Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

On this episode, we’re joined by Jenny Thielen , CMO at Green Seed North America , and a seasoned CPG marketer who’s spent her career helping food and beverage brands find their footing, grow distribution, and scale sustainably.  Jenny shares a wealth of insights on what it really takes to win in retail today - from how to de-risk growth and avoid costly pitfalls to how to build true shopper marke...

On this episode, we’re joined by Sierra Thomas , Founder and CEO of Tropink - the Hawaiian-inspired, functional beverage brand made with real tropical fruit, vitamin D, broad spectrum hemp (no THC), and a little bit of carbonation. Sierra spent a decade in media and music before going alcohol-free in 2010. She’s bootstrapped Tropink thus far, scaling into premier retail locations across her home s...

On this episode, we’re joined by Paige Billings , VP of Marketing at Anthem Snacks - the veteran-owned jerky brand started by a former Green Beret - and Founder of Dot Digital Media . We dive into how Anthem has pushed into unconventional retail channels and the strategies for succeeding in limited shelf space environments - from Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Dick’s Sporting Goods to United Airlines’ in...

On this episode, we’re joined by Amy Collins , the Co-Founder and CEO of RoRo’s Baking Company , a Dallas-based brand bringing her grandmother’s beloved cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls to freezers across the country. What started as a family recipe baked by hand in a shared kitchen has grown into a nationally distributed brand carried in Whole Foods, H-E-B, Harris Teeter, and more. Amy shares her...

On this episode, we’re joined by Katie Hill , the longtime marketing leader at Upslope Brewing - Boulder’s outdoors-first craft brewery known for cans-only packaging, community-driven events, and a “beer, people, planet” ethos.  Katie has spent the last decade steering Upslope through the craft beer roller coaster, widening the aperture beyond beer while protecting the brand’s core identity. With...

On this episode, we’re joined by Gardar Stefansson , Co-founder & CE O of GOOD GOOD - the fastest-growing spread brand in the U.S . Born in Iceland, GOOD GOOD offers no-added-sugar, fruit-first jams, jellies, chocolate spreads, and a vegan lemon curd, among others. Gardar shares how a looming write-off in a stevia/erythritol drops business sparked the pivot to spreads. He lays out the playbook...

On this episode, we’re joined by Marshall Rabil , CEO of Hubbard Peanut Company (“Hubs”) , the Virginia heritage brand that commercialized blister-fried, Super Extra Large peanuts, and became one of the earliest premium mail-order/DTC success stories.  From Dot & H.J. Hubbard’s 1950s home kitchen to a modern mix of DTC, retail, and private label, Marshall shares how Hubs has maintained a craft...

On this episode, we’re joined by Chris Robb and Adam Spriggs , the duo behind The Angel Group - one of the most influential early-stage investment communities in CPG - and Supernatural Ventures. Between them, they’ve backed breakout brands like Siete , Poppi , Bachan’s , Garage Beer , and Painterland Sisters. They’ve built a reputation for spotting winning founders long before the rest of the indu...

On this episode, we’re joined by Sean Campbell , COO at Semifreddi’s - the Bay Area-based beloved artisan bakery known for its sourdough. Before Semifreddi’s helped scale one of the nation’s top cannabis edibles brands from ~$20M to ~$150M in revenue, and held ops roles at Double Rainbow Ice Cream and San Francisco Salt Company .  He’s a rare operator who’s scaled ops in traditional food, frozen,...

On this episode, we’re joined by Nate Cooper , Founder & Managing Partner at Barrel Ventures , and OLIPOP pre-seed investo r.  He tells the story behind investing in OLIPOP at pre-seed, what changed between the early brand and the rocket ship it became, and the hemp beverage bet he believes is far bigger than most people expect.  Nate unpacks why venture is not a fit for most brands, what foun...

On this episode, we’re joined by Amy Zitelman , Co-Founder & CEO of Soom Foods , the chef-quality tahini brand she built with her two sisters.  Amy and her team went with a foodservice-first go-to-market strategy that earned brand credibility with top chefs and eventually generated demand at the consumer and retail level, before launching on Amazon and eventually into national retail. She shar...

On this episode, we’re joined by Mehek Khera , the Founder & CEO of Niramaya Foods , heritage-inspired Indian foods built for modern eating. Mehek takes us inside her two-year R&D sprint to turn homestyle recipes into clean-label, shelf-stable dips (no artificial preservatives) and then expands the platform with Naan Pretzels designed for snackable trial. We go deep on formulation and proc...

On this episode, we’re joined by Jordan Wilson , Co-Founder & CEO of Sap’s , the clean, canned hydration brand built to deliver “powder-stick efficiency in an RTD can.”  Jordan opens up his R&D playbook (coconut-water powder, a small amount of natural sugar, shiitake/adaptogens, and acidity/mouthfeel), explains why Sap’s moved from sleeves to digitally printed cans, and breaks down the rea...

On this episode, we’re joined by Eric Girard, VP of Sales & Marketing at Van Holten’s, to break down all things licensing and co-branding.  He explains how the first deal started when a Tapatío licensing agency approached them at a trade show, how he had to sell it internally (“why pay a royalty?”), and how mentioning Tapatío suddenly opened doors with category managers - 7-Eleven even helped...

On this episode, we’re joined by Eli Bank , the Co-founder and COO of Absurd Snacks , a top-9- allergen-free , snack company that started as a senior capstone project at the University of Richmond and now sells in Whole Foods , Kroger , Publix , and college campuses across the Mid-Atlantic. Eli walks us through how he and co-founder Grace turned their classroom idea into a fully commercialized bra...

On this episode, we’re joined by Mitch Jacobsen, P.Eng., Co-Founder & CEO of Rviita, a Calgary-based energy tea brand packaged in lightweight, resealable spouted pouches.  Mitch went from petroleum engineer to beverage entrepreneur after a friend’s energy drink-related near-death experience. He walks us through the hard-won lessons of product development as a CPG newbie and why he chose to ver...

On this episode, we’re joined by Nick Mallory , VP of Marketing at Ackley Brands , the Pacific Northwest , family-owned beverage platform behind a growing portfolio of wine and beer brands (15 as of now). Nick breaks down Ackley’s origin story and roll-up thesis , the decision framework for what makes a great fit, and the first-90-days playbook once a brand joins the family. We dig into “thin slic...

On this episode, we’re joined by Jimmy DeCicco , Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Super Coffee , the RTD coffee brand started by Jimmy and his two brothers that went from a dorm-room blend to 70,000+ doors and a $50M+ run rate. A former captain of the Colgate football team, Jimmy unpacks what they got wrong when they tried to go “big-league” too soon , and the profit-first reboot that followed...

On this episode, we’re joined by Peter Barsoom , the Co-Founder & CEO of 1906 , the fast-acting, function-first cannabis brand that has defied the odds to become a leader in the space. A former Wall Street exec turned plant-medicine operator, Peter breaks down how 1906 customized their rapid onset tech, why they started with pressed pills and how naming SKUs by effect helped create an entirely...

On this episode, we’re joined by Shani Seidman , CMO at Kayco , the family-owned brand house behind Manischewitz , Kedem, Gefen, Heaven & Earth, Tuscanini and more.  Shani takes us inside the Manischewitz rebrand : why it couldn’t be “just a facelift,” how her team translated 130 years of equity into a modern, welcoming voice, and the very real mechanics of changing over hundreds of SKUs acros...

On this episode, we’re joined by Kate Harvey , the co-founder and CEO of Bare Bones , a category-defining brand on a mission to make nourishment more accessible, flavorful, and functional.  What started out in a small kitchen has evolved into a national brand with innovative products like shelf-stable broths, instant protein sticks, and collagen-fueled hydration powders. Kate joined Shelf Help whe...

On this episode, we’re joined by Kim McDermott , Senior Brand Manager at Egglife Foods , the brand that’s redefining what low-carb, high-protein eating looks like by replacing flour with eggs. With amazing wraps, and the recently launched pasta line, Egglife is just getting started. Before joining Egglife, Kim led key marketing and brand initiatives at global CPG giants like Kellogg and Molson Coo...

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 nationwid...

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 sweetener s. 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...

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 chi...