The Nombase Podcast

The obvious path to growth isn’t always the right one for your product. Burlap & Barrel has built a successful spice business by making some decidedly unconventional choices about where it sells, how it reaches consumers and what it refuses to compromise. Founder Ethan Frisch joins Sourcery founder Bhavna Kolakaluri, to dig into the creative ways brands can work around the realities of their products instead of forcing them into a growth model that doesn’t fit.You will learn:How to decide whether coveted retailers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s actually make sense for your businessHow to sell a product that’s difficult to sample through traditional in-store demosHow to make a premium product feel worth the money when consumers are watching their spendingHow to work around long production cycles using multiple sales channels and other operational strategiesHow changing something as simple as case-pack size can make your product work for smaller retailers

When your product has several compelling benefits, which one should lead?Jous founders Nicolas Jeffery and Camilo Ortiz sit down with Chris Robb of Supernatural Ventures and The Angel Group to work through how to sharpen the story behind their magnesium-infused juice, make the product easier to understand, and build a stronger strategy for growth.You Will Learn:How to determine which of your product’s benefits should lead your positioningWhen a functional ingredient strengthens your story and when it complicates itHow to make an unfamiliar product immediately understandable to consumersHow positioning can change your competitive set, shelf placement, and growth opportunitiesHow to test whether your current brand story is actually driving trial and repeat purchase

Every brand eventually changes something big — price, packaging, format, the category it sits in — and that puts existing distribution on the line. After raising its prices to match true production costs, Vermont Creamery walked away from an unprofitable Walmart relationship, then earned its way back into 400 stores. Tuyyo Foods fell off roughly 1,100 doors of shelf space after a merger brought a full rebrand and repackaging. Harrison Kahn, President and GM of Vermont Creamery, and Stephanie Garcia Turner, co-founder and CCO of Tuyyo Foods, break down how to make a major change and still get your retail partners to come along for the ride.You will learn:How to notify and prep retail buyers before a repackaging or UPC change, so your product doesn't quietly fall off shelfWhat to do when a retailer's promotional demands push your pricing below what your product actually costs to makeHow to build a compelling case for re-entry after leaving a retailer, including what data and proof points actually move a buyerHow to prioritize which retail partners and categories to carry forward after a merger or repositioning, instead of trying to keep everyoneWhat to do the moment a retailer signals your velocity is too low and discontinuation is on the table

Kendall Kransdorf, founder of Cotto, a whipped cottage cheese dip, on a hero ingredient with a short shelf life and high demand - a combination that forces hard operational decisions. Mary Kate Kloeblen, a supply chain consultant and co-fouder of Golden Thread Operations, walks through where Cotto is actually losing shelf life (it's not always the formula) and what to fix instead.You will learn:How LTL refrigerated shipping can quietly eat days of usable shelf life before a product even reaches a warehouseHow to build formulation flexibility so a supply shortage on your hero ingredient doesn't stall productionWhen to move production closer to your distribution centers, and how colocation reduces both transit risk and quality issuesWhy GS1 rules mean even a small product change can force a new UPC, and how to avoid retail errors because of itHow to structure IP and manufacturing agreements during a tech transfer so you don't lose ownership of your own process

Charlie New is the Global Category Merchant for Refrigerated Beverages at Whole Foods Market, overseeing coffee, tea, juice, and soda. He's spent years watching what separates brands that build lasting shelf presence from brands that stall. In this episode, he walks through how he'd approach building a brand, from spending strategy to team building.You will learn:Where Whole Foods Market shoppers are trading down, and where they're still paying a premiumHow the path into Whole Foods Market actually works, from local foragers to global category managersWhich certifications and claims actually matter to shoppers, and how that shifts by categoryWhat separates functional beverage brands that succeed from those that struggle to find a laneHow brands with a cultural or community-rooted story can expand without losing what made them workWhere Charlie would put his money first if he were building a brand today

Building products with better ingredients is easy to talk about. Building a successful business around them is much harder. Join Tom First, Founder of Culture Pop, and Heather Wood, SVP of Marketing at Goodles, as they discuss the realities of formulation, sourcing, branding, retail growth, and operations, and how they’ve turned clean label products into brands that drive trial, repeat purchase, and sustainable growth.You will learn:How to decide whether an innovation solves a real consumer need or is simply chasing a trendHow to make ingredient decisions that balance taste, consumer value, manufacturing feasibility, and brand positioningHow to simplify an unconventional production process so it can scale without compromising the productHow to choose the right pace and path for growth based on your capital, team, and ability to support new distributionHow to make sure your product and packaging can drive trial and repeat before spending heavily on marketing

New York's density makes it one of the best cities to build retail distribution — and one of the hardest to crack. Namik Soltan, founder and CEO of GNGR Labs, spent six years self-distributing into hundreds of NYC bodegas, independents, and chains before handing accounts to a distributor. Sean Rosenberg, founder of Goldie, is about to do the same. In this episode, Namik shares tips with Sean through the exact playbook, store by store.You will learn:How to build a retail footprint in NYC without a distributor, starting from zeroWhat it actually takes to get into bodegas, independents, and regional chainsWhen to bring on a distributor, and how to prep your territory before they arriveHow to use free product, sales sheets, and intro deals to drive trialWhat separates brands that scale past their first 50 stores from those that stallHow self-distribution today sets you up for regional and national growth later

Many founders think private label can compromise opportunities for their brand. Derek Brawley thinks that's backwards. He's spent nearly two decades running private label programs internationally, most recently at Prana, and mentors emerging brands on how to make the most of private label business. In this episode, he makes the case for private label as one of the most underused tools for cash flow, accurate forecasting, and long-term growth — and explains how to use it without compromising the brand you're building.You will learn:Why "brand dilution" is often backwards thinking, and what private label actually protectsHow private label partners deliver forecasting accuracy brands can't get on their ownWhat margins, trade spend, and pricing actually look like compared to selling brandedThe certifications and standards you need to be private label readyHow to pitch private label to retailers, and what buyers are quietly looking forHow to use private label to fund your brand's growth toward a future sale

CVS may not be the first retail opportunity food and beverage brands evaluate, but it's important to know when it can be the right fit. Ashley Czerwien spent two and a half years as a CVS buyer and now manages the CVS relationship at KeHE, and she breaks down what actually needs to be true about your business before CVS makes sense.You will learn:What CVS's 9,000 doors actually look like, and which ones fit your brandThe real submission process, from ECRM events to award lettersWhat CVS costs versus what brands assume it costsThe readiness signals CVS looks for: production, lead times, marketingTwo programs built for emerging brands: Open Air Cooler and Healthy ConsumablesWhat buyers listen for in a category review pitch

Building a differentiated brand is only half the battle. The other half is making sure consumers actually understand why it matters.Join Sahra Nguyen, founder & CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply, and Kyle Nguyen, co-founder of Lucky Ox, to discuss one of the biggest challenges growing brands face: how to stay true to what makes your product unique while communicating it in a way that resonates with mainstream consumers. You will learn:How to figure out what consumers actually care about—and build your messaging around it instead of your assumptionsHow to use Meta ads, Google Search Console, and customer reviews to test positioning before investing in itWhy "meeting consumers where they are" isn't always the right strategy—and when to lean harder into what makes your brand differentHow to decide where limited retail marketing dollars will have the biggest impact on trial and velocityHow to simplify product names, packaging, and messaging without losing what makes your brand uniqueHow to identify merchandising problems that quietly hurt sales—and what brands can do to fix themWhy PR should support your business strategy, not become your business strategy

Most founders know they need a board. Far fewer know how to build one that makes the business a stronger competitor. In this episode, Brad Charron, CEO of Aloha, and Kierstin Rielly, CEO of the Women on Boards Project, break down what separates a board that simply fills seats from one that helps you make better decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and build a stronger company. Using Aloha's board as a real-world case study, they share a practical framework for choosing the right people, compensating them fairly, and turning your board into a real competitive advantage.You will learn:How to build a board around your business—not your cap tableWho belongs on your board (and who doesn't)Why operators often make better board members than career directorsHow board compensation and equity typically workWhen advisors make sense—and when it's time for a formal boardHow to get more value out of every board meetingHow the right board can help you make better decisions as you scale

Today's grocery aisle is splitting between shoppers looking for the best deal and those who are happy to pay more for brands they believe are worth it.In this episode, Scott Sanders, Business Intelligence Lead at Carbone, and Jeff Lovering, Chief Data Scientist at Customer Marketing Group, talk through what that shift means for CPG brands. They share practical ways to think about pricing, promotions, and growth—and how to figure out whether your biggest opportunity is pricing, awareness, positioning, distribution, or something else entirely.You'll learn:How to determine whether your brand has earned a premium priceThe difference between a pricing problem, an awareness problem, and a positioning problemWhy premium brands can thrive—even in a value-driven economyHow consumers decide whether your product is "worth it"When promotions drive growth—and when they simply mask bigger issuesHow to use data to diagnose what's really limiting your growthWhat today's split economy means for your long-term brand strategy