The Nombase Podcast

Getting ready for BevNet Live June 10–11 in New York City? Or on the fence? BevNet's Editor-in-Chief, Jeff Klineman, walks through a practical "how to do BevNet Live" guide — covering the agenda, key speakers, and how to make the most of every hour at the show.We cover:Tips on how to get the most out of networking, speaker presentations, 1:1 meetings with retailers and investors, and everything else at the showWhat you need to do at BevNET Live and what you can catch up on when you're back homeAgenda highlights from Athletic Brewing, Culture Pop, and Dirty Shirley on building without outpacing your businessRetail sessions with Walmart, Whole Foods, and Vitamin Shoppe on getting — and staying — on shelfFive investor-focused sessions including a term sheet tutorial and a former PepsiCo M&A leadThe delta-9 hemp category under the microscope as Congressional pressure threatens its futureEarly intel on AI and agentic commerce — what CPG brands need to do now before big players lock it inThere's still time to register at Bevnetlive.com - see you there!!

Rachel Krupa, founder of The Goods Mart, shares what emerging CPG brands can learn from small format retail, curated placements, and real shopper behavior. She also breaks down the reopening of The Goods Mart in Brooklyn, a new South Williamsburg location with double the space, expanded grab and go, frozen, pantry, beauty, home, vintage snack finds, and a front row view into what consumers actually buy.You will learn:How small format retail can help brands test packaging, price, and positioningWhy taste and founder hustle matter more than launch hypeHow placement at small format retail stores can lead to press, investors, and new accountsHow to think about hotels, offices, coffee shops, and other nontraditional channelsWhy operational readiness matters before expanding into new outletsHow to use customer feedback to understand what drives repeat purchase

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

After raising capital, most founders feel like they have finally unlocked the ability to grow. But what you do next can determine whether that capital creates momentum or quietly sets your business back.In this episode, Day Out Snacks founder Becky Pleat sits down with Phil Trowler, former finance lead at Olipop, to discuss the specifics on how early stage CPG brands should actually think about deploying capital, building financial discipline, and preparing for what comes next.You will learn:The most expensive mistake founders make right after raising capitalWhy expanding into more retail doors too early can hurt your businessHow to prioritize velocity over distribution when deploying capitalWhat burn rate and contribution margin actually mean in practiceThe key financial metrics every founder should know weeklyHow to think about fundraising timing, milestones, and dilutionWhat strong unit economics look like and how to improve them over timeThe difference between scaling your business and just getting biggerWhen to invest in people versus systems as your company growsHow profitability changes your leverage in fundraising conversationsMake smarter decisions with your capital and avoid costly mistakes early!