Rob Johnson - Founding Born Simple, Selling to Mizkan, and Leading Innovation Across a $1B+ Portfolio

Morgan Zanotti - Act Two After A $200 Million Exit to Kraft

On this episode, we're joined by Morgan Zanotti, Founder and CEO of Waay - the sparkling protein water brand with 10 grams of protein, zero sugar, and 45 calories a can. Morgan co-founded Primal Kitchen, which she helped grow from a kitchen to roughly $50 million in revenue before a $200 million exit to Kraft Heinz. We get into the origin of Waay, starting with the clear whey protein isolate that made Morgan wonder why no one had put it in a sparkling water. Morgan walks through the rapid launch timeline, the rollout across Whole Foods, Sprouts, and a Target protein end cap, where a sparkling protein belongs on shelf, and why the brand took off on Amazon and TikTok Shop faster than she expected. We also talk about the importance of reaching profitability ASAP in order to maintain ownership, what five years inside Kraft Heinz taught her, and what strategics and PE really look for in a brand. --------------- Episode Highlights: 💡 The clear whey protein "aha" moment behind Waay 💪 Why the protein message finally tells women to eat more 🥤 10 grams of protein, zero sugar, 45 calories 🔁 Why a second-time founder gets back in the ring 📊 Chasing a $40 billion TAM instead of a niche 🛒 Landing a Whole Foods national yes with blank silver cans ⏱️ Three months to build a brand from scratch 🏁 Riding Target's protein end cap, and the risk 📦 Why beverage blew up on Amazon and TikTok Shop 💰 Staying profitable to keep ownership 🏢 Five years inside Kraft Heinz after the exit 🔭 The brands and trends she's watching now --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:49 – The origin story: a millennial mom and clear whey protein 01:40 – How the message to women shifted to protein 03:06 – Why a second-time founder jumps back in 04:55 – True innovation and a $40 billion TAM 06:40 – How GLP-1 reshaped the category 08:13 – Selling Whole Foods national with silver cans and a trademark 10:43 – Three months to build a brand, find a co-packer, and nail the taste 14:09 – The protein arms race and a "support, not solution" position 14:55 – Sprouts, Target, and the end cap bet 16:31 – Where a sparkling protein sits on shelf 17:57 – Why beverage took off on Amazon and TikTok Shop 19:11 – Staying profitable to keep ownership 21:28 – Her cap table approach vs Primal Kitchen 22:30 – Five years inside Kraft Heinz and "keep being you" 24:40 – What acquirers actually look for 27:21 – Reading an exit, and why she loves Good Culture 29:56 – Brands and trends she's watching --------------- Links: Waay – https://drinkwaay.com/ Follow Morgan on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-buehler-zanotti-31989620/ Waay on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinkwaay/posts/?feedView=all Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse [https://www.tryglimpse.com/?utm_source=podcast%20&utm_medium=podcast%20&utm_campaign=shelf_help], the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Rogers Healy - The Baby Boom This Investor Is Quietly Betting On

On this episode, we're joined by Rogers Healy, Founder and CEO of Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners, the Dallas-based venture firm backing consumer and CPG brands like Waterloo, MOSH, WHOOP, and G.O.A.T. Fuel.  Before going all in on venture, Rogers spent two decades building one of Texas' largest independently owned real estate brokerages. We dive into how Rogers built Morrison Seger as a deal-by-deal SPV firm, and how he only writes checks for simple, non-controversial consumer products he can authentically pitch himself. He breaks down his thesis across beverage, food, snacks, pet, and family, and what it actually takes to get conviction in a crowded category. Rogers shares the founder traits he bets on, the talent he says can't be taught, and the single habit that separates founders who survive from the ones who stall out: relentless over-communication. We also talk about why he's so focused on women-led brands when less than 3% of venture funding goes to them, the parent and family space he's watching, and the baby boom he's betting on next. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🎸 Naming a VC firm after Van Morrison and Bob Seger 🥤 Why he only backs simple, non-controversial consumer brands 💵 Running a self-funded firm on deal-by-deal raises 🔎 The founder talent that can't be taught 📣 Over-communication as the No. 1 survival trait ⚠️ The one thing that makes him walk away from a deal ⭐ What gives celebrity-backed brands real staying power 📉 Why deals actually fall apart 🚺 Backing women-led brands when under 3% of VC goes to them 🍪 Miracle Mama and spotting under-the-radar founders 👶 The baby boom he's betting on next 📧 What a strong investor update actually includes 🔮 The unconventional path into CPG venture capital --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:49 – Origin story and naming the firm 03:55 – The investment thesis 06:48 – What non-controversial really means 09:45 – The self-funded, deal-by-deal model 10:44 – Writing checks in crowded categories like beverage 12:37 – Spotting talent that can't be taught 15:53 – The trait that separates founders who survive 17:26 – The dealbreaker that makes him walk away 18:00 – Celebrity-backed brands and real staying power 20:08 – Why deals fall apart 21:58 – Backing women-led brands 23:39 – The parent and family space and Miracle Mama 25:10 – The baby boom call 26:23 – What makes a great elevator pitch 29:24 – What a great investor update looks like 30:51 – Breaking into VC from an unconventional path 32:42 – Where to find Morrison Seger --------------- Links: Morrison Seger – https://www.morrisonseger.com/ Follow Rogers on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogershealy/ Morrison Seger on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/morrison-seger/posts/?feedView=all Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse [https://www.tryglimpse.com/?utm_source=podcast%20&utm_medium=podcast%20&utm_campaign=shelf_help], the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Frozen One - From a Ninja Creami in Austin to 1,464 Target Doors

On this episode, we're joined by Alan Chen and Conner Mennig, Co-founders of Frozen One, the high-protein ice cream brand packing 40 grams of protein, under 400 calories, 75% less fat and 62% less sugar than traditional ice cream into every pint. Alan and Conner walk through the formulation journey from flavored protein powders and Oreos to milk protein concentrate, and how they tested 50 grams of protein per pint but landed at 40 as the functional ceiling. We also get into finding their first co-packer outside Austin, the in-house packaging design, and expanding from six Royal Blue Grocery doors (averaging 25.9 units per store per week) to Central Market, Bristol Farms, Wegmans, Raley's, Heinen's, Busch's, Schnucks, Fresh Thyme, a Kroger First Pitch win at Expo West, and an upocoming 1,464-door Target launch. We break down how Target deal came together, the scramble to fund the first big order, the oversubscribed $2M round led by Supernatural Ventures and The Angel Group, and the important thing on Alan and Conner's mind right now.....hiring. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍦 The Ninja Creamy origin story (still memorialized in the office) 🧪 Real ice cream science, freezing point depression and the refreeze problem 💪 Why 40 grams is the functional protein ceiling (50 grams blew gaskets) 🏭 Finding a small local co-packer willing to run 100-pint test batches 🎨 Building the brand and packaging in-house with a friend ✏️ How the name "Frozen One" came from "The Chosen One" 🛒 First retail: Royal Blue Grocery, portable freezer, sell sheet, repeat visits 💰 Pricing evolution from $9.99 super-premium to $6.99–$8.99 conventional mass 📊 25.9 units per store per week as the early velocity proof point 🚀 The Target inbound, the broker, and 1,464 doors in 15 months 💸 The fundraising scramble when no lender would touch them 🤝 The three hires that unlock the next stage (sales, frozen ops, digital marketing) 🔮 Why the ice cream category still has massive white space --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:51 – Origin story and how Frozen One started 02:55 – Late-night R&D in the Ninja Creamy 05:20 – The protein source and the 40-gram ceiling 07:49 – Choosing the three core flavors 09:05 – Finding the right co-packer 11:48 – Co-packer advice for founders 13:04 – Brand identity and packaging design 14:25 – The naming process 15:16 – First retail accounts at Royal Blue Grocery 17:00 – Pricing strategy and moving from premium to mass 18:20 – Early velocity and the role of demos 19:47 – Landing Target through a cold website inbound 21:00 – The fundraising scramble and the $2M round 23:30 – What makes Target different (Roundel, granular data) 24:30 – Managing multiple retailer launches at once 25:59 – One tip for first-time CPG founders 26:57 – Building the team and the three key hires 29:04 – How to reach Alan and Conner 29:30 – Staying ahead of the protein ice cream pack 30:39 – Biggest risks and opportunities ahead 31:48 – Brand crushes (Fruit Riot, Graza) --------------- Links: Frozen One – https://www.frozen-one.com/ Follow Alan on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanychen7/ Follow Conner on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/conner-mennig-84a469170/ Frozen One on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/frozen-one/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse [https://www.tryglimpse.com/?utm_source=podcast%20&utm_medium=podcast%20&utm_campaign=shelf_help], the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

Russell & Julia Menez - From Stage Four Cancer to the Brink of National Distribution

On this episode, we're joined by Russell and Julia Menez, husband-and-wife Co-Founders of RJ Naturals, makers of Nature's Candy Bar, the refrigerated, organic, whole-food snack bar made with grass-fed butter.  The brand was born out of Russell's stage 4 cancer journey, when Julia started making bars from scratch to support his recovery. We dive into how those homemade bars turned into a SoCal brand now in some of most iconic retailers in the region, including Mother's Market, Lassen's Natural Foods, Clark's Nutrition, Fermentation Farm, as well as a growing presence on the East Coast.  Russell and Julia break down the formulation behind a bar built on dates, sprouted oats, grass-fed butter, coconut, raw honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt, why they chose Deglet Noor dates over Medjool, and why most co-manufacturers resist butter. Julia  also walks through the role of coffee shops, gyms, and wellness studios in building community, and how a single networking event landed their anchor retailer and first distributor in the same afternoon. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🩺 The cancer journey that started the brand 🧈 Why grass-fed butter is the hero ingredient 🌴 Deglet Noor vs Medjool dates (and why it matters) 🥶 Why most bar brands won't go refrigerated 🍠 The next flavor in the pipeline (hint: ube) 🏭 Interviewing over 20 co-packers to find the right one ✋ Going from 600 bars a day by hand to thousands per run 🎨 Evolving from RJ Naturals to Nature's Candy Bar 🛒 Landing Mother's Market and a distributor in one room ☕ Why gyms, coffee shops, and wellness studios still matter 📣 Demos plus social as the velocity engine 🚦 Saying no to shiny objects as you scale 🎯 The Q4 Whole Foods regional plan --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:13 – Origin story and the stage 4 cancer journey 04:38 – Formulation and R&D 06:30 – Why grass-fed butter 08:00 – Deglet Noor vs Medjool dates 08:46 – Flavor pipeline and the ube hint 10:22 – Refrigerated by design, not by default 12:49 – Home kitchen to commercial kitchen 13:41 – Moving to a co-packer 15:38 – Interviewing 20+ co-manufacturers 18:09 – Sticking to the formulation at scale 21:31 – Evolving the brand from RJ Naturals to Nature's Candy Bar 25:11 – Landing Mother's Market and a distributor in one room 26:43 – Coffee shops, gyms, and wellness studios as the community layer 27:30 – Demos and social as the velocity engine 28:53 – Saying no as you scale 30:50 – Biggest risks and opportunities 31:32 – Q4 Whole Foods regional launch 32:30 – Trends and brands they're watching --------------- Links: RJ Naturals – https://rjnaturals.us/ Follow Russell on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellmenez/ Follow Julia on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliahsuh/ Follow RJ Naturals on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/rjnaturals/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse [https://www.tryglimpse.com/?utm_source=podcast%20&utm_medium=podcast%20&utm_campaign=shelf_help], the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.

William Underwood - Inside the CPG Talent Market

On this episode, we're joined by William Underwood, Founder of Talent Brew - the CPG-focused recruiting and headhunting firm helping scaling beverage and food brands find the right talent through competitive-set focused outreach. William breaks down what the CPG talent market looks like right now. With post-COVID reorgs, acquisitions, and layoffs, brands have historic access to exceptional talent, but many don't know how to vet or retain it.  We get into the roles trending up, from DTC and TikTok Shop managers to channel-specific account roles, and why AI fluency is becoming a must-have even though most CPG brands don't know exactly what that hire looks like yet. We also dig into the hiring roadmap for scaling brands - who to hire first, and the common traps like chasing logos on resumes and inflating titles too early. --------------- Episode Highlights: 🍳 From executive chef to CPG recruiter (the origin story) 🍺 Launching a beer-focused firm during the worst market since Prohibition 📊 Why it's a historic buyer's market for CPG talent right now 🛒 Roles trending up: DTC, TikTok Shop, channel-specific managers 🤖 AI fluency as an emerging (but undefined) hiring requirement 💸 The real cost of a bad hire (financial, emotional, mental bandwidth) 🎯 Competitive set focused recruiting (50-100 companies, 3 referrals per placement) ⚠️ The trap of chasing logos and inflating titles too early 🔥 "Fire in their belly, throwing elbows, and polish" 🏢 Culture = what your employees do that you don't talk about 🧹 How to fix a struggling culture (and when to fire fast) 👀 Brands he's watching: Recess, Trip, Go Brewing, Throne Sport Coffee --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:44 – William's origin story (from executive chef to recruiting) 02:55 – Expanding from craft beer to broader CPG 03:50 – The current CPG talent market (buyer's market) 05:30 – Roles trending up right now 07:00 – TikTok Shop and ecom hiring challenges 08:31 – AI fluency in CPG hiring 10:22 – The real cost of a bad hire 11:45 – Smart hiring roadmap for scaling brands 14:00 – Common founder hiring mistakes (logos and titles) 15:55 – Generalist vs. specialist (and leveraging agencies) 17:00 – Competitive set focused recruiting explained 19:55 – Red flags when evaluating a recruiting firm 22:07 – Interview questions that actually work (go past tense) 25:02 – What brands want vs. what they actually need in a hire 26:36 – Ideal candidate profiles by revenue stage 29:00 – Building and maintaining company culture 33:20 – Brands and trends William is watching 35:00 – Where to find William and Talent Brew --------------- Links: Talent Brew – https://mytalentbrew.com/ Follow William on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-underwood-405677245/ Follow Talent Brew on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/mytalent-brew/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/. Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse [https://www.tryglimpse.com/?utm_source=podcast%20&utm_medium=podcast%20&utm_campaign=shelf_help], the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.