The Nombase Podcast

This conversation began as a Nombase webinar, and due to listener demand, we turned it into a podcast episode.In this episode, Evan Walther of Oceans walks through a discussion with Troy Bonde, co-founder and CEO of Sauz, William Hicks, CEO and co-founder of Magic Mind, and Ian Myers, founder of Oceans, on what really happens when a CPG brand moves from early traction into serious growth.They get into the messy middle between roughly $2M and $20M in revenue, when product market fit is real, but the team, cash flow, operations, and retail systems are suddenly under pressure.You will learn:• How Sauz handled a Target PO bigger than its lifetime revenue• Why founder bandwidth becomes the first real scaling bottleneck• How Magic Mind improved cash flow by renegotiating supplier terms• Why unit velocity matters more than top line revenue in retail• When to spend on packaging before paid marketing• How to use retail media, demos, and display to drive trial• Why early hiring mistakes can create more drag than leverage• How to know when your systems are breaking before your team doesIf your brand is working, but everything's starting to feel stretched, this episode will help you understand what's normal, what's avoidable, and what to fix before growth breaks the business.

Landing a major retail account can change a brand overnight, but only if the operational foundation is ready to support it. Join Paul Verdu and Mitch Wedemeier from Octopi, a co-manufacturing partner backed by Asahi Group, to break down what really happens when brands scale into large national and club retailers. You'll learn:• Why landing a retailer like Costco or Target often creates a 90 to 180 day production sprint and what must happen within that window• The critical documentation required including specs, certifications, and material data to enable a smooth transition between co manufacturers• How differences in co-manufacturer equipment and capabilities impact product quality, timelines, and scalability• Common surprises around packaging, lead times, and retailer requirements and how to plan for them early• How to balance forecasting, inventory risk, and production flexibility to avoid stockouts amid unpredictable reorder cycles

Growth is exciting, until your operations start pushing back.Many founders try to solve this by working harder, producing more, or expanding faster. But the brands that actually scale learn a different lesson: at some point, you have to stop forcing it and start building systems that work with your business, not against it.In this Nombase podcast, Dirty Gut founder Daniel Berlin sits down with Jesse Barruch, co-founder of Whims, to get some advice on how to navigate that shift without breaking your business.Find out:How to know when you're forcing growth instead of building real scaleHow to schedule smaller production runs early to save you from costly mistakes laterHow to approach co-manufacturer selection and avoid the wrong partnersWhat to track when you have little to no data and how to build useful systems over timeHow to think about inventory, forecasting, and demand planning in the early stagesThe operational problems that only reveal themselves as you growHow to decide what to handle yourself and what to outsource as a founderThe tradeoffs between control, cost, and efficiency in your operationsHow to structure your time around high impact work that actually drives growthWhy your vision for the business should guide every operational decision you make

What happens when three CPG investors decide to build a brand themselves? Kiva Dickinson of Selva Ventures joins fellow cadootz! cofounders Jordan Carpenter and Rachel Mansfield, all seasoned CPG investors, with Rachel also bringing her perspective as a leading creator, to share how experienced industry insiders launch differently. They break down how they defined their non negotiables before formulation, modeled margins and profitability from day one, and avoided common pricing and channel strategy mistakes. The cadootz! team also unpacks key decisions around manufacturing, reformulation for scale, retail sequencing, capital discipline, and building real demand through community before hitting shelves.

You may have a winning beverage you perfected in your kitchen or sell at the farmer’s market, but it’s a long road to making it work at scale. In this episode, MSI Express leaders Chuck Woods and Greg Schildmeyer share what it really takes to turn a bold idea into a profitable, manufacturable product. They’ll reveal how to avoid costly formulation and packaging mistakes, when to consider formats like stick packs versus liquids, and which trends actually have staying power. Plus, find out why aligning innovation with production reality is the key to building beverages that last.  This episode is a paid collaboration with MSI Express.

Airline partnerships are a unique growth channel for food and beverage brands — and they operate very differently from traditional retail or on-premise sales. They offer unmatched consumer attention, meaningful trial, and widespread visibility, but they also come with their own rules around procurement, logistics, forecasting, and data access.In this episode, Cy Cain, co-founder of Straightaway Cocktail Co., shares a behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes to work with an airline. From pitching and onboarding to forecasting demand, navigating compliance, and scaling operations, you'll find out how airline programs function in practice, and how brands can evaluate whether this channel makes sense for their business.

Cannabis beverage is a growing category but it comes with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Success starts with what you can control, and in this category, that begins with the formulation. SoRSE Technology transforms cannabinoids into safe, stable, water compatible ingredients that make consistent commercial scale beverages possible. Michael Flemmens, Executive Vice President of Research and Technical Business Development at SoRSE, dives deep into the science, operations, and real world challenges behind building cannabis beverages that consumers trust and brands can grow.

Brandon Lennox of Lemon Perfect, Neha Soi of BERO, and Vivian Keena of Luxent share how timing, technology, and the right partners can define a brand’s growth curve. They open up about scaling challenges, system decisions, and the pivotal role an ERP like NetSuite played in transforming their operations. From manual chaos to structured efficiency, their stories reveal what happens when growth outpaces infrastructure, and how investing early in the right systems can prevent the hidden cost of waiting.  This episode is a paid collaboration with Luxent.

After Flow Water’s recent foreclosure left many co-packing customers scrambling, the need for smart co-manufacturing risk management has never been clearer. Brad Woodgate, founder of Joyburst, The No Sugar Company, and Wellnx Life Sciences, joins Brandon Hernandez, co-founder of Whole Brain Consulting, to share how founders can protect their brands from co-manufacturing disasters. Listeners will learn to spot early warning signs, build redundancy into manufacturing, evaluate packaging risks, and safeguard raw materials and equipment during shutdowns or foreclosures. The conversation also covers the contract clauses that matter most, how to vet facilities, why geography and capacity strategy affect growth, and how scorecards and pre-launch planning keep operations on track. 

How do you scale your CPG brand without drowning in chaos? Jesse Barruch, Co-Founder of Whims Delights and David McCormick, Co-Founder of Ayoh Foods, dig into the messy realities of building operational systems that support growth. From managing complex supply chains to prioritizing cash flow and inventory, our guests offer practical frameworks, real-world forecasting strategies, and how to avoid the biggest operational mistakes growing brands make.

Mike Farrell of The Forest Farmers, Michael Ham of Wild Orchard Tea, and Susan Hartman of Recoup Beverage share how their brands use sustainable maple to power innovation. They explore  how maple sap provides clean hydration, natural sweetness, and a functional base to beverage formulations.  Our panel will discuss regenerative farming, nutritional benefits, and how tapping trees helps preserve forest, offering valuable information for brands aiming to meet growing demand for transparency, wellness, and sustainability through maple as a standout ingredient. This episode is a paid collaboration with The Forest Farmers.

Building a business is hard as you're juggling so many roles while trying to build momentum without running out of resources. In this episode, Ashley Waldman, Founder & CEO of Jubilee's (high-nutrition kids' milk), gets advice from Ashley Selman, Co-Founder of Heywell (functional sparkling water), and Pauline Idogho, Founder & CEO of Mocktail Club (non-alcoholic cocktails). Ashely and Pauline share tips and tricks on choosing retail partners, the importance of operational excellence before scaling, when to invest in fractional team members, plus how to say yes strategically, manage cash flow, and grow without burning out.