Anouck Gotlib

Early advice I had to unlearn about the CPG industry over the years: 1️⃣ Raise as much money as you can, however you can.   2️⃣ Your focus should be scale and efficiency. Thats it.  3️⃣ Whatever you do, don’t self manufacturer.  4️⃣ If you want to win, play the game. In order to play the game , see 1.  5️⃣ The end goal should be a nice exit. Build for exit.  6️⃣ Cheap. People just want cheap. Make it cheap, then make it cheaper.  7️⃣ Sometimes you have to be ruthless to win. Its a competition after all. 8️⃣ Dont share too much. People will use it against you. Thats how you lose. The truth is… 1️⃣ I found raising money incredibly inauthentic and full of greed, narcissism, and untethered ego. The entire process made me miserable. 2️⃣ Focusing on scale almost killed the business (many, many times).  3️⃣ The best decision we ever made was self-manufacturing.  4️⃣ Playing all the games made me resent a lot of things in this industry. I am a lot happier when playing my own game and nobody else's. 5️⃣ I always wanted to build for legacy and impact, not exit, regardless if it was popular. I didn't build this to get filthy rich.   6️⃣ The world doesn't need more companies racing to the bottom. 7️⃣ Sharing resources and collaborating with like minded founders is one of the greatest things about this industry. It helps everyone build better. Find your people and share/collaborate as much as possible.

126

29 Comments

Let’s be honest… Even with all of its incredible promise, certain aspects of ‘regenerative’ are a hot mess right now. In the CPG world, maybe the biggest challenge we face is: 👉 The inability to uniformly define, validate, and label ‘regenerative’ as a product-specific claim. There is a lot of conversation and many opinions on how we can make that happen. But sometimes, I feel like we’re just talking in circles, and maybe it doesn’t even matter? So I was excited when someone like Justine R., who is not working on these sorts of topics every day, validated that she sees the same issue as a conscious consumer. I’m grateful she had me on to discuss this important topic and a few more below! ▶️ ReGen Brands: From Podcast to Ecosystem  ▶️ The Three Pillars of ReGen Brands and Non-Profit Decision ▶️ Defining Regenerative ▶️ Making Regenerative Accessible: Consumer Clarity and Shelf Tags  ▶️ Regenerative Diets and Personal Health  ▶️ Tips for Aspiring Regenerative Brands 🎧 You can check out the conversation here: https://bit.ly/3U4Qo8K #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #regenerativefoodsystems #cpg #regenbrands #food #beverage #podcast #sustainability #innovation #entrepreneurship #startups #business

57

5 Comments

Circle Beverage is a contract manufacturer, which means that we work for beverage brands and retailers that outsource the manufacturing of their products to us. We are usually the most significant 3rd party relationship that our customers have. In the beverage business, an average 40% gross margin means that 60% of our customers' overall revenue is paid to manufacture & distribute their product. We are oftentimes the majority of that 60%. We don't take this responsibility lightly. We look for ways to continuously improve the quality of our work, the service levels that we provide, and the capabilities and technical expertise that we can offer to our clients. For example, at the end of every client production campaign, we provide a post-production shared folder which includes all of the quality documentation, inventory levels (raws and finished goods), COA's, and an executive summary of how the campaign went (successes & areas for improvement). We shoot to provide our clients with every piece of information they could ask for, and more. This practice was developed with a goal of being a transparent & proactive manufacturing partner. Transparency & proactivity are two gaps in our industry. A simple process like this post-production reporting has created a lot of trust with our partners. We make mistakes, just like any company does, but this practice & trust building helps to navigate the times when mistakes are made. I am grateful for the client feedback and experience which gives us the signals to put practices like these in place. #beverageindustry #cpg #contractmanufacturing

97

3 Comments

One of the fastest ways to stall in Dot Foods? Forgetting to turn on samples. Another great moment from our conversation with CJ Pilliod & William Bell was the simple but powerful point: sampling moves the needle. Dot Foods has a built-in feature that makes it easy to put your product in front of operators. But if you don’t flip that switch, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. 👉 Samples = trial 👉 Trial = velocity 👉 Velocity = staying power in Dot Getting listed is step one. The real work is making sure people get the product in their hands!

55

7 Comments

There’s always been controversy around packaging natural foods. Yes, it keeps them fresh longer. But it comes at a cost, and it’s not about sustainability. When you wrap something that looks and feels natural, you risk changing how people perceive it. Packaging can quietly take away what makes the product feel real. But there are ways to reduce that effect, and they’re outlined in the post. I’ll leave the link to the study in the comments. #consumerpsychology #consumerinsights #consumerbehavior #neuropackaging

787

36 Comments

✨ Sèchey x Tar-zjay: Behind the Shelves ✨ Day 3: Category Creation is Hard Less than 2 years ago, Target made a statement: #nonalcoholic alternatives deserve a place in the adult beverage set. But creating a new category is never easy. It means: ✔️ Educating people who didn’t know it existed ✔️ Making shelf space for young, emerging brands ✔️ Highlighting beverages for how they taste, not just what they lack Think back to craft beer’s rise. Many retailers built regional craft portfolios, giving authentic, founder-led brewers the visibility they needed. Consumers didn’t just want “beer” — they wanted authenticity and flavor. That’s the same playbook we’re following in adult beverage alternatives. Mindful drinking belongs near the adult beverage aisle — or in it. But there are still gaps in state laws, distribution, and funding that make this category as challenging as it is full of opportunity. And this is where Sèchey is different. As both a retailer AND a brand, we’re positioned to partner with forward-thinking retailers like Target to lead this change. Big Alcohol can launch brands into the space — but like craft beer, consumers will choose products that bring authenticity, storytelling, and real flavor. 👉 Tomorrow in Day 4: Why all eyes are on Target with their leadership change. #DrinkLessLiveMore #Sechey #MindfulDrinking #TarZjay #RetailInnovation #ConsumerTrends #CraftComparison #AlcoholFree

43

3 Comments

People don’t talk enough about how long it takes to change your price point on shelf (even when you’re lowering it). Here's the reality: 1️⃣ Distributors require 90 days notice for a price change. 2️⃣ If you're taking price down, retailers often want financial support to backfill margin on existing inventory. 3️⃣If retailers are happy with how your product is performing, they aren't going to be as incentivized to decrease price on shelf (vs expanding their margin, which is obviously an important metric for them). All my food & bev operators out there know how tedious on shelf execution is. None of it is rocket science, but it certainly requires a lot of follow up and follow through to hit your SRP (tbh even when you're not making a change). 🎙️Listen to the full conversation on this topic (and more) on the latest episode of Shelf Talks Podcast. Thanks for having me Roberta Townes!!

103

8 Comments