Between us, we’ve overseen the manufacturing of tens of millions of date paste bars. We’ve run these products on our own lines and managed them through co-manufacturing relationships across multiple facilities. And if there’s one thing we can tell you with absolute certainty, it’s that date paste bars rank among the most deceptively risky products…
There’s a moment in every founder’s journey when the thing you’ve built comes within inches of disappearing. For us, that moment came in the early 2000s, in the form of a transposed SKU number, a nationwide food product recall, and our brand splashed across the FDA website and CNN. I was young and just had…
Over the years, Liz and I have worked with a lot of founder led food manufacturing businesses. Different products, different personalities, different stages of growth. But there is a very consistent moment that shows up as companies approach roughly $10 to $20 million in revenue. The systems that got them here start to feel shaky….
In today’s food industry, consumers aren’t just buying products. They’re buying into a brand’s story, values, and authenticity. What separates brands that thrive from those that merely survive? It often comes down to the founder’s genuine, consistent voice. Maintaining an authentic founder’s voice in your business content matters. It’s not just a marketing perk—it’s a…
Food industry leadership requires more than just operational know-how — it demands resilience, clear boundaries, and the ability to build teams that can weather the challenges of scaling a brand. In this engaging hour-long conversation, I sit down with Justin Freeman, consultant and founder of Juniper Rim Partners, to explore these critical topics facing today’s…
If I had a dollar for every email that starts with “I have a recipe and all I need is a co-manufacturer,” I could probably fund a few startups myself. Here’s the truth most founders don’t realize: Finding a contract manufacturer isn’t where your journey begins — it’s where it ends. It’s the result of…
Last week I was back on the factory floor working on food manufacturing scale-up projects for two clients. These are the weeks I love most, when the ideas and spreadsheets finally meet reality. Seeing the product run through the line and watching a concept come to life never gets old. During one of these runs,…