🔔 Subscribe to this channel for exclusive content and updates!

Jessica Khourie looked in her pantry and realized her "wellness" routine consisted entirely of lab-made pills and powders. Watching her pregnant sister force down a chalky protein bar was the final straw. Leveraging her background as a Procter & Gamble executive, Jessica launched Jova—a brand of dietitian-backed, real-food smoothie kits designed to deliver foundational nutrition without the artificial aftertaste.
------------------
In this special episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Jessica about transitioning from corporate food innovation to startup founder. She unpacks her strategy for owning customer data, why she deliberately targets the first trimester of pregnancy to build an industry-leading 4.5-month subscription retention rate, and the brutal truth about securing massive retail purchase orders before you're ready.

Listen to learn:

🥤 Why the "food first, supplement second" philosophy is disrupting the pill-heavy wellness industry.
📈 How targeting the specific pain point of first-trimester morning sickness allowed Jova to 4x their subscription business and extend retention.
💻 The strategic reason Jessica initially paused Amazon sales to reclaim her e-commerce data and build a powerful direct-to-consumer lifecycle engine.
🛑 Why landing a massive retail PO (like Target or Walmart) on day one can actually destroy an early-stage CPG brand if they lack the capital to drive shelf velocity.
🗣️ The P&G framework for conducting unbiased consumer research and why brands should lean into polarizing flavor feedback instead of trying to please everyone.

Whether you are building a subscription-based DTC brand or navigating the leap from corporate to startup life, Jessica breaks down the exact plays needed to build a purposeful and predictable revenue engine.

Learn more about Jova:
🌐 Website: https://livejova.com/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #cpg #foodinnovation #jova #subscriptionmodel #dtc #brandscaling #wellness #pregnancynutrition #startuplessons

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

🔔 Subscribe to this channel for exclusive content and updates!

Many early-stage food and beverage founders treat contract manufacturing like a simple vendor transaction, but in reality, it is a critical partnership that can make or break a brand. From hidden formulation clauses to the supply chain nightmares of color-matching packaging across different materials, scaling production is filled with expensive, unforeseen pitfalls.
------------------
In this special episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina sits down with Steve Seely, the founder of Elitefill. Steve exposes the "dirty little secrets" of the co-packing industry and reveals how his company offers a true end-to-end solution for emerging CPG brands. He also discusses Launch 360, an innovative program helping influencers and athletes bypass lengthy R&D timelines to launch custom products in just weeks by utilizing a vast library of pre-approved formulas.

Listen to learn:

📝 The "dirty little secret" of formula ownership and why you must secure your intellectual property before signing a co-packing agreement.
🏭 How separating formulation, secondary packaging, and fulfillment slows down time-to-market and creates major logistical bottlenecks.
🎨 The hidden complexities and real costs of color-matching across different substrates like flexible film and paper cartons.
🚀 How creators and athletes are leveraging formula libraries to launch high-quality custom supplements in under 10 weeks.
🤝 Why treating your contract manufacturer as a true partner—rather than a replaceable vendor—is the ultimate key to surviving supply chain crises.

Whether you are preparing for your first commercial run or looking to switch contract manufacturers to scale, Steve breaks down the exact plays needed to build a resilient and predictable revenue engine.

Learn more about Elitefill:
🌐 Website: https://elitefill.com/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #contractmanufacturing #copacking #cpg #productformulation #supplychain #foodandbeverage #cpgfounders #retaildistribution #influencermarketing

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

🔔 Subscribe to this channel for exclusive content and updates!

Most food and beverage founders don't have a revenue problem—they have a financial structure problem. It is the ultimate paradox to look profitable on paper at tax time while constantly bleeding cash and struggling to make payroll. Licensed CPA and fractional CFO Scotty Palmer stepped into the CPG space to solve this exact issue, leveraging his experience from corporate finance at Honey Baked Ham to found Palmer Strategic Advisors.
------------------
In Episode 71 of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina sits down with Scotty Palmer to uncover the financial realities of scaling an F&B brand. Scotty breaks down his signature Shelf-to-Savings™ system, explaining how to spot phantom costs, negotiate better vendor contracts, and stress-test retail expansion before committing capital.

Listen to learn:

📉 Why being "profitable on paper" does not equal cash in the bank, and how to identify where your business is silently leaking margins.
🧅 The 5-layer Shelf-to-Savings™ framework for evaluating COGS, overhead, working capital, pricing, and the "growth tax."
🤝 Why establishing, negotiating, and frequently reviewing vendor contracts is critical to avoid overpaying as your order quantities scale.
🔮 How to implement a 13-week cash forecast and use multi-faceted scenario planning before saying "yes" to massive retail purchase orders.
💰 Exactly what investors want to see in a pitch deck, including a clear use of funds, 5-year growth plans, and a direct path to their ROI.

Whether you are trying to plug cash flow leaks or preparing to pitch institutional investors, Scotty breaks down the exact plays needed to build a profitable and predictable revenue engine.

Learn more about Palmers Strategic Advisors:
🌐 Website: https://palmersadvisors.com/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodandbeverage #cpg #cashflow #financialplanning #shelftosavings #profitability #investordeck #startupfinance

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show