On this episode, we’re joined by Bryn Jones, the VP of Marketing & Retail at Huse Culinary, 123-year-old company with 8 restaurants in Indy and millions in CPG retail sales across the U.S.

While most guests enjoy St. Elmo for its legendary shrimp cocktail, Bryn has transformed the brand into a multi-category CPG powerhouse with sauces, spices, and spirits sold in over 3,000 stores nationwide. Bryn built the CPG division from the ground up.

Bryn shares the ulcer-inducing R&D stories behind his most successful launches, how they 10x’d their year 1 forecast, and the unique advantage of owning bars and restaurants as a CPG brand.

Episode Highlights:

🍤 The origin of St. Elmo’s iconic cocktail sauce
📈 How a restaurant brand became a CPG growth engine
🧠 Bryn, the “intrapreneur”
🧪 Formulation stories and co-packer headaches
🥃 How they built a spirits line from in-house bar recipes
🛒 How to use restaurant data to pitch retail buyers
💰 The spirits SKU that 10x’d its year-one forecast
📦 Category strategy and GTM lessons
🧊 Managing refrigerated, shelf-stable, and alcohol supply chains
🚀 Trial is everything
📊 Bryn’s perspective on category trends and innovation

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Table of Contents:

00:00:00 – Huse origin story and portfolio
04:18:11 – Expanding from 8 restaurants into selling millions of units in CPG
05:55:28 – Bryn, the "intrapreneur"
07:46:13 – How Bryn splits his time between 8 restaurants and the CPG division
09:32:09 – Shrimp cocktail sauce, spices, then spirits + the difficulties of CPG
13:39:20 – Formulation and R&D, getting an ulcer or two
16:24:00 – Standing out in competitive categories like sauces and spices
18:42:09 – Spirits formulation process, leveraging Huse bars and their expert team
21:39:06 – The spirits SKU that 10x’d the year 1 forecast
24:13:16 – Leveraging restaurant and bar data for CPG production innovation
27:40:28 – Using restaurant/bar data to pitch retailers (or not)
30:23:18 – The foodservice and CPG flywheel
33:00:22 – How they 10x’d the year 1 forecast
34:43:15 – CPG retail go-to-market recommendations
36:55:08 – Catering to multiple buyer groups and retail stakeholders
39:57:21 – Trial is the north star
44:46:27 – Trends/brands Bryn is tracking

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Links:

Huse Culinary – https://www.huseculinary.com
Follow Bryn on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/1brynjones/
Follow me on LinkedIn – Ahttps://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 Hank Watt, Co-founder of Nature’s Wild Berry, the miracle fruit brand that transforms sour and bitter foods into sweet, candy-like treats - without sugar or artificial sweeteners.

After losing 80 lbs and reversing pre-diabetes using miracle berries to sweeten his green juices, Hank teamed up with chef Juliano Bonanni to launch a business around this West African fruit.

Today, Nature’s Wild Berry is riding a wave of viral content, Amazon success, and a deal with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner on Shark Tank.

Hank breaks down the origin story, what happened leading up to Shark Tank and after the episode aired, and why he’s deliberately holding off on retail until the brand reaches mass awareness.

We also dig into how Gary Vaynerchuk and his team changed their growth plan.

Episode Highlights:

🍋 Losing 80 lbs thanks to the miracle berry
📺 How Shark Tank changed the game overnight
📦 Why Amazon is their core channel (and what Hank learned about product reviews)
🏪 When retail expansion makes sense—and when it doesn’t
🎥 Gary V’s UGC growth advice
🧪 New formats, clinical use cases, and the long-term vision
📈 Trends Hank is watching in sugar reduction, functional ingredients, and consumer behavior

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Table of Contents:

00:00:00 – Intro
00:54:05 – Nature’s Wild Berry origin story and the magic behind the berry
07:13:18 – The Shark Tank experience
11:00:04 – Focusing on Amazon
16:27:18 – Expanding into retail
19:23:08 – Gary V’s UGC recommendation
21:18:12 – Product roadmap
22:45:13 – Brands and trends Hank is tracking

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Links:

Nature’s Wild Berry – https://www.natureswildberry.com
Follow Hank on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hankwatt/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/
Need CPG production design support? Check out https://www.kitprint.co/

On this episode, we’re joined by Alex Witt, Co-founder and CEO of Battle Bars, a fast-growing, veteran-owned protein bar brand known for its Rice Krispie-like texture and nostalgic flavors.

A Navy veteran turned entrepreneur, Alex has taken Battle Bars from a side hustle to a multi-million-dollar brand with nationwide distribution.

Alex shares how he and his co-founder took inspiration from childhood snacks and Muscle Milk to create a new format in the crowded bar category. He unpacks the hard-earned lessons from their co-packer journey - including five months of production shutdown - and how they ultimately became part owners of their new co-packer to enable more control and to create aligned incentives.

We dig into fundraising, the evolution of their packaging identity, and how Battle Bars leverages gyms (including Alex’s own) as a launchpad and feedback loop. Alex also reflects on what brands get wrong about scaling and why he pulled back from Meta and Google ad spend.

Episode Highlights:

🍫 Battle Bars’ nostalgic taste strategy (and Muscle Milk inspiration)
🛠️ Surviving co-packer hell and becoming a minority owner
🥥 Reformulating with coconut oil and the cost realities
🏋️ Gyms as both a testing ground and a beachhead
🚀 Why growing too fast nearly killed the business
🎯 Lessons from breaking into traditional retail
📦 Packaging that stands out and signals “indulgence”
💰 Fundraising, paid media pullbacks, and retail velocity focus
🔥 The brand Alex is most hyped on right now (that’s not his)

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Table of Contents:

00:00:00 – Intro
01:19:19 – Battle Bars origin story
04:28:03 – The transition from the military to entrepreneurship
10:43:17 – Formulation and flavor, Muscle Milk as an inspiration
16:38:05 – The marshmallow crisp technology, navigating co-packer “hell”
21:18:10 – Becoming a minority owner in their new co-packer
22:25:06 – Vetting co-packers, trusting your gut
28:04:21 – Shifting from canola oil to coconut oil, evolving the formulation, cost implications
31:28:19 – Gyms (including the ones Alex owns) as a beachhead and a testing ground
35:34:24 – Selling into gyms vs. traditional retail
38:14:03 – Breaking into retail: learning lessons and recommendations
40:02:20 – Growing too fast is a problem
42:57:01 – Visual identity and packaging design
44:22:18 – Fundraising
48:07:12 – Backing off from Meta and Google
49:41:01 – The brand he’s most hyped on (that’s not Battle Bars)

—---------------

Links:

Battle Bars – https://www.battlebars.com
Follow Alex on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-witt-6a7a8b7a/
Follow me 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 Brittney Cook, the Co‑Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Something Sweet, a family‑run frozen cookie dough brand that’s redefining indulgence with clean ingredients and a heartfelt mission.

Brittney and her mom and sisters turned a deeply personal loss into a business that delivers small‑batch, brown‑butter cookie dough you can bake straight from the freezer. In just a few years, they’ve gone from hand‑scooping dough at home to landing in over 100 retail doors while keeping their faith, family, and product integrity at the center of everything they do.

Brittney walks through building a brand with her family, the operational decisions behind choosing frozen over refrigerated, and how she tweaked formulation for scale without sacrificing quality. She shares why brown butter is their secret weapon, how they developed their visual identity, and what it takes to plan and execute a successful retail launch.

We also dive into why velocity is more important than door count, tactics to drive sell‑through, demo strategies that scale, and the trends Brittney is tracking in the CPG space.

Episode Highlights:

🍪 The origin story behind Something Sweet Dough
👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 Building a business with her mom and two sisters
❄️ Frozen vs. refrigerated cookie dough
⚙️ Tweaking the formulation for scale
🧈 Why brown butter is a differentiator
🚀 Scaling up while staying small‑batch
🎨 Visual identity and packaging design choices
🛒 Expanding into retail and planning for launch
📈 Why velocity should be your north star
📦 Tactics and demo strategies that drive velocity
🔎 Trends Brittney is watching in CPG

—---------------

Table of Contents:

00:20:20 – Something Sweet origin story
02:37:24 – Building a business with her mom and two sisters
06:24:09 – Frozen vs. refrigerated cookie dough
07:34:04 – Tweaking the formulation for scale
08:19:18 – Why brown butter
11:14:18 – Scaling up
12:31:20 – Visual identity and packaging design
17:44:22 – Expanding into retail
20:31:12 – How to plan for a retail launch
22:14:15 – Why velocity should be the north star, how to grow at the right pace
24:39:01 – Tactics to drive velocity
26:07:28 – Demo strategies that scale
28:51:02 – Trends Brittney is tracking

—---------------

Links:

Something Sweet Dough – https://www.somethingsweetdough.com/
Follow Brittney on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittneycook/
Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/
Need help with packaging & production design? Check out https://www.kitprint.co/

On this episode, we’re joined by Michael Marra, the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Budder Creative, the agency behind modular fixture systems like Budder Groove™ and some of the most immersive dispensary retail spaces in North America.

With roots in industrial design for global beauty and apparel brands, Michael has spent the last decade translating “best-of-CPG” shopper insights into a regulated, ever-evolving dispensary landscape.

Michael unpacks how Budder productized retail hardware, why budtenders shouldn’t carry the merchandising load, and where he thinks brick-and-mortar is headed as the category matures.

Episode Highlights:

🪑 Translating big-brand retail lessons to cannabis
🛒 Crafting the ideal dispensary customer journey
🏬 500-sq-ft bodegas vs 20 k-sq-ft megastores—design levers that change
🧑‍💼 “Budtenders are not your merchandising strategy”
🛍️ Building a profitable, brand-driven shop-in-shop
💄 What cannabis can steal from beauty retail
🔧 Budder’s plug-and-play POP tools for faster roll-outs
🏗️ The future of physical stores in an omni-channel world
📈 Trends Michael’s watching for 2025 and beyond

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Table of Contents:

00:56 – Budder intro & origin story
03:02 – Designing retail for the world’s biggest brands → dispensaries
07:16 – Mapping the ideal customer journey inside a dispensary
11:53 – Designing a small bodega-style dispensary vs a megastore
17:26 – “Budtenders are not your merchandising strategy”
19:26 – How to build a successful shop-in-shop
23:16 – Beauty retail vs dispensaries
25:45 – Budder’s plug-and-play POP tools
32:12 – The future of physical retail stores
34:50 – Trends to watch

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Links:

Budder Creative – https://www.buddercreative.com
Follow Michael on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-marra-9033338/
Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/
Need help with CPG production design? Visit https://www.kitprint.co/ 🚀

On this episode, we’re joined by Luke Montgomery‑Smith, Co‑founder of Plink!, the effervescent hydration tablet brand that’s rethinking what it means to enjoy a drink without the waste of bottles or cans.

Before launching Plink!, Luke co‑founded Wild Fizz Kombucha, a multi‑award‑winning beverage that saw early success before the pandemic forced a shutdown. Now, as a second‑time founder, he’s bringing those hard‑won lessons into a new category.

Luke dives deep into how he’s building Plink! as a second-time founder, how they nailed a distinct packaging form factor, and how to stand out and win in a crowded market. We explore everything from designing for impulse purchases to the realities of working with retailers like GNC, plus how to scale a demo and sampling strategy.

Episode Highlights:

🚀 How second‑time founders approach growth differently
🎯 Standing out in a crowded category with unique positioning
📦 Designing a packaging form factor that drives trial
🎨 Visual identity that sparks curiosity and shelf appeal
🛒 Creating packaging for impulse purchases
🔑 “Trojan Horse” messaging that drives adoption
🛤️ Go‑to‑market strategy and early traction
🏬 Winning at GNC
📈 Retailer velocity expectations and what sets them apart
🥤 Demoing and sampling strategies that convert

—---------------

Table of Contents:

00:52:57 – Plink origin story
03:59:07 – Launching Plink after shutting down Wild Fizz Kombucha
07:25:22 – Learning lessons as a second time founder
09:57:24 – Standing out in a crowded market
13:52:18 – Nailing down a unique packaging form factor
19:26:00 – Visual identity and packaging design
22:43:09 – Designing for the impulse purchase
25:17:01 – Messaging, positioning, “Trojan Horse”
28:19:14 – Go-to-market
31:32:00 – Launching in GNC
35:13:15 – Retailer differences, velocity expectations
37:51:05 – Demos and sampling at scale

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Links:

Plink! – https://drinkplink.com
Follow Luke on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukejms/
Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/
Need help with packaging & production design? – Check out https://www.kitprint.co/

On this episode, we’re joined by Mitesh Patel, the Senior Director of Creative & Design at High Tide Inc., one of Canada’s largest and most diversified cannabis companies. Mitesh oversees all creative across High Tide’s portfolio, which includes over 200 retail locations under banners like Canna Cabana plus global ecommerce and accessories brands like Grasscity, Smoke Cartel, and Daily High Club.

Before joining High Tide, Mitesh led the creative vision at Famous Brandz, where he developed licensed cannabis accessories for Snoop Dogg, Jay & Silent Bob, and Hellboy.

Mitesh breaks down how High Tide builds a cohesive creative system across dozens of banners and channels. He explains how his team balances compliance with brand storytelling, how in‑house creative drives speed and consistency, and why retail design plays a bigger role in cannabis than most people think.

Episode Highlights:

🏪 Building a design system for 200+ cannabis stores
🎨 Why High Tide keeps creative in-house
📦 Balancing compliance and creativity in packaging
🔥 Launching IP collaborations with major pop culture brands
🌍 Adapting cannabis retail for international markets
💼 The day-to-day of running a lean, high-output design team
🧰 Tools and workflows that keep creative moving
📈 What retail designers get wrong about ROI
🛠️ Mitesh’s transition from editorial design to global cannabis
🚀 How creative can drive strategy in CPG retail

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Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro & High Tide overview
02:00 – How Mitesh manages his time to oversee creative of multiple brands
04:15 – Designing retail stores for speed & consistency
08:40 – High Tide’s core consumer and how to resonate with them
10:20 – Tips for designing dispensaries
16:15 – Tips for designing packaging for cannabis accessories
20:40 – Learning lessons from leading creative teams

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Links:

High Tide – https://www.hightideinc.com
Follow Mitesh on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/pt902/
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 Paulo Lacerda Sobral, the CEO of Lolli Soda - classic soda, remixed with cannabis. Lolli focuses on legacy flavors like Cherry Cola, Grape Soda, and Orange Soda.

Paulo honed his beverage chops at big names like PepsiCo and Sierra Nevada Brewing before diving into the cannabis beverage space.

He brings deep expertise in beverage manufacturing, distribution strategy, and regulatory navigation - plus a clear-eyed take on what it’s really going to take to make THC drinks go mainstream.

Paulo shares what inspired the creation of Lolli, why he isn’t trying to disrupt soda, and the future of cannabis beverages in retail. We talk through the real costs behind hemp beverage ops and why so many brands fail to focus on quality.

Episode Highlights:

🥤 Why Lolli is “classics remixed,” not wellness-forward
🏭 Lessons from Pepsi and Sierra Nevada in scaling ops
🌱 The challenge of THC beverage regulation state-by-state
💸 Real talk: tolling costs, margins, and cold-chain myths
🛒 Why convenience stores are a sleeping giant for cannabis
📦 The importance of shelf stability and flavor-first development
🧠 Navigating burnout and founder identity in the cannabis world
📈 How to get distributors and retailers to actually care
🎯 Why beverages require IRL sampling, not just DTC funnels

—---------------

Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro & Texas hemp regulation discussion
03:00 – What inspired Lolli + Paulo’s journey from Pepsi to pot
07:00 – The state of cannabis and hemp beverage
13:00 – “Traditional” beverage vs cannabis and hemp beverage
17:00 – What makes a great THC soda (formulation + flavor)
19:10 – C-stores
23:19 – The on-premise channel
24:45 – DTC
30:00 – Who should your first hire be in cannabis and hemp beverage?

—---------------

Links:

Lolli - https://www.drinklolli.com
Follow Paulo on LinkedIn –
Follow me on LinkedIn –
Check out https://www.kitprint.co for CPG production design support.