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👋Hey

It’s Jordan and I realized that it’s been a while since I’ve shared my personal insights in our weekly newsletters. Why the long break? Well as you know the past year has been a struggle for CPG brands. The lack of investment funds, higher distributor and retail fees, higher customer acquisition costs.

Every week I heard from 2-5 founders who were shutting down or looking to sell their businesses. You may have been one of them. People were really struggling and I was having conversations with so many trying to help them navigate a shitty situation.

Honestly it took a toll on my mental health to hear about so many of your struggles. It brought back my own experiences struggling through TeaSquares and shutting it down. I felt like I was only writing about the negatives and that was draining.

So I went out searching for ways to reignite my passion. I interviewed founders running profitable businesses like Ori Zohar of Burlap & Barrel. I talked with inspiring Momprenuers like Ashley Nickelsen of B.T.R. Nation who is growing incredibly fast. Will Nitz who’s building IQ Bar to over a $50 million company.

In addition I’ve been heads down focusing on developing practical resources and guides to help you through this tough time, like our Guide to Starting a Food or Beverage Business.

All this has reinvigorated me and I’m excited to be back sharing my POV in our weekly newsletter.

Let me know if you have a topic you’d like me to discuss, I’m all ears!

Jordan

CPG NEWS

A roundup of CPG news that happened last week.

🛒 Retail Rollouts

• 🍪 Alice's Sweet Tooth, founded by Elyse Eisenberg, expands nationwide with their Cookie Bites now available at Sprouts.

• 🐶 The Bear & The Rat, founded by Matthew and Meg Meyer, announces their frozen dog treats and toppers are now available at Petco stores across the U.S.

• 🌮 Hummus Goodness, founded by Hannah Awada and Lara Lozser, brings their olive oil-based hummus to Lunds & Byerlys in Minnesota.

• 🌱 Confusion Snacks, founded by Aadit Patel, lands in over 90 Whole Foods Markets across California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii.

• 🧂 Terranean Spices, Spreads, and Snacks, founded by Tina Chamoun, now offers their za’atar seasoning at Jewel-Osco locations across Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa.

• 🍫 Joydays, founded by Amy Cohn, launches their Chocolate Date Bark and cookies in all Gelson’s Markets in Southern California.

• 🍪 Lexington Bakes, founded by Lex Evan, debuts their Cosmic Forest™ Cookie at Erewhon.

• 🥤 De La Calle Tepache, co-founded by Alex Matthews and Rafael Martin Del Campo, teams up with Costco for a Southern California roadshow, showcasing their Mexican sodas.

🚀 New Product Launches

• 🍷 Ghia, founded by Melanie Masarin, introduces Le Fizz, a 750ml alcohol-free sparkling aperitif featuring orange blossom and strawberry flavors with a dry finish.

• 🍸 Dyverg Brands, co-founded by Doug Resh and Holden Rouse, launches AVVIKA, a caffeine-free energy drink inspired by global cities, offering a balanced lift without caffeine.

• 🧄 Afia, founded by Farrah Moussallati Sibai, debuts their Mediterranean Spice Blends and Pantry Spice Gift Sets, featuring premium spices like Za'atar and Sumac.

• 🥜 Wellious, founded by Sean Hall, releases their limited-time Peanut Butter & Chocolate flavor in collaboration with plant-based influencer HealthyGirl Kitchen.

🎉 News to Celebrate

• 🥣 Once Upon A Farm, co-founded by Cassandra Curtis, Ari Raz, John Foraker, and Jennifer Garner, celebrates doubling velocities and growth after significant packaging and positioning changes.

In collaboration with Amber Caro from Marketbite.

Have news to share?

SUBMIT YOUR STORY

EVENTS

Webinar: Top Distributor Deductions and How to Prevent Them

Are you getting hit with distributor deductions and chargebacks? I put together this workshop to teach you about the top reasons your invoices are getting shortened and how to avoid significant costs that impact your brand’s profitability.

We’ll also do a deep dive into Freight related chargebacks and guide you through the essential documents to track, such as bills of lading and delivery receipts, and best practices for maintaining accurate records to protect your brand from costly chargebacks. Learn how to safeguard your bottom line by implementing proactive measures and ensuring smooth operations with your distributors.

Need ongoing support? We’ll not only explore how AI tools like Glimpse can help you automatically identify, track, and dispute erroneous deductions and chargebacks, but also how their in-house deductions experts will work directly on your account to ensure everything is handled efficiently.

Register Now

Webinar: How to Operate Successfully As A Family Business

Running a business is hard, and running it with family brings its own unique opportunities and challenges. In this conversation we’ll explore how two cousins started Josh Packaging and are now bringing in the next generation to run the business. We’ll also discuss the impact on spouses and family when running a business.

Register Now

Webinar: How to Fund Your Brand for Growth

Access to funding for CPG brands has fundamentally changed over the past two years, with early stage VC funding significantly decreasing.

So how big do you need to be before the smallest VCs will consider you and how do you fund your growth before then?

Join me as I talk with Veronica Lehman and Andrew Reynolds on how to fund your brand for growth in today’s environment.

Register Now

WEBINAR RECAP

Webinar: Shopify Landing Page Teardown to Improve Conversions

Join us for an in-depth teardown of Joyful Co.’s landing page to identify key areas for improvement. Learn actionable strategies to optimize your website, boost engagement, and increase conversions. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting, this session will provide valuable insights to enhance your online presence and drive better results.

WATCH NOW

PODCAST

184. Why Compostable Packaging Failed To Take Off

Just a few years ago it seemed like Compostable packaging was hitting mainstream, even with large multinational corporations starting to implement. Now, there are few CPG products with compostable packaging on the market. I talk with Shlomo and Elie from Josh Packaging about the state of the Compostable Packaging industry, the challenges and opportunities, along with what you can do to make your packaging more sustainable.

Need help with flexible packaging for your brand? Josh Packaging is a family owned business that works with emerging brands to create custom packaging to fit your needs.

Listen on:

APPLE PODCAST

SPOTIFY

FINANCE

The Power of Building a Debt Stack

When you’re trying to grow your CPG brand, financial planning is everything. It’s the way you ensure your unit economics are viable at scale, that you know where cash is and where it’ll need to go, and that you can efficiently track actions to outcomes. When you run a business that has to spend money to make money, unlock the power of a debt stack.

Learn more

MARKETING

How to Sell Your Products to 7,000 Grocery Stores

Independent grocers can be a huge part of either a new brand’s launch strategy (and often are the first accounts any brand acquires) or an existing brand’s growth strategy.  How do you take advantage of the independent retailers’ ability to onboard you quickly and get rapid consumer feedback?  For larger brands, how do you scale up your growth across this massive number of independents? Founders face a huge task in scaling sales from local success to widespread distribution. What if you could reach 7,000 grocery stores in a single month? 

Learn more

Revenue Growth Management | 6 Strategies for Emerging and Midsize CPG Brands

The past 4+ years have been no walk in the park for the CPG industry. Supply chain disruptions and inflation have added pressure to CPG manufacturers from all sides. While inflation is slowing, shoppers have grown tired of dishing out more and more of their household income for food – adjusting their behavior accordingly and making more cost-conscious decisions. (Recently PepsiCo announced that sales of Frito-Lay snacks actually fell compared to the previous period). 

Learn more

OPERATION

What Does ‘Disruptive Innovation’ Mean in Today’s F&B Industry

Disruptive companies are commonly envisioned as innovators who gain immediate traction and impact with a new concept, taking the existing category leaders by storm. But disruptive innovation is one of the most widely misunderstood and misused terms, especially in F&B.

In this article, we’ll put a concrete meaning to ‘disruptive innovation’ and break down the current state of innovation in the F&B industry.

Learn more

JOIN

BRANDS

FOR BRANDS

If launching or scaling your own food and beverage business is a  goal of yours, let us help you realize your dream and avoid unnecessary struggle. Join as a Premium Member.

PARTNERS

FOR PARTNERS

Work with Founders to identify their problems and share solutions to help them overcome the challenges of growing their companies. Join as an Expert Partners.

About Foodbevy

Foodbevy helps food and beverage brands grow from startup to scale through inspiration, education, and partnership.

Jordan Buckner

Founder

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