On this episode, we’re joined by Laura Morris, VP of Marketing at Sempio Foods, Korea’s oldest registered food brand.

Sempio was founded in 1946 on a simple promise: never sell a product the founder wouldn’t serve his own family. Today, they’ve grown into a global powerhouse in fermented sauces, noodles, kimchi, teas, and more that’s distributed in 75+ countries.

Before Sempio, Laura led marketing at Kayco, the owner of iconic Kosher brands like Manischewitz and Dorot Gardens.

Now at Sempio, Laura’s helping bridge the gap between Korean authenticity and U.S. consumer behavior.

Laura breaks down how to localize global brands, adapt packaging for a new audience, plan around ambiguous inventory lead times, and why sometimes the right move with retailers is saying “not yet.”

Episode Highlights:
🌏 What it’s like marketing a fully international brand in the U.S.
🧂 Why Sempio stays true to its fermented roots
📦 Packaging tips for balancing authenticity and accessibility
🇰🇷 How to market gochujang without losing its Korean identity
🚢 Why global logistics shape campaign planning
💡 Lessons from the Dorot Gardens rebrand (“Pop, Drop, Done”)
🛒 Retail strategy: when to say yes, when to say “not yet”
📊 Sales tools, aisle violators & using data to win shelves
💥 The product launch flop that became a 10x comeback

Table of Contents:
00:00 – Laura’s Background
01:00 – Sempio Origin & U.S. Expansion
04:00 – Working with a Global HQ
07:00 – Naming & Packaging Strategy
10:00 – What Gets Prioritized in the U.S.
12:30 – Aisle Placement: Ethnic vs. Center Store
16:00 – Tips for Import Brand Marketers
18:30 – Campaign Planning Around Global Transit
21:00 – Dorot Gardens Rebrand Case Study
25:00 – Packaging Strategy Questions to Ask
27:30 – Retail Tools: Decks, Data, and Displays
30:00 – Managing Retailer Requests vs. Margins
32:00 – Learning from a Product Launch Flop
34:30 – Trends Laura’s Watching
36:00 – Where to Follow Laura & Sempio

Links:
Sempio Foods – https://www.sempio.com
Yondu (plant-based umami) – https://www.yondu.us
Follow Laura on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-morris-cpg

Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg

Check out https://www.kitprint.co for CPG production design support.

On this episode, we’re joined by Tyler Mayoras, Managing Director at Manna Tree Partners.

Tyler has spent over 15 years in private equity CPG, partnering with brands like Simple Mills, Health-Ade, New Primal, and Verde Farms. But he’s also been on the operator side, building Cool Beans from scratch, launching into retailers like Sprouts and Wegmans, and learning firsthand how to navigate the frozen aisle, regenerative sourcing, and repeat purchase velocity.

Tyler dives into the reality of regenerative, demo strategies, hero SKUs, what he focuses on when working with management teams, how he evaluates potential investment opps, and how the CPG PE landscape has changed over the past decade or so.

Episode Highlights:
📦 Digital demos vs. in-store: what actually works
📊 Unit economics red flags (and how to fix them)
🔥 Why taste is the #1 investment filter
🧠 What makes a founder “coachable” and a brand a real target for Manna Tree
🛒 The problem with early national rollouts (velocity vs distribution)
💥 How one brutal Expo West conversation changed a founder’s trajectory
🐶 Two categories Tyler “missed”

Table of Contents:
00:00 – Intro & Background
02:00 – Regenerative Ag: Promise vs. Reality
06:00 – Digital Demo Strategy & Social Nature
11:00 – Velocity vs. Distribution: What Founders Miss
16:00 – COGS, Margins & Pricing Power
18:00 – Hero SKUs and Hyper-Focus
27:00 – Investment Criteria & Team Dynamics
34:00 – Why PE Targets $25M–$75M Brands
39:00 – Trends Tyler Missed & What He’s Watching Now
41:00 – Where to Follow Tyler

Links:
Manna Tree (join their newsletter!) – https://www.mannatreepartners.com
Follow Tyler on LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/tylermayoras

Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg

Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.

On this episode, we’re joined by Ian Montgomery, a sustainable design strategist at EcoEnclose and the former founder of Guacamole Airplane, a studio known for pioneering some of the most creative and technical work in sustainable packaging.

Ian has worked with top-tier brands like Nike, Whole Foods, Allbirds, Dell, and Flamingo Estate, helping them radically rethink how materials, storytelling, and infrastructure intersect. Today, he's helping scale regenerative and circular solutions at EcoEnclose, one of the most innovative packaging suppliers in North America.

Ian shares the messy realities and exciting breakthroughs shaping the future of sustainable packaging - from seaweed polybags and algae inks to the limits of compostables and why infrastructure (not innovation) might be our biggest barrier - and what he’d do with a $500B budget to fix the system.

Episode Highlights:
🌎 What the packaging industry gets wrong about sustainability
♻️ Why flexible plastics are the “final boss” of recycling
🧠 Smart strategies for early-stage brands with tight budgets
🌿 The promise (and pitfalls) of seaweed, mushroom foam & hemp
🔥 Why he's surprisingly pro-plastic—if done right
📉 Compostability vs. recyclability: which path makes sense today?
🏛️ How he’d reallocate $500B to fix end-of-life infrastructure
🔬 Processing tech and non-tree fibers that could change everything

Table of Contents:
00:00 – Ian’s background & EcoEnclose intro
04:00 – State of the sustainable packaging union
10:00 – Breakthrough materials & market shifts
17:00 – Advice for DTC brands scaling sustainably
23:00 – Recyclable vs. compostable: real talk
30:00 – What makes a material “valuable”?
36:00 – What Ian’s changed his mind about
38:00 – If Ian had $500B to move the world to 100% sustainable packaging

Links:
EcoEnclose – https://www.ecoenclose.com/
Follow EcoEnclose on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ecoenclose/?hl=en
Follow Ian on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-montgomery-414a0964/

Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg
Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.

On this episode, we’re joined by Sam Rose, the founder and CEO of RoseBud Ice Cream, a Denver-based brand crafting nostalgic, indulgent ice cream with unapologetically high standards.

Sam launched RoseBud after years of self-teaching, boxing, and perfecting pints out of a Walmart ice cream maker. What began as a THC- and CBD-infused experiment has since evolved into a super-premium brand stocked in hundreds of stores, and recently expanded into a game-changing new format: squeezable soft serve pouches.

In this episode, Sam breaks down how he built RoseBud from a commissary kitchen to a national brand, the painstaking R&D behind his signature vanilla and chocolate flavors, and the very real challenges of building a frozen CPG company with no formal training, no capital, and no quit.

We dig into what makes a great package, how to pitch Whole Foods without a barcode, and why he believes founder-led demos outperform paid ones every time.

Episode Highlights:
📦 How RoseBud landed retail with mockups and Sharpie-labeled pints
🥄 The birth of their new squeezable soft-serve pouch
🎨 Packaging that “jumps off the shelf” and how he pulled it off
🚛 Distribution and cold chain chaos
🧾 What buyers actually care about in a pitch deck
💸 Planning for margin loss when working with a distributor
🧊 Why frozen is tough—and ice cream is tougher
🚀 How Sam thinks about trends (spoiler: he doesn’t)

Table of Contents
00:00 – Intro & Origin Story
03:30 – Building the Brand Solo
06:00 – Packaging Design & Flavor Naming
09:00 – Squeezable Soft-Serve Innovation
15:30 – Retail Buyer Response & Market Opportunity
18:40 – How Sam Pitched Early Retailers
22:00 – Retail Tools & Lessons in Pricing
24:50 – Distributors, Margins & Scaling
30:00 – Frozen-Specific Supply Chain Realities
34:00 – Trends, Brands Sam Respects & What’s Next

Links:
Rosebud Ice Cream – https://rosebudicecream.com/
Follow Rosebud on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/rosebudicecream/
Follow Sam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-rose-19998b1b0/

Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg
Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.

On this episode, we’re joined by Juan Niño, the Director of Marketing at Artisan Tropic, a family-owned, better-for-you snack brand rooted in Colombian heritage and powered by plantains, cassava, and regenerative agriculture.

Juan’s journey is anything but typical. After a career as a professional fútbol player in Colombia, he found himself helping his aunt and uncle fulfill e-commerce orders for a small snack startup. That startup is now Artisan Tropic, a national brand found in Whole Foods, Sprouts, H-E-B, and Costco, and Juan is at the heart of its marketing, storytelling, and operational strategy.

We dive deep on Artisan Tropic’s founding story, how the family transitioned from distributing Takis to launching their own clean-label snack brand, and what it really takes to build and scale a vertically integrated CPG business that owns its own farms, believes in regenerative agriculture, and still manages to thrive in mainstream retail.

Juan also shares real-world lessons on family business dynamics, packaging refreshes, Costco launch strategy, and how to market plantains and cassava to an American audience.

Episode Highlights:
🌱 From family health crisis to mission-driven CPG brand
🇨🇴 Why Artisan Tropic built their supply chain in Colombia
📦 What they learned from doing their packaging redesign in-house
📊 How they balance storytelling with paid shopper marketing
🛒 Lessons from landing in 5,000+ doors, including Costco and Thrive
🔁 The long game of regenerative agriculture and vertical integration
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Why working with 15+ family members actually works for them
🧪 How third-party certifications (like seed oil free) shape consumer trust
💰 When and why to go all-in on retail-specific formats, media, and SKUs

⏱️ Table of Contents:
00:00 – Intro & Juan’s Fútbol-to-CPG Origin Story
04:00 – From Takis Distributors to Better-For-You Founders
07:30 – Building a Brand With 15 Family Members
12:00 – Bringing Plantains & Cassava to U.S. Retail
14:00 – Regenerative Ag, Vertical Integration & Soil Health
19:00 – Marketing That Educates (and Converts)
22:00 – Cracking Costco
26:00 – Retail Sales Tactics
30:00 – Packaging Lessons & Brand vs. Product Hierarchy
34:00 – Hiring for Integrity and Learning By Doing

Links:
📦 Artisan Tropic – https://www.artisantropic.com
📸 Follow Artisan Tropic on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/artisantropic
📬 Contact Juan – jnino@artisantropic.com
🔗 Follow Juan on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-nino-7a47ba304/

🎧 Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg
📐 Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.

On this episode, we’re joined by Hannah Perez, the Co-Founder and Brand Visionary behind SEEQ — the clear protein brand that’s pioneering one of the most refreshing (literally) new categories in sports nutrition.

What started with a college friendship has turned into a rocketship brand that's now stocked nationwide at Target, growing a cult following on TikTok, and giving legacy supplement brands a serious wake-up call. In this episode, Hannah breaks down how she and co-founder Ben Zaver went from blending samples in a Minneapolis apartment to building a vertically integrated DTC and retail business, all while staying true to their vision of “bringing the juice” and making wellness more approachable.

We get tactical on everything from formulation and co-packers to launching new SKUs in retail, hiring a CEO within 18 months, and why she believes storytelling is more important than features when it comes to building in public.

Episode Highlights:
💧 What clear protein actually is — and why it’s not just a gimmick
🧪 The 3 biggest R&D hurdles in clear protein formulation
📦 Why they passed on dozens of co-packers before going back to the first one
📲 The TikTok strategy that sold out 4,000 units in 60 days
🛠️ How they kept building during a 4-month stockout
🚀 Getting into Target via a cold email — and what they did to stand out
🛍️ Why front-of-store placement drove massive velocity
📚 Lessons from launching a new format just for retail
🏗️ How EOS helped them plan, prioritize, and stay focused
👥 Why they hired a President and CEO just 18 months in
🔥 Hannah’s shift from CMO to Brand Visionary — and what she’s building next

⏱️ Table of Contents:
00:00 – Intro & Clear Protein 101
02:30 – Founding Story: From Marketing Agency to CPG Startup
06:00 – The Formulation Process: What Makes Clear Protein Work
11:00 – Viral TikTok Growth, Street Sampling, and Early Sellouts
15:00 – Finding the Right Co-Packer & Building the Product Backbone
17:00 – Landing Target: Cold Emails, Broker Help & Buyer Pitch
21:00 – What It Takes to Succeed in Retail: Velocity, Displays & Education
26:00 – Packaging Lessons for DTC Brands Entering Retail
30:00 – Staying Focused: Avoiding Shiny Object Syndrome
32:00 – Operating with EOS & North Star Goal-Setting
34:00 – Hiring a CEO and Letting Go of Ego
38:00 – How Hannah’s Role Evolved & Why Brand is Bigger Than Product
45:00 – Where to Follow Hannah & Try SEEQ

🔗 Links:
SEEQ – https://seeqsupply.com
Follow Hannah on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-perez013
Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg
Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.

On this episode, we’re joined by Douglas Raggio, the founder of Pass the Honey and author of So You Wanna: Start a Food or Beverage Business.

Douglas spent a decade as an investor reviewing over 12,000 food and beverage deals before launching Pass the Honey — a single-serve honeycomb brand on a mission to combat one of the most pervasive forms of food fraud in the world. Today, the brand is scaling rapidly in Kroger, Albertsons, and Sprouts, all while pushing a regenerative beekeeping agenda that goes far beyond what “organic” can promise.

We go deep on Douglas’s non-traditional approach to CPG - from why he believes in margin over virality, to how he’s building a new category in the produce aisle, not the honey shelf. We also unpack key decision points from his book and why most founders misunderstand what “success” really means in food.

Episode Highlights:
🍯 Why 70% of honey on the shelf is fake
🐝 The problem with “organic” honey, and what regenerative apiculture offers instead
📦 Building a new category in the produce aisle, not the honey set
💸 Margin vs. consumption: the only two numbers that matter
🔁 Why Pass the Honey doubled sales after doubling their price
🔍 Why some products shouldn’t “fit” anywhere in the store
🏪 How dump bins unlocked 50–70 unit weeks at Kroger
📊 Top-down vs bottom-up pricing strategy
🚪 Saying no to accounts that don’t meet minimums
⚖️ How Douglas thinks about store count vs velocity
📉 Why 95% of CPG brands fail, and how to avoid being one of them

⏱️ Table of Contents:
00:00 – Intro & Origin Story
03:00 – Honey Fraud & Broken Standards
08:00 – Building Pass the Honey’s Regenerative Supply Chain
13:00 – Advice for Founders Entering CPG
15:00 – Book Lessons: Endgame Clarity & Critical Decisions
21:00 – What Retailers Want: Profit, Not Just Velocity
28:00 – Managing Margins & Avoiding “Store Count FOMO”
36:00 – Brands & Trends Douglas is Watching
38:00 – Final Thoughts & Where to Find Douglas

Links:
Pass the Honey – https://www.freshhoneycomb.com
Buy the book – https://a.co/d/ibCGJbs
Follow Douglas on LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/douglasraggio

Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg
Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.

On this episode, we’re joined by Joe Rotondo and Drew DiSpirito, the co-founders of Smearcase — the world’s first frozen cottage cheese dessert, also known as FroCo.

What started as a post-run craving turned into one of the most disruptive frozen product launches in recent memory. Smearcase packs 40 grams of protein per pint, uses clean-label ingredients (no gums, no seed oils), and is now stocked in over 100 stores including Whole Foods and Sprouts, less than a year after launch.

In this episode, we dive into how Joe and Drew went from first prototype to shelf in six months, what it took to scale with a co-packer from day one, and why they believe “speed over perfection” is their greatest competitive advantage. We also talk product innovation, navigating frozen logistics, why they trademarked “FroCo,” and what’s coming next as they prepare for West Coast expansion.

Episode Highlights:
🍦 From marathon craving to product prototype in 72 hours
🧊 How they scaled straight from a NYC apartment kitchen to a co-packer
⚡ Why they prioritized speed over perfection
💪 Using collagen as a stabilizer (instead of gums)
🚚 The hidden challenges of frozen distribution
🛒 How they cold-pitched their way into early retail traction
📈 Why “velocity > distribution” is their growth philosophy
🏷️ The meaning behind the name Smearcase (and why it works)
🚀 Building a movement — not just a brand — around FroCo

⏱️ Table of Contents
00:00 – Intro & Founding Story
02:30 – From Post-Run Craving to FroCo
05:00 – Product Development & Ingredient Integrity
08:00 – Fast-Tracking to Shelf in 6 Months
12:00 – Scaling With a Co-Packer
16:00 – Cottage Cheese Sourcing Strategy
20:00 – Starting a New Frozen Category: Pros & Cons
23:00 – Velocity vs. Distribution
26:00 – Frozen Logistics & Operational Challenges
29:00 – Category Trends & Competitive Landscape
31:00 – Where to Find Smearcase & What’s Next

Links:
Smearcase – https://www.eatsmearcase.com
Follow Joe – https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephrrotondo
Follow Drew – https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-dispirito-pmp/

Follow Adam on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg

Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.