The Startup CPG Podcast

Startup CPG's Daniel Scharff sits down with Hannah Koch, Category Manager for Supplements at Kimberton Whole Foods, one of the most beloved independent natural retailers in the country. Based in Pennsylvania, Kimberton Whole Foods has built a reputation for thoughtful merchandising, strong community relationships, and a deeply mission-driven approach to retail.Hannah's path to retail is anything but traditional. After starting as an art teacher, she joined Kimberton Whole Foods in 2008 and worked her way through multiple roles before finding her passion in purchasing. With a background in herbalism and a deep love for natural products, she now oversees the supplement category, helping shape the assortment for eight stores across southeastern Pennsylvania.Daniel and Hannah dive into how Kimberton approaches product selection, what makes emerging brands stand out, and why customer behavior is changing faster than ever. They discuss how social media is influencing supplement trends, why packaging matters more than most founders realize, and what retailers are looking for when deciding which products deserve shelf space.Listen in as they cover:· What makes Kimberton Whole Foods different from other retailers· How Hannah evaluates new brands and products· Why packaging is often the first thing that gets a buyer's attention· How customer demand is increasingly driving product innovation· The growing role of Fair and other platforms in product discovery· Why supplement formats are shifting from pills to powders, beverages, and gels· What founders should know before pitching a retailer· How Kimberton supports staff education and customer guidance· Why authenticity and mission matter when building a natural products brand· How Startup CPG founder meetings at Expo West helped uncover promising emerging brandsWhether you're preparing to pitch retailers, launching a supplement brand, or trying to better understand what buyers are looking for, this episode offers valuable insight into one of natural retail's most respected organizations.Episode Links:Kimberton Whole Foods Website: https://www.kimbertonwholefoods.comKimberton Whole Foods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimbertonwholefoodsHannah Koch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-koch-4a06047a/ 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 podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of Founder + Funder, hosted by Hannah Dittman, Hannah sits down with Emily Groden, Founder and CEO of Evergreen, and Brian Bernstein, Principal at Rich Products Ventures, for a conversation about fundraising, founder-investor relationships, and what it takes to build an emerging food brand into a category leader.Emily founded Evergreen after struggling to find frozen breakfast products she felt good about feeding her daughter. What started as homemade waffles made in her own kitchen grew into a nationally distributed brand now found on more than 9,000 retail shelves across the country. Along the way, she transitioned from a career in corporate law into entrepreneurship, learning every part of the CPG industry from the ground up.Brian leads investments at Rich Products Ventures, the venture arm of Rich Products, a global food manufacturer and strategic investor focused on supporting the next generation of food and beverage brands. Together, Emily and Brian share both sides of the fundraising table, discussing how their relationship developed, what made Evergreen stand out as an investment opportunity, and how founders should think about choosing the right partners as they grow.The conversation covers everything from product differentiation and retail expansion to fundraising strategy, diligence processes, founder resilience, and the importance of building relationships long before capital is needed.Listen in as they cover:· How Emily built Evergreen from homemade waffles into a brand carried in more than 9,000 stores nationwide· Why founders should start building investor relationships long before they begin fundraising· What Rich Products Ventures looks for when evaluating emerging food brands· The importance of product differentiation and solving a real consumer problem· Why investors often invest in founders as much as they invest in products· How strategic investors can support brands beyond capital· The fundraising process from both the founder and investor perspective· Why founders should not take fundraising rejections personally· How Evergreen is expanding beyond mini waffles into pancakes, protein products, and a larger breakfast platform· What makes a strong founder-investor relationship after the investment closesWhether you're preparing to raise capital, evaluating investors, or building your first consumer brand, this episode offers practical insights from both sides of the table.Episode Links:Evergreen Website: https://eatevergreen.comEmily Groden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-cole-groden/Rich Products Ventures: https://www.richproductsventures.comBrian Bernstein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bernstein/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 @startupcpg· Questions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.com· Episode music by Super Fantastics

Host Daniel Scharff sits down with R&D Radio host and food scientist Adam Yee for a special mini episode previewing Startup CPG's first-ever Founders & Formulators event—happening July 12th in Chicago at the Palmer House Hilton, the day before the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) annual convention.With a room full of formulators already heading to Chicago for IFT, Startup CPG is seizing the moment to bring them together with emerging brands for a speed-dating style matchmaking event. Whether you're still developing your product, struggling with a specific quality issue, or just want expert eyes on what you've built—this event is for you.Adam brings his perspective from both sides of the table—as a food scientist, independent formulator, and former brand founder—to break down how to make the most of five minutes with a formulator, what questions to ask, and how to find the right partner before you even walk in the room.Listen in as they discuss:Why Founders & Formulators exists—and why there's nothing else like it in the industryHow formulators think about evaluating a product: vibes, questions, and tastingWhat brands should bring to the event and how to get the most out of every conversationHow to use the Startup CPG Product Developer Directory to research and vet formulators ahead of timeThe difference between hourly vs. project-based engagements—and why deliverables matter more than anythingWhy personality and passion are just as important as technical skill when choosing a formulatorWhat makes a great formulator-founder relationship—and how to avoid the most common pitfallEpisode Links:🎟️ Register for Founders & Formulators (July 12, Chicago): https://bit.ly/4w0A75M🔬 Startup CPG Product Developer Directory: https://startupcpg.com/product-developer-directory⁠Don'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 Visit host Adam's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Anabel González, founder of Good Bacteria, and Hayden Williams, Partner at BrandProject, for the podcast's first-ever founder and funder episode—a behind-the-curtain look at what the investment process actually looks like from both sides of the table.Good Bacteria is the first rotating probiotic system delivering a new blend of prebiotics, probiotics, and a postbiotic each week. Dr. formulated with clinically studied ingredients, it's designed to expose your body to different microbes over time to build up gut resilience—a smarter, science-backed approach to gut health that actually fits into your daily routine. BrandProject is an early-stage consumer fund partnering with founders building standout consumer-first brands, investing pre-seed and seed with check sizes of $500K–$3M and a hands-on, operator-minded approach.Anabel shares how a postpartum healing journey led her to a Johns Hopkins doctor via cold LinkedIn outreach, over 200 investor cold emails, and ultimately a pre-launch investment from BrandProject—a fund she had specifically targeted because of their portfolio. Hayden walks through what drew him to Good Bacteria before there was even a product in hand, how he validated the science, and why Anabel's personalized cold outreach stood out in a sea of generic pitches.Together, they cover:How a postpartum healing journey became the founding story of Good BacteriaWhy Good Bacteria was originally a beverage—and how it pivoted to a rotating probiotic systemWhat 200+ investor cold outreaches actually looks like, and how the BrandProject introduction happenedWhat BrandProject looks for in pre-launch founders when there's nothing but a deck and a storyWhy Anabel invested in brand and story before product—and why that was the right callThe diligence process: validating the science, the market, and the founder's operating instinctsThe "sense of inevitability" principle—and why the best founders make investors feel the train is leaving the stationWhat a healthy founder-investor relationship actually looks like day to dayHow many people from a company should be involved in fundraising—and whoGood Bacteria's product roadmap: four products coming, a master brand in the makingWhether you're a founder preparing to raise, trying to build the right cap table, or just want to understand what investors are really evaluating before they write a check, this episode is essential listening.Episode Links: Anabel Gonzálezon LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/anabelg Good Bacteria: https://www.itsgoodbacteria.com Good Bacteria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodbacteria/ Hayden Williams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howillia/ BrandProject: https://www.brandproject.com BrandProject on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brandproject-lp/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.comShow 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 podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics