Performative grocery shopping + pro-peptides.

Performative grocery shopping + pro-peptides.

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today, we’re joined by Priyanka Ganjoo, the founder of South Asian beauty brand Kulfi Beauty—the first South Asian female-owned makeup line to be carried at Sephora. Priyanka shares her journey building an inclusive beauty brand, and the power of a strong emotional and cultural moat. Plus, we’re chatting about the boom of Erewhon lookalikes (and how they’ll survive when mass-market becomes a discovery channel), the water brands capitalizing on fear of microplastics, one brand’s attempt to legitimize peptides, and more. Let’s get into it! The breakdown: 0:00 Kulfi Beauty + the wave of inclusive beauty 5:36 Kulfi’s Sephora growth and changing audience 9:49 The power of the emotional moat in beauty 14:49 Everything is Erewhon now (the new age of bougie grocers) 21:52 Water brands vs. microplastics 29:34 Kellogg’s cereal front-of-pack framework 34:31 Target’s private-label chef collabs 40:10 Peptides are the wild west of wellness 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Why every brand is leaning into nostalgia

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week’s episode is brought to you by Ever Ledger [https://www.ever-ledger.com/?utm_source=express%20checkout&utm_medium=newsletter], the full-service accounting and finance partner specializing in high-growth CPG (they handle your books, tax, and modeling all under one roof). If your books are messy, your accountant is too slow for your speed, or you’re gearing up for a raise/expansion, check them out [https://www.ever-ledger.com/?utm_source=express%20checkout&utm_medium=newsletter]! Today we’re getting into the nostalgic side of CPG: the rise of Shirley Temple (dirty and otherwise), Jams’s genius NFL partnership, and OLIPOP's brand refresh. Plus, why the "$50 strawberry brand" was never really about strawberries, the “blended” pasta trend, and more. Let's get into it! The breakdown: 00:00 Intro 02:12 Rise of the Shirley Temple 05:13 Jams x NFL: The Uncrustables Opportunity 08:02 OLIPOP’s brand refresh 12:26 Oishii’s $150M Raise 17:52 Brami’s $33M Series B 24:14 David Protein’s unhinged marketing (per usual) 29:55 Banana water? 32:17 The next format of supplements 35:48 Conclusion 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Supplement brands are lying to you.

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week, we have one of our most fascinating interviews yet: Dr. Mastaneh Sharafi, SVP of Science & Innovation at Ritual, a supplement company known for its science-backed formulas. She’ll be answering some of our biggest questions around the most controversial category in CPG: supplements. Let’s get into it! Quick note: There’s some background clicking noise in the first few minutes, but it goes away quickly! Stick with us, it’ll be worth it :) Share feedback on the pod! [https://forms.gle/RfoJo4UGbW5iEwBS7] The breakdown:0:00 Intro + Dr. Sharafi’s background 1:58 Ritual’s evolution and mission3:59 Evaluating efficacy claims & misinformation13:11 Women-specific supplements & clinical trials18:43 Why people turn to supplements23:02 Why Ritual doesn’t make gummies…25:45 Consumer demand and innovation29:22 Four ways to spot misinformation in supplement marketing 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Calm your mind, one beverage at a time

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Stacey Hartnett, SVP of Marketing at Chomps to talk about their biggest product launch yet: chicken sticks. Then, we dive into the week’s biggest CPG news. The L-theanine and caffeine combo taking over the functional beverage space, colostrum soda, the booming luxury laundry detergent category, and more. Let’s get into it! Share feedback on the pod! [https://forms.gle/RfoJo4UGbW5iEwBS7] Check out our deep dive on L-theanine: https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/everyone-needs-to-calm-down [https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/everyone-needs-to-calm-down] The breakdown:0:00 Interview with Stacey Hartnett, SVPof Marketing at Chomps12:43 Feedback & podcast updates from our offsite13:19 The L-theanine + caffeine trend27:01 Armra's colostrum soda30:43 Popwtr: Lemon Perfect founder's new sparkling water bet37:27 Luxury laundry45:08 Thayers' creator-led product launch and what brands should learn from it51:04 Wrap up 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The THC loophole (and why it could close...)

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Mark Rushmore, co-founder of Suri (short for Sustainable Rituals)—the UK-based electric toothbrush brand that caught Gwyneth Paltrow’s eye organically before landing in Erewhon, and now Target stores nationwide. (Check out our piece on UK brands entering the US [https://expresscheckout.substack.com/p/the-british-brands-are-coming]!) We also cover the week's biggest CPG news—new updates to the THC regulatory saga, Beyond Meat's pivot into beverage, Gatorade's biggest refresh in 60 years, and the Finnish Long Drink's $325M acquisition by the makers of White Claw. Let's get into it! The breakdown: 0:00 Interview with Mark Rushmore, co-founder of SURI14:30 Recap on our 4/20 event!18:01 Updates on the THC ban + new proposed regulation28:03 Beyond Meat’s pivot into… protein soda?32:20 Gatorade’s newest brand refresh35:40 Why White Claw owners are betting on The Finnish Long Drink Check out our full interview with Long Drink co-founder Evan Burns here: https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/the-best-drink-youve-never-heard [https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/the-best-drink-youve-never-heard] 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]