the moment ChiChi was named the winner. A huge thank you to Advantage FDM Sales for making this possible by awarding ChiChi Foods their FDM Brand Accelerator Program — a $150,000 prize package designed to help emerging brands build velocity in retail through demos, field support, and brand-building services. They also get into exactly how ChiChi plans to use the prize — primarily for in-store demos as they head into new regional retail launches this summer and fall — and why demos are the single best marketing tool for a product people need to taste to believe.Listen in as they cover:How ChiChi Foods started in a college dorm room and why chickpeas beat oatmeal on every nutritional metricThe strategy of applying to every Expo West competition instead of buying a booth — and why it paid offWhat the judging panel looked like: Sprouts, Whole Foods, Hannaford, UNFI Up Next, and Advantage FDM SalesWhat it felt like to pitch in front of 200 people when you were expecting eight judgesThe honest answer Chiara gave Sprouts about organic and non-GMO certifications — and why it didn't hurt themWhy ChiChi won: product differentiation, a genuine origin story, and grit that came through in every momentHow the FDM Brand Accelerator Program could translate to thousands of in-store sampling events across new retail doorsWhy founder-led demos create a different kind of consumer connection — and why it matters for early-stage brandsThe long game of building relationships at shows: why the people you meet now might change your business three years laterWhether you're an early-stage brand wondering whether to spend money on a booth, a founder about to pitch to retail buyers for the first time, or someone who just needs a reminder that applying for everything is always worth it, this episode is for you.Episode Links: ChiChi Foods Website: https://chickpeaoats.com Chiara Munzi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiaramunzi/ ChiChi Foods on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chichifoods/ Advantage FDM Sales: https://www.advantagefdm.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 Bill Schultz, Partner at Beliade Consumer Partners — a venture fund focused exclusively on founder-led consumer brands across food and beverage, personal care, beauty, and lifestyle. Bill brings a rare combination of Wall Street pattern recognition and early-stage brand investing experience to the table, having spent the first decade of his career at Goldman Sachs covering publicly traded consumer and retail companies before joining Beliade, where he's now in his seventh year backing breakout challenger brands.Beliade invests at seed to Series A, writing first checks into companies approaching $1M in revenue and supporting them through the $1–10M growth phase. What sets them apart is a laser focus on disruptor brands in large, established categories — think Little Sesame in hummus or Coterie in diapers — and a deep conviction that the rise of the modern American family is the most powerful structural consumer shift happening right now.Bill and Hannah dig into everything founders need to know about the fundraising process: how investors actually think about unit economics and contribution margins, why financial savviness is one of the strongest predictors of founder success, and how to come into a raise with a clear, specific ask that builds conviction fast. They also get into the mindset questions every founder should ask themselves before raising a single venture dollar — and why honest self-reflection about what kind of business you want to build matters more than most people realize.They also walk through Beliade's full diligence process, from first conversation to term sheet, with clear, practical insight founders can use to prepare.Listen in as they cover:Bill's path from Goldman Sachs covering public consumer companies to backing early-stage challenger brands at BeliadeBeliade's investment thesis: categories, stage, check size, and what makes a disruptor brand worth backingThe rise of the modern American family — and why it's the structural shift driving the best consumer opportunities right nowWhy founders should think less about trends and more about enduring long-term changesThe honest question every founder should ask themselves before raising venture capitalWhy financial savviness is one of the strongest predictors of long-term founder successUnit economics and contribution margin — what they mean, why they matter, and what Beliade uses as a north starThe diligence process from first conversation to funded — what happens at each step and how long it takesWhy building investor relationships before you have a capital need is the smartest fundraising strategyWhat Beliade looks for in a founder: the ability to operate at 50,000 feet and zoom into the detailsWhether you're a founder preparing to fundraise, an operator trying to understand how investors underwrite opportunities, or just someone who wants a clearer picture of how early-stage CPG capital actually works, this episode is packed with practical, hard-won insight.Episode Links:Beliade Consumer Partners: https://www.beliade.com Bill Schultz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billcschultz/ Beliade on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beliade/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 Marc Brown, founder of ONOIN — a line of shelf-stable, pre-chopped and flavored onions in 100% olive oil designed to save you time and tears in the kitchen. ONOIN comes in four flavors — original, garlic and herb, jalapeño lime, and ginger and lemongrass — and is designed to go on or in anything, from eggs to meatballs to savory oatmeal bowls.Marc is a food scientist with a master's degree from Drexel University and a seriously stacked background: R&D and industrialization at Danone, Head of R&D as employee #8 at Clio Snacks, and R&D and contract manufacturing work at Hain Celestial. He came to founding ONOIN with a rare 360-degree view of the food industry — from bench science to co-manufacturer negotiations to retailer conversations — and shares hard-won lessons throughout this conversation.Together, Caitlin and Marc dig into why chopped onions in a jar hadn't been done before (and why it should have been), the origin story of the ONOIN name (credit goes to his brother-in-law at a backyard grill), and what makes a co-manufacturer relationship truly work. Marc breaks down the three-part pricing transparency framework every brand should demand from their co-man — raw, pack, and toll — and explains why trust and belief in your vision are just as important as the contract.They also get into the realities of early-stage distribution, how to build a velocity story with the right retail partners, and why knowing your product well enough to tell a buyer exactly why they need it on the shelf is non-negotiable.Listen in as they cover:How a graduate school innovation exercise sparked the idea for ONOINWhy shelf-stable pre-chopped onions solve a problem that fresh never fully couldThe naming journey from "Yun" to ONOIN — and why the name works on shelfThe three things every brand must demand from their co-manufacturer: raw, pack, and tollRed flags when vetting a co-man and why trust is the ultimate filterHow Marc's background at Danone, Clio Snacks, and Hain Celestial shaped his approach to foundingBuilding a velocity story with retailers who actually believe in your productWhy knowing your product's ideal placement in store can change your whole sales conversationReducing food waste — one of ONOIN's often-overlooked benefitsWhether you're a founder navigating co-manufacturer relationships, a food scientist thinking about making the jump to your own brand, or a buyer looking for the next smart pantry staple, this episode is for you.Episode Links:ONOIN Website: https://eatonoin.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eat.onoin/ Marc Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-brown-41500546/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 Rebecca Urciuolo, a formulator with over 23 years of food and beverage experience at BevSource (FB Solutions Group), to dig into one of the most exciting and most misunderstood parts of building a CPG brand: working with a formulator to bring your product to life. From how to write a great project brief to what happens when things go sideways at the co-manufacturer, Rebecca shares hard-won lessons and insider knowledge that every founder — at any stage — needs to hear.Rebecca opens with a clear message: the best founders are partners, not passengers. They come with a firm goal in mind, stay present through the iteration process, and actively want to learn — because understanding what you don't know will inevitably make your product better. Daniel reflects on his own experience formulating a beverage during the early pandemic days, calling it one of the most joyful parts of his CPG career.The conversation covers the most common early-stage mistakes founders make when approaching a formulator: coming in too vague, being too rigid, or not understanding the regulatory and packaging constraints that shape what's actually possible. Rebecca explains how to write a strong project brief, why reference products are half the job, and how the tasting and feedback process works — including the vocabulary founders need to give useful, actionable notes.They also get into the nuances that make beverage formulation uniquely complex: the chicken-and-egg relationship between formulation and co-manufacturer selection, how packaging constraints shape your formula, what to do when an ingredient gets discontinued, and how your product will continue to evolve on shelf over its entire life. Rebecca walks through the gold standard process at first production, what to watch for at the co-man, and how to think about COGS and ingredient exposure from the very beginning.Whether you're developing your first SKU, scaling to a co-manufacturer, or trying to understand why your formula tastes different six months in, this episode gives you the practical framework you didn't know you needed.Listen in as they discuss:Why your project brief is the single most important thing you can bring to a formulator — and what it needs to includeHow reference products and flavor inspiration cut feedback cycles and unlock a formulator's creativityThe vocabulary of tasting: body, brix, mouthfeel, and why learning to give articulate feedback changes everythingWhy packaging and co-manufacturer selection can't be decoupled from formulation — and how to think about the chicken-and-egg problemWhat happens at the first production run: the gold standard process, what to watch for, and when to bring your formulator on-siteHow your product changes over time on shelf — and how shelf life studies help you understand what you're actually selling at month nine or twelveCOGS 101: novel ingredients, ingredient exposure, and why "welcome to capitalism" is the honest answerEpisode Links: Rebecca Urciuolo – Formulator, BevSource (FB Solutions Group)LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaurciuolo/BevSource LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bevsource/ Website: https://www.bevsource.comFB Solutions Group (FBSG) is the strategic partner for food & beverage entrepreneurs, providing end-to-end development, production, and sourcing solutions. Through our specialized divisions—BevSource, AlcSource and iTi Tropicals—we offer the operational expertise and infrastructure needed to optimize supply chains and accelerate growth for emerging brands.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