Makor Coffee founder Eli Mash joins GroceryPulse to share how he built a functional organic coffee brand on the side, going from Shopify to 42 grocery doors and Amazon while still working full-time in tech.

Host George Goodwin (4th-generation grocer and founder of Kōbu Kombucha Powder) sits down founder-to-founder with Eli to taste each other's products and talk honestly about building in the functional food space. Makor Coffee is 93% organic coffee blended with organic cacao, turmeric, Ceylon cinnamon, ginger, chaga, and cayenne, and it's on shelves at Kowalski's and Lunds & Byerlys in Minnesota.

In this episode you'll learn:

- Why new CPG brands should know their customer acquisition cost and repeat purchase rate before scaling paid ads, and why reviews and social proof should come first

- How to use online customer feedback to pick and pitch the right retailers

- Why Makor prices its retail bag below online and cut down to three SKUs

- How retail, Meta, and Amazon work together as one discovery-to-repurchase cycle

- Why third-party testing and ingredient transparency are becoming a real edge with today's label-reading shoppers

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Functional Coffee and Wellness

03:03 What's in the Makor Coffee Blend

05:58 The Rise of Functional Foods and Beverages

08:55 From Tech to Coffee

12:14 Online Launch and Retail Expansion

15:00 Navigating the Retail Landscape

18:09 Testing and Quality Assurance in Coffee

21:01 Why Organic Certification Matters

25:12 Transparency in Consumer Products

29:06 Building a Brand: Advice for Emerging Founders

32:14 Retail Challenges and Customer Feedback

37:12 The Future of Functional Foods

39:08 Fire Round: Brewing Methods and Favorite Ingredients

42:16 The Heart Behind the Brand

Grocery buyers: Eli wants to hear how you evaluate functional brands. Reach him at [eli@makorcoffee.com – CONFIRM]

Try Makor Coffee: [makorcoffee.com – CONFIRM]

Try Kōbu: https://enjoykobu.com

Full episodes: https://www.innovaragency.com/grocerypodcastgrocerypulse

Be a guest: https://www.innovaragency.com/grocerypulse-podcast-guest

Innovar Agency: https://www.innovaragency.com/

Pitch the show: Podcast@InnovarAgency.com

If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and follow GroceryPulse for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery, entrepreneurship, nutrition, and performance.

Order Kōbu Kombucha Powder (gut health made easy): enjoykobu.com/discount/podcast10! — code PODCAST10! for 10% off

I had the opportunity to sit down with Marc Jonna, Co-Founder & President of Plum Market, and this was a really special conversation for me as a fourth-generation grocer. Marc's grocery story goes back generations.His father, Ed Jonna, founded Merchant of Vino in Michigan, which was later acquired by Whole Foods. Marc went on to become a National Wine Buyer for Whole Foods before leaving with his brother Matt to start Plum Market in 2007. Today, Plum Market has grown to 35+ locations while remaining family-owned and independent. One of the things Marc says that really stuck with me is that he thinks of Plum Market as the “Disneyland of grocery.” Not just somewhere you go to buy groceries—but somewhere you actually want to spend time.

Episode Chapters

00:00 — Introduction & WelcomeGeorge introduces Mark Jona, co-founder and president of Plum Market.

03:45 — Scaling Category Growth at Whole FoodsMark shares how fearlessly shaking up department layouts drove early success at Whole Foods.

07:50 — Family Legacy & Launching Plum MarketTransitioning from Merchant of Vino to launching a modern, independent grocery chain.

11:20 — Foundational Values & Daily MentorshipOperational habits, early morning drive, and lessons passed down through generations.

15:10 — Building a Purpose-First Grocery ModelWhy Plum Market skips private label products to focus on scratch kitchens and independent CPG brands.

19:05 — Managing Family Business DynamicsStrategies for navigating sibling partnerships, resolving conflicts privately, and staying aligned.

23:15 — Empowering Store Teams & Frontline FeedbackSupporting store leaders, listening to frontline staff, and building an empowered culture.

27:30 — Juliet’s Cuisine: Scratch Cooking at ScaleHow family recipes inspired Plum Market’s commitment to real, in-house kitchen prep.

32:10 — Expanding to Airports, Schools & Sports VenuesTaking scratch-made dining into non-traditional venues, from airport terminals to the Detroit Pistons.

37:40 — Wellness, Portions & Functional NutritionMeeting the consumer shift toward preventative health, clean ingredients, and portion balance.

42:15 — Growing to 35+ Locations Without Private EquityWhy Plum Market chose to stay family-owned rather than take outside capital or go public.

47:00 — The Independent Advantage: Speedboat vs. SteamshipHow agile independents outpace large corporate chains on innovation and sourcing.

51:15 — Advice for CPG Founders Pitching RetailersHow emerging brands can partner with retailers to test, optimize, and scale placement.

55:30 — The Future of Specialty GroceryWhy brick-and-mortar stores must prioritize in-store experience to thrive alongside delivery apps.

59:20 — Rapid Fire Round & ClosingQuick-hit questions on favorite departments, career advice, and final takeaways.

We talked about:

🥬 Creating stores around experience

👨‍🍳 Making prepared foods from scratch

🌱 What “local” actually means

🤝 Building community through grocery

👨‍👩‍👦 Multi-generational family business

📈 Growing without private equity

🛒 The future of specialty grocery

As someone who grew up in grocery, these are the conversations I love having.Thanks to Marc for sharing his story and perspective on where grocery is headed.

🎙️ Check out the newest episode of GroceryPulse.If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and follow GroceryPulse for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery, entrepreneurship, nutrition, and performance.If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and follow GroceryPulse for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery, entrepreneurship, nutrition, and performance.

Innovar Marketing Agency (grocery/CPG marketing insights): www.innovaragency.com

Order Kōbu Kombucha Powder (gut health made easy): enjoykobu.com/discount/podcast10 — code PODCAST10 for 10% off