
Shelf-Made Podcast
By Cameron McCarthy

Shelf-Made PodcastJan 19, 2021

We Moved! Check Out Our New Podcast.
Thank you so much for listening and supporting this podcast, but we have moved and launched a new podcast called Honest Retail.
Check it out here: https://anchor.fm/honestretail

Managing Your Inventory Operations
We chat with Ken Ojuka from Fiddle. Fiddle easily manages orders, inventory, and sourcing while integrating with the best-in-class apps. We go over the value of Fiddle to brands and also how the current state of the market is affecting brands with their operations.
https://fiddle.io/

Mixing It Up With Craftmix
We chat with Craftmix founder Jake Tannenbaum about how he is approaching retail growth after a strong debut online and how he is differentiating himself from the competition.
https://www.craftmix.com/

Reimagining Craft Coffee
We are joined by Or Reznichky from Dripdash to talk about how they are changing craft coffee forever and how they are growing Dripdash in an already competitive category.
https://dripdash.com/
https://www.westock.io/

How to Use Data to Sell Your Product
I got to sit down with the team at Rodeo CPG and Indie CPG for their new series Nearby to National to talk about how you need to be using data to sell more and what metrics are the most important for CPG brands.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyfWHjKndtIDvoUTMANKaUg

Standing Out in the Beverage Space
We chat with Jennifer Ross from Swoon about how her brand came to be, what makes her product different, and how she stands out in the competitive RTD category.
https://www.tasteswoon.com/

How To Bring an Alcoholic Beverage to Market
We chat with Taylor Foxman from the Industry Collective about her background in the alcoholic beverage industry and the best way to approach bringing a new brand to market in the space.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-industry-collective-llc/

How to Get Your Brand on QVC
We sit down with Drew Hoffman and Jessica Hart from On Air Sales & Marketing and chat about all things QVC. We go over the importance of the host, the details of QVC pricing, and just how big of a vertical QVC can be for your business.
https://www.onairsales.com/

How To Make Your Brand Humanbranded w/ Eric Kiker
This is a recording of our May Webinar with Eric Kiker. He reviews how your brand can best position itself to truly resonate with the consumer on a human level. Eric provides actionable steps that you can apply to your own brand and answers questions from a few of our guests as well.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickiker/

Launching a Brand During the Pandemic
We chat with Erin PonTell and Kayla Castañeda from Agua Bonita about how they launched their brand during covid, the pivots they had to make, and how they have positioned themselves as the drink of Summer 2021.
https://www.drinkaguabonita.com/
https://www.instagram.com/drinkaguabonita/
https://www.westock.io/

Going All-in on Women Owned Brands
We chat with Mia Medina from Gather Brands and with chat her about her background in CPG and distribution, how she launched her own brand, and how she is going all-in on women-owned brands with Gather Brands.
https://gatherbrands.com/

Pivoting Your Brand's Sales Strategy
We chat with Erica Liu Williams from Gr8nola about how she pivoted from food service to DTC and retail once office buildings shut down due to covid. She goes over how they approached the pivot and how the strategy has paid off for their brand in the long run.
https://www.gr8nola.com/

The Power of Sampling
We chat with Christina Appleton from Appleton Consulting about sampling and how to effectively use sampling to grow your brand. We also talk about measuring ROI from sampling, pitfalls to look out for, and best practices when picking a sampling program.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinaappleton/
https://christinaappleton.wixsite.com/website
https://www.westock.io/

Unlocking Ecommerce Success Through Meal Planning
We chat with Katie Hotze from Shopii on the importance of prioritizing the first mile and how they streamline the meal-planning and grocery shopping process so shoppers can plan and purchase a week of home-cooked meals in just 5 minutes.
https://www.groceryshopii.com/
https://www.westock.io/

The Secrets Behind a FAST Start
This week we chat with Amin Anjedani and Kai Drewry from BOMANI Cold Buzz. This brand has opened over 1000 doors in a year and positioned itself to succeed even during the pandemic. We ask them what the secret to their fast start, how they planned their initial launch success, and how timing has them set up for a strong 2021.
https://drinkbomani.com/
https://www.westock.io/

Differentiating Your Brand Early
We chat with Matt Bennett from Dreams Aren't This Good about how he has built his brand up to over 400 stores in two years.
He also tells us how he has made his brand stand out in the crowded salsa space while trusting that customers are looking for more than just mild, medium, and hot when it comes to their salsa options.
Lastly, we dive into the key elements of building a brand and how salsa can be so much more than the product itself, but also a lifestyle brand.
https://dreamsarentthisgood.com/
https://www.westock.io/

Interview With Nick Auzenne From INFRA
We got the chance to speak with Nick Auzenne from INFRA. He talked to us about what makes INFRA special and how to approach pitching them.
He also dives into what he wants to hear in a buyer presentation and how brands that come equipped with data are poised to win.
Finally, we cover promotions and how to approach trade spend post-pandemic.
https://www.naturalfoodretailers.net/
https://www.westock.io/

The Right Time For A Food Scientist
We sit down with Dan Levison from Vibal Energy Tea and Apple and Orchard Labs to talk about the right time to find a food scientist for your brand.
https://drinkvibal.com/
https://www.westock.io/
https://appleandorchard.com/

Defining Your Customer
This week we chat with Adam Pollack from Rodeo CPG on the importance of defining your customer early and how it can help you make better decisions for your brand in the future.
Show Notes:
My email: adam@rodeocpg.com | our handle on IG: @rodeocpg Newsletter: https://rodeocpg.ck.page/subscribe Customer Persona Worksheet: https://www.rodeocpg.com/knowledge-share/customer-persona-outline Superhuman Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19WpIbBhxJU Product Market Fit Calculator: https://foodbevy.com/product-market-fit-calculator/
Getting Your Product Into Short-Term Rentals
This week we sit down with Justin Miller of Showplace to see how brands are driving product trial through short-term rentals and how this channel has grown during covid.
Showplace gives brands a unique opportunity to expose their brands to new potential customers and driving sales results.
https://www.westock.io/
https://showplacehq.com/

Understanding The Canadian Grocery Landscape
Today we chat with Dana McCauley from Blue Unicorn Innovation about her experiences in the Canadian market and how CPG brands looking to grow outside of the U.S can do so in a successful way.
https://blueunicorninnovation.com/
https://www.westock.io/

Interview With Sarah Nathan From NCG
We sit down with Sarah Nathan and chat with her about what she looks for from new brands and the best way to approach pitching your product to National Co+Op Grocers.

Episode 17: Do I Have Product-Market Fit?
This week we chat with Jordan Buckner of FoodBevy to talk about product-market fit and how to tell if your brand has achieved it.
https://foodbevy.com/
https://www.westock.io/

Episode 16: Building Your Brand the Right Way
Today we sit down with Maggie Bortner of Miami Beach Bum to hear about how they are building their brand audience and setting themselves up for success through owned content while creating meaningful relationships with their customers.
https://miamibeachbum.com/
https://www.westock.io/

Bonus Episode! Interview With James Ren From Thrive Market
We sit down with James Ren from Thrive Market and chat with him about what he looks for from new brands and the best way to approach pitching your product to Thrive Market.
https://www.westock.io/

Episode 15: The Truth About Brokers
We tackle a huge issue in the CPG industry this week with Zak Romanoff from Omni Food Sales. He breaks down what makes a good broker and what you should be looking for when finding a broker for your brand.
https://www.westock.io/
https://omnifs.com/

Episode 14: The Importance of Merchandising and Taking a Stand!
This week we dive into the topic of merchandising with Mark Feinberg from OTHRSource. He also talks to us about the importance of taking a stand as an entrepreneur.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklfeinberg/
https://www.othrsource.com/
https://www.westock.io/

Episode 13: Raising Capital 101
We wit down with Michael Movitz from The Movitz Group to talk about early stage fundraising for CPG brands.
http://www.movitzgroup.com/
https://brandjectorynow.com/

Episode 12: WeStock's $10,000 Pitch Competition
Today's episode is the audio from our November pitch competition. We will be running this again in Q1 and look forward to seeing what amazing brands apply this year!

Episode 11: When Is the Right Time for a Food Incubator?
This week we are joined by Djenaba Johnson-Jones from The Hudson Kitchen to talk about when is the best time for your brand to approach a food incubator or commercial kitchen and what exactly they offer to brands. Enjoy!

Episode 10: Do Your Financial Reports Need a Revamp?
We sit down with Sarah Delevan to talk about the top three signs for CPG brands that your financial reports need to be updated.

Episode 9: The Importance of Store Locators
We sit down with Brian Hack from Where To Buy to dive deep into the importance of store locators and how they are disrupting the space.
https://www.westock.io/

Episode 8: Building Your Brand Message
We sit down with Eric Kiker from The Digestible Brand to dive deep into building your brands messaging.

Episode 7: How to Thoughtfully Approach Growth
We sit down with Dave Hirschkop from Dave's Gourmet to discuss how to grow your business in a smart way that prioritizes velocity. I also touch on the rise of legacy brands and the our new onboarding process.

Episode 6: The Ins and Outs of CBD
We sit down with Alex Corren from Uncanny Wellness to discuss everything CBD. I touch on online buyer pitches and staying focused on the big picture.

Episode 5: Maintaining Quality as You Scale
We sit down with Nathan Gordon from Sans Meal Bar to discuss how they maintained the quality of their product as they scaled. I also rant about a poor product experience and touch on the topic of churn.

Episode 4: The Logistics of an Online Pivot
We sit down with Paul Majcherczyk from Fabalish to discuss how to they had to pivot their focus to online and the logistics of shipping a refrigerated and frozen product. We also touch on the $200M round from Oatly and the current investment landscape for founders.

Episode 3: Executing a Rebrand
We sit down with Amy Driscoll from Bear's Fruit to discuss how to execute a rebrand. I also touch briefly on team building and figuring out how to lead during covid, while touching on the recent canceling of Expo East.

Episode 2: Prioritizing Upcycling
We sit down with Mike Oraschewsky from TBJ Gourmet to discuss the importance of upcycling. I also dive into the current state of the meat market. We then wrap things up with a short audio diary that we will be doing at the end of each show to peel back the curtain of what is going on as we continue to grow WeStock.

Episode 1: Building Your Supply Chain Outside The U.S
We sit down with Renee Dunn from Amazi Foods to discuss how to build your supply chain outside the U.S. We also talk about our fears with Covid-19 and the effects it could have on a brands supply chain. We then wrap things up with a short audio diary that we will be doing at the end of each show to peel back the curtain of what is going on as we continue to grow WeStock.