Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

If you’ve ever thought, " Why doesn’t anyone talk about this in CPG?", this is the podcast for you. Host, Adam Steinberg, co-founder of KitPrint, interviews CPG leaders to uncover the real-world tactics, strategies, and behind-the-scenes insights that really move the needle.

Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Adam Steinberg, with 111 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Adam Steinberg hosts Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast, a business show with 111 episodes published.

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  Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

  Why She Left A PhD To Freeze Pasta Sauce | Melaina Balbo, BIS

  Aug 19, 202632 min

  On this episode, we're joined by Melaina Balbo, Founder & CEO of Bis - the frozen Italian sauce brand selling handmade Pomodoro al Basilico and Pesto Genovese in two ounce pucks. Melaina was deep in a PhD in Italian literature and cinema before she traded the library for the kitchen. We dive into the origin of the brand, starting with the frozen care packages her parents shipped on dry ice when she was a graduate student, and why Melaina became convinced that processing for shelf stability is what makes a jarred sauce taste like it came off a shelf. A big part of the conversation focuses on packaging. Melaina shares what it took to find an individually sealable portion cup, roughly 15 versions in, and how hard it was to get large packaging suppliers to call a small brand back. She breaks down what the new labels finally communicate on shelf, with the hero ingredient front and center. We also get into the accidental first order at her local co-op, why specialty and gourmet stores fit a product nobody expects to find in the freezer aisle, and the buyer feedback that frozen pasta sales lift when Bis sits next to them. Melaina closes with the advice she would give a founder a year behind her. --------------- Episode Highlights: What Bis means and why the name works ❄️ The dry ice care packages that started everything Why processing for shelf stability changes the flavor Two ounce pucks built for cooking for one or two Testing 15 portion cups before landing on recyclable PET Three years in an incubator kitchen 80 miles from home The co-man matrix: frozen, format, and state lines Why the old packaging was capping the brand The sample drop that turned into a first order Getting large packaging suppliers to call a small brand back ️ Hero ingredients front and center on the label Frozen pasta sales lifting next to the pucks Home shopping, 3PL, and national distribution ahead --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:59 – What Bis means and the why behind the brand 02:55 – Care packages on dry ice and the frozen insight 04:29 – Portioning the sauce into two ounce pucks 05:42 – The long search for the right portion cup 07:58 – Chef Space and the 80 mile drive to an incubator kitchen 10:41 – What to look for in a co-manufacturing partner 12:21 – The packaging that was holding the brand back 13:01 – The accidental first order at the co-op 14:22 – Getting packaging suppliers to take a small brand seriously 16:06 – What the new labels communicate on shelf 18:23 – Not reinventing the wheel 21:36 – Specialty markets, demos, and local visibility 22:48 – DTC, 3PL, and the cost of shipping frozen 23:39 – Winning shoppers away from the shelf stable jar 24:57 – Why frozen is making a resurgence 25:40 – Hardest lessons as a first time founder 28:35 – Home shopping, national distribution, and what is next --------------- Links: Bis – https://eatbis.com/ Follow Melaina on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaina-balbo/ 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 , the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packagin g. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

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  Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

  AJ Anderson - The Coca-Cola Marketer Betting on Pickle Juice

  Aug 10, 202642 min

  On this episode, we're joined by AJ Anderson , Founder and CEO of Fast Pickle , the 3 ounce pickle juice shot brand bringing real brine into electrolyte replacement. AJ spent five years at Coca-Cola before becoming a serial entrepenenur. AJ breaks down the formulation proces, copacker sourcing, and why the new label says "intentionally hypertonic" instead of calling itself hydration. We get into the packaging design journey too, from a first label he designed himself, through public critique on BevNET's Elevator Pitch, to the black and electric green look he has now. We also cover the tactical stuff. Packing pallets in his garage, cold emailing roughly a thousand specialty stores, using Amazon Market Basket data to find climbing gyms, and the Danny Wimmer Presents festival partnership he expects will drive 25 to 30 percent of revenue this year. --------------- Episode Highlights: The family health scare that reset everything Why pickle juice instead of another sweet powder Formulating a 570mg sodium shot, no added sugar Hypertonic vs isotonic, and why "hydration" is wrong Packing pallets in a garage at the top of a hill ⚠️ Shelving the preservative free version on purpose The Recovery Seltzer and its pickle margarita flavor Three label iterations, flat green to street black Cold emailing 1,000 specialty stores, and the reply math Selling shots across 80+ bars at rock festivals Amazon Market Basket data leading to climbing gyms Building a challenger brand in a challenger category --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:16 – Origin story 04:32 – Why pickle juice 05:35 – Launching January 2025 06:24 – Formulation and the 3 ounce format 06:58 – Co-packer selection and real brine 08:43 – Hypertonic vs hydration 10:44 – A polarizing taste 12:37 – Garage fulfillment and the first pallets 15:14 – The preservative decision and natural retail 17:02 – The Recovery Seltzer idea 18:23 – Specialty channels and Fleet Feet 19:23 – Packaging design iterations 23:55 – Advice on brand identity 26:00 – Go to market and profitable growth 29:27 – The Danny Wimmer Presents partnership 36:07 – Cold emailing 1,000 specialty stores 38:56 – Climbing gyms and Market Basket data --------------- Links: Fast Pickle – https://fastpickle.com/ Follow AJ on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/helloaj/ 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 , the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packagin g. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

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  Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

  Thomas Odermatt - Scaling Butcher's Into the Leading Fresh Bone Broth Brand

  Aug 7, 202641 min

  On this episode, we're joined by Thomas Odermatt , Founder & CEO of Butcher's Bone Broth , the leading fresh, organic bone broth brand sold refrigerated at Costco, Whole Foods, Publix, and more. Thomas is a third-generation Swiss butcher who built Roli Roti, America's first gourmet rotisserie food truck, before spinning Butcher's out as a standalone brand. After deboning chicken for Bay Area tech giants, Thomas found himself staring at 10,000 pounds of leftover bones a week and, as a butcher's son, refused to throw them away. That became Butcher's Bone Broth, launched into retail around 2015 as a fresh, refrigerated product in an aisle dominated by shelf-stable aseptic cartons. Thomas walks through landing his first account at Berkeley Bowl, why he's raised the price only once in nearly 12 years, and why he still makes every bottle in-house with no co-packers and no venture capital. We get into winning the club channel at Costco without cheapening the product, pushing velocity instead of chasing margin in the expensive fresh aisle, and adding 800+ new Albertsons doors. We also cover the recent decision to spin Butcher's out as a standalone brand, the packaging thinking behind earning a female shopper's trust, and Thomas's people-first take on management. --------------- Episode Highlights: The farmers market loophole behind the food truck The white chef's coat that killed the "roach coach" label Deboning chicken for Bay Area tech giants 10,000 pounds of leftover bones a week Landing the first account at Berkeley Bowl Raising the price just once in 12 years No co-packers, no VC, every bottle made in-house The "Union Pacific" slow-and-reliable growth model Winning the fresh aisle on velocity, not margin Spinning Butcher's out as a standalone brand Packaging a butcher's brand that women trust 800+ new Albertsons doors and product-market fit "Grab the bull by the horn" as a management value --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:49 – From a Swiss butcher shop to a Berkeley business plan 02:51 – The farmers market loophole behind the food truck 03:59 – The white chef's coat that beat the "roach coach" label 06:27 – "Five products, five fingers" (and catering Paris Hilton) 07:25 – The leap from food truck to retail CPG 10:57 – 10,000 pounds of leftover bones, and why bone broth 14:29 – Landing the first account at Berkeley Bowl 16:35 – Raising the price just once in 12 years 19:29 – No co-packers: every bottle made in-house 20:57 – Self-funded, and the "Union Pacific" growth model 22:46 – Winning the fresh aisle on velocity, not margin 24:55 – Spinning Butcher's out as a standalone brand 27:22 – Packaging a butcher's brand women trust 29:04 – Winning the club channel without getting greedy 31:34 – 800+ Albertsons doors and product-market fit 33:31 – Listening, culture, and the bull by the horn 37:09 – Where to follow Thomas --------------- Links: Butcher's Bone Broth – https://www.butchers.co/ Follow Thomas on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-odermatt-656a1449/ 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 , the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packagin g. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

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  Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

  John McGuckin - Scaling Clio Snacks to $100M+ and 60,000 Doors

  Aug 3, 202642 min

  On this episode, we're joined by J ohn McGuckin , CEO of Clio Snacks - the first and only refrigerated Greek yogurt bar - a chocolate-dipped, cheesecake-textured snack. John took the seat as Clio's CEO in 2021 after a long track record of C-suite roles at brands like Sabra, Tribe Mediterranean Foods, and Maya Kaimal. John breaks down why he took the job, how he read the post-COVID shift toward high-protein, permissibly indulgent snacking, and what operators should stress-test before stepping into a founder-led company. John walks through the bet that changed everything: retiring the $1.19 single bar and moving retailers to four-packs and minis at $5.99, which fixed cash flow and unlocked a capital raise. We dig into going multi-channel across colleges, C-stores, and airports, building a dedicated refrigerated snacking set at retail, running cold chain at a 98% service level through a disciplined S&OP process, and Clios' 86,000 sqft plant. --------------- Episode Highlights: The garage origin story behind Clio (yes, a real syrok) Taking the CEO seat as the first non-founder leader What to stress-test before running a founder-led brand Reading the consumer shift that made yogurt bars work The singles-to-multipacks bet that fixed cash flow Going multi-channel: 450+ colleges, 20,000+ C-stores, 65+ airports Building a refrigerated snacking set at retail Why seasonal flavors and end caps drive trial ❄️ Running cold chain at a 98% service level Owning an 86,000 sq ft plant instead of co-packing The single biggest velocity driver (hint: shelf position) Getting distributors and brokers to actually work for you The kids' yogurt gap he's chasing next --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:58 – Clio's origin story (Ukraine, a garage, a syrok) 03:26 – Where the Clio name came from 04:45 – Why John took the CEO seat 07:33 – Advice for stepping into a founder-led brand 10:18 – Betting on a new category: the Sabra parallel 13:00 – From $23M to a projected $120M: the multipack bet 15:42 – Going multi-channel: food service, colleges, airports 18:39 – The new-product and innovation process 19:24 – Building a refrigerated snacking set at retail 21:08 – Seasonal flavors and end-cap wins 23:14 – Cold chain and the S&OP discipline 26:33 – Where the brand sits in-store (and GLP-1) 29:38 – Owning manufacturing and self-funding growth 32:28 – Scaling from 1,000 to 60,000 doors 34:59 – The biggest velocity driver: shelf position 35:49 – Working with distributors and brokers 38:15 – The kids' category he's chasing next --------------- Links: Clio Snacks - https://cliosnacks.com/ Follow John on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfmcguckin/ 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.co Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse , the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packagin g. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

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  Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast

  Sara Hendershot - Is This the Next Billion Dollar Bottled Water Brand?

  Jul 29, 202647 min

  On this episode, we're joined by Sara Hendershot , VP of Marketing at Loonen - the glass bottled water brand that starts with a spring source, purifies it, remineralizes it, and tests every batch for over 350 contaminants. Sara was previously Director of Marketing at Momentous, and before that a two time world champion and 2012 Olympic rower for Team USA. Sara breaks down how Loonen pairs a high quality spring source with purification, remineralization using Celtic sea salt, glass only bottling, and third party testing for 350+ contaminants printed on every bottle. We get into the brand build: designing for heritage instead of trend (Levi's and L.L.Bean were the references), choosing yellow and blue to cut through a shelf of clear glass and white labels, and engineering a six pack box that can actually ship glass, and which storytelling hooks landed once they hit market. A big part of the conversation focuses on go to market: pricing at $3.79 at Sprouts versus the Amazon six pack, consolidating still and sparkling under one parent listing, growing almost entirely organic with zero paid influencers, and landing a first national account six months after launch. --------------- Episode Highlights: The loon: monogamous to one lake until it gets contaminated The first water that is both spring sourced and purified Testing for 350+ contaminants when the FDA requires almost none Clara's IVF story and the water lab on her kitchen counter Ripping out PVC pipes and replacing them with stainless steel Building a heritage brand (Levi's, L.L.Bean, yellow and blue) Engineering a six pack box that ships glass without breaking $3.79 at Sprouts vs the Amazon six pack sticker shock The storytelling hooks that landed and the ones that didn't Landing Sprouts off cycle six months after launch Route rides, field blitzes, and why every new hire sells The Amazon playbook: parent listings and organic traffic Raising the standard for the entire bottled water category --------------- Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro 00:37 – Loonen origin story and what the brand actually is 03:20 – Clara and David: IVF, endocrine disruptors, and Spindrift 05:15 – Why an Olympian started paying attention to her water 06:35 – The bottled water category and why nobody fixed it 09:30 – Sourcing springs and the story behind the loon 12:05 – Educating consumers without fear mongering 14:00 – Competing inside the glass bottled water set 16:20 – Building a heritage brand and standing out on shelf 18:15 – Pricing at Sprouts vs pricing on Amazon 20:15 – The storytelling hooks that actually landed 22:35 – Channel sequencing and the Sprouts launch 25:15 – Route rides and selling in the field 29:20 – The Amazon playbook 32:45 – Demos, field blitzes, and organic social 36:45 – Distributors and brokers 39:15 – Lessons from David Kimmell on scaling beverage 41:45 – Success, standards, and what keeps her up at night --------------- Links: Loonen – https://loonen.com/ Follow Sara on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahendershot/ Loonen on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/loonen/ 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 , the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes. Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packagin g. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.

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