Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford
Imagine a consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry where both small and large players coexist on a level playing field, consumers have choice, there’s integrity in what they’re buying and they experience innovative, sustainable products.
In this weekly podcast, hosted by founder, award-winning coach, consultant & small business advocate, Chelsea Ford, you'll hear interviews with incredible founders and hard-to-reach industry specialists as well as practical and actionable content that directly supports your CPG business to grow, become more profitable and thrive.
Learn more at www.chelseaford.com .
Episodes
170 episodes
#170 The 4 Things You Can't F*ck Up to Scale and Exit Your Business
There are four things you cannot get wrong if you want to scale and exit a beverage or wider CPG business. Get one wrong, and it doesn't matter how good the rest of your business looks; you're leaking value somewhere you probably can't see yet....
#169 Scott Mendelsohn, Natural Raw C: What It's Taken to Get to $100 Million
How do you build a consumer packaged goods business that's breaking through $100 million in gross sales, entirely bootstrapped, with no outside investment?My guest today is Scott Mendelsohn, founder of Raw C, Australia's leading coconut ...
#168 Distributors: How to Make the First 90 Days Count
If you treat distributors like a sales opportunity to be won - like a grocery store, cafe, pharmacy, or speciality retailer - you'll go far. Unfortunately, most brand owners think landing a distributor is the finish line, a "set and forget." Th...
#167 How Nicky Jackson got her functional snack brand, Lioness, listed in 1900 Target US stores
Nicky Jackson has been a CPG brand owner before, so she knew the ropes. When she first talked to Target US, she didn't ask for a trial, she asked for 700 doors. What came next was a surprise even to Nicky. Target came back with an offer of over...
#166 How to Find the Right Audience and Be Confident About Where to Spend Your Promotional Dollars
Food and drink brands that stand for nothing fall for everything. And that doesn't work.In episode 166 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, my guest is Janice Williams from Universal Media Co, a digital marketing and publishing ...
#165 Industry Insights from Foodpreneurs Festival 2026
In the eighth and final episode of Season 17 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I am joined by Helen Johnston, co-founder and creative director of Honey and Fox, and Henry Nevile from the Natural Foods Trading Company - two industry insi...
#164 Hanging Upside Down, Spinning: Building a Drinks Brand From Scratch
Most people only think about fibre when something goes wrong. It's been sitting in the health aisle, powdered and medicinal, for decades. Nobody had moved it - until now.Priscilla Mellado saw something everyone else missed.Twenty ...
#163 Scaling Bask & Co. Breakfast & Snack Company: The Diagnosis That Took It From 40 to 650 Stockists in 3 Years
Many founders sense something is getting in the way of their growth. They just can’t put their finger on what it is.My guest today is Janessa Rutter, founder of Bask & Co., a Coeliac Australia-endorsed breakfast and snack compa...
#162 Scaling a Product: Questions to Ask a Co-Manufacturer
Finding the right manufacturer is usually the key to scale. And getting it wrong doesn’t just slow you down. It costs you time and money.My guest today is Naishad Dalal, founder of Food Entrepreneurship Academy, also known as FEA Food In...
#161 How to Get Your Food Labelling Right and Use It to Your Advantage
Don't treat your label as the last thing you sort before going to print. Retail buyers assess your label before they'll taste your product. They have to. Competitors can scan your claims looking for grounds to report you. A formulation change —...
#160 Brand Campaigns: What Are They and How You Can Create One
What does it take to build a brand that lives in the hearts and minds of consumers without a big budget, a big team, or a big agency behind you?In episode 160 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I sit down with Mirko Bonmassar,...
#159 What Investors Want to Hear. Lessons from a CPG Investor Hub Winner.
She was hyperventilating backstage. Her cards went everywhere. She ran over time. She was ready to congratulate someone else when they announced the winner.That winner was Theresa Dang from SUP Foods. Theresa won the inaugural CPG Invest...
#158 How to Source Ingredients, Scale Your Supply Chain and Back Yourself as a Small Brand
Your ingredient supply chain is the backbone of your product. Get it right from the start and everything else — ranging conversations, scaling production, landing major accounts — becomes a lot more manageable.The challenge is, most bran...
#157 How to Tell Your Brand Story So You Land the Listing and Make Sales
Pitching your story does not mean telling people everything about your product.Yet many do. When you're close to what you've built — every detail, every decision, every reason it's better — it can all come out at once when given half a c...
#156 The warning signs your packaging is creating friction
Your product is good. Your packaging was too — once. But something's shifted.Maybe your range has grown and the system hasn't kept up. Maybe you're pitching to bigger retailers but your pack still has a farmer's market feel. Maybe sales ...
#155 How Sorry Nonna are Building a Cult Pasta Sauce Brand
Two creatives, a side startup, and a pasta sauce that's turning heads across Australia.In Episode 155 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast - Season 16, Planning Season - I sit down with Lachlan and Grga, the Melbourne co-founders...
#154 How to Make Social Content That People Actually Stop Scrolling For
You’re putting out content, but is anyone really noticing? Or are your posts getting lost in the feed?I sat down with Sarah Kiryshin and Mandy Humphreys, co-founders of Content Bites, to uncover how food and beverage brands can make cont...
#153 Taking Control of Cash Flow & Working Capital (Before It Controls You!)
Running a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand is exciting, but it comes with financial challenges - from inventory management to seasonal sales swings. In this episode, I sit down with Tien Do from BlueRock to break down the essenti...
#152 Getting a Buyer to Say Yes (According to an Actual Buyer!)
What actually makes a buyer say yes?And more importantly… how do you avoid becoming the bottom 5% in your category and getting delisted?In this powerhouse conversation, I sit down with Stuart O’Reilly from LaManna, one of Australi...
#151 How to Stop Leaving Money On the Table Once You're On Shelf
Getting on shelf is a milestone, but (close your ears if you're faint hearted), it's just the starting line.In episode 151 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I sit down with Rebecca Brook, founder of Rise Growth Lab, a food an...
#150 Behind Pistachio Papi and LaManna: What Ensures Profitable Brands Stay Profitable
Your brand is killing it on social media. Sales are growing. But are you actually making money?In episode 150 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast - the first episode of Season 16, Planning Season - I sit down with Jason Stockton...
#149 How to Avoid Being Delisted (Explained by an Actual Retailer)
You're on shelf. Now what?In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with Sonia Martinez, a retail expert from AUR Foodworks who works with both retailers and brands to improve in-store ranging, product positioning, and mer...
#148 Marketing System for Food Brands: Clear, Consistent, Low Maintenance
Your product is great. People love it. But you're still struggling to sell it.Sound familiar?In episode 148 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I chat with Jayne Gallagher, CEO and co-founder of Honey & Fox, a market...
#147 Sales Is the Lifeblood: Bootstrapping a Beverage Brand
How do you build a beverage brand when the margins are slim and you have no outside funding and growth depends on you?You make sales your North Star. Every single day.In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with O...
#146 How to Make Your Packaging Sell When You're Not There
Your product is great but is your packaging selling it when you're not there? Packaging is your silent salesperson so you need to make it work.In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with Gwen Blake, founding director of...