Scaling Your Healthy Food Product
If you are an enterepreneur or solopreneur selling healthy/ "Better-for you" product to the world looking to scale and commercialize, this podcast is for you. In this podcast you will learn from a food scientist with 12 years plus experience in the food industry. I have successfully helped companies develop, scale and launch their healthy food products. If you are looking to scale your healthy food product by having it listed in more healthy food stores and displayed on more grocery store chains shelves, you are in the right place. This podcast will provide you with actionable steps and tips to...
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Believing in Your Product (And What to Focus On to Stay the Course)
<p >There's a specific kind of doubt that hits at 11pm — the dashboard isn't what you wanted, a review stings, a competitor just launched something shinier, and the voice in your head starts asking if this is even worth it. In this episode, I'm talking honestly about what it actually means to believe in your product, why that belief naturally erodes over time, and more importantly the four specific things to focus on so doubt doesn't derail you before the work has a chance to pay off.</p> What We Cover [2:00] The real difference between believing in your product and be...
4 Things I'm Tracking Right Now in My Mid-Year Food Product Launch Strategy
<p >We're at the mid-year mark, and if you're building a food product business, this is the moment things stop being theoretical. In this episode, I'm giving you an honest, behind-the-scenes look at four things I'm tracking right now: our September/October launch window, narrowing down our co-manufacturer, growing local retail distribution, and how it's all building toward a bigger retail launch next year.</p> <p >Plus — I'm sharing details on a free training I'm running later this month on the exact framework I use to get retail-ready.</p> What We Cover [00:45] Why mid-year is actually a more important planning ch...
Why Your Emerging Food Brand Should Sign Up for that Contest
<p > You worked for months on your product. You finally got it retail-ready. You started applying to every opportunity that could get your name in front of buyers. And then… you saw a contest deadline in your industry and scrolled right past it.</p> <p > Here's the truth nobody tells emerging founders early enough: building a good product is not the finish line. Getting other people to notice it is. And one of the most overlooked ways to do that — sitting in plain sight, usually for free — is something founders talk themselves out of before they even try.</p> <p > A cont...
Expert Segment: How to Build a Brand that Stands Out — with Katie Mleziva
<p >You have a great product — but is it a strong brand? There's a big difference, and most food founders don't realize it until they're already stuck. In this episode, Jacinta sits down with food brand strategist Katie Mleziva to break down what it actually takes to go from making a great product to building a brand that makes people want to choose you — every single time.</p> <p >If you've ever struggled to explain what makes your product different — or found yourself leading with "it tastes great and uses quality ingredients" — this episode is for you.</p> <p >Katie Mleziva...
When Is the Right Time to Move from a Commercial Kitchen to Co-Manufacturing?
<p > Most food founders ask the wrong question. They ask "Am I ready for a co-manufacturer?" when the question they should be asking is "How much time do I have?"</p> <p > In this episode, I share the story of a snack bar founder who called me frustrated after approaching three co-manufacturers with six months until his retail launch date. He made it — but the process was painful, rushed, and strained relationships he'll be managing for years.</p> <p > I don't want that story for you.</p> <p > Today I break down the three signals that tell you it's time to...
How Do You Get Your Product OFF the Shelf — Not Just Onto It?
<p >You worked for months on your recipe. You got your labels designed. You landed the shelf space. And then… nothing moved. The store called. They're pulling your product.</p> <p >Here's the truth nobody tells food founders early enough: getting your product onto the shelf is not the goal. Getting it off the shelf is. And one of the most overlooked reasons products stop selling — or never get approved in the first place — comes down to something that sounds almost too technical to matter.</p> <p >Shelf life.</p> <p >In this episode, Jacinta breaks down what shelf life actual...
Which Product Goes First? The Strategy That Can Save (or Sink) Your Food Brand
<p >Some of the most important decisions in your food business journey don't happen on the shelf. They happen before you even get there — in the moments when you decide what to launch, when to launch it, and how to back it once it's out in the world.</p> <p >In this episode, Jacinta Kemboi draws from two powerful real-world experiences: a mentoring session with a food founder navigating multiple products in development, and a post-mortem from inside a food company where two products launched simultaneously — with very different outcomes. One was backed by a full marketing strategy. The other was...
Keep Going — The Journey Is Worth It
<p >Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like you can't see the finish line? This episode is for you. Jacinta shares the pivotal in-flight moment that shaped her entire career — and how a two-hour plane ride from Minneapolis to Montreal became the turning point that led to coaching Better For You food founders toward one million healthier products in retail.</p> <p > </p> <p >Whether you're just starting your food product journey or already in stores and trying to scale, this episode is a reminder that where you are right now doesn't determine where you'll end up. The challenges — supplier issues, rising costs...
Maximize Your Food Product's Potential with Multifunctional Ingredients
<p > Are you spending more on ingredients than you need to — or reformulating over and over because something isn't working? In this episode, Jacinta Kemboi breaks down one of the most powerful but overlooked strategies in food product development: using multifunctional ingredients.</p> <p > She shares how the right ingredients can do more than one job — extending shelf life, reducing costs, and improving your flavor profile all at once. If you're a food entrepreneur trying to scale efficiently without compromising on quality, this one is for you.</p> <p > TOPICS COVERED</p> What multifunctional ingredients are and why they matter How...
Why Food Founders Are Losing Money on Shelf Life Testing (And How to Fix It)
<p > If you're building a food, beverage, or CPG brand, shelf life testing is probably costing you more than it should — in money, time, and missed opportunities. In this episode, we break down why so many founders treat shelf life like a black box, what it's actually costing them, and how bringing this process in-house can completely change the trajectory of your brand.</p> <p > We're also announcing the Shelf Life Mini Course — a founder-focused workshop starting June 5th designed to help you manage shelf life testing yourself, save on lab costs, move faster, and walk into retailer conversations with real...
