This podcast will be a market-facing show focused on product innovation, consumer behavior, and what actually makes products succeed beyond the boardroom. It will move away from corporate storytelling and instead spotlight real insights, and data-backed perspectives from across the CPG, FMCG, beauty and retail landscape. Some episodes will also offer insights from founder journeys of stellar brand stories.
The show will position Curion as a trusted voice that translates consumer feedback into tangible product improvement, offering data-backed consumer insights that help the product win, always. The show will also create engaging, insight-driven conversations with brand leaders, founders and operators. It will blend education with curiosity, making complex product decisions feel tangible and relevant.
From Idea to Aisle: Why Great Products Never Make It to Shelf | Monte Ammons
Why do 90% of new products fail? Liquid Sherpas’ Monte Ammons shares CPG product launch, consumer insights, and beverage industry strategies.
In this episode of Behind the Shelf, Keren Novack speaks with Monte Ammons, Founder and President of Liquid Sherpas, about why most new products fail long before they reach consumers. Drawing on decades in the beverage industry, Monte explains how scalability, consumer insights, and operational discipline determine whether a product becomes a category winner or costly shelf clutter.
He shares why founders should validate sourcing, manufacturing, and regulatory realities before investing heavily in development, and how cross-functional collaboration prevents critical insights from getting lost. Monte also explores the importance of defining nonnegotiables, questioning untapped market opportunities, and continuously optimizing products after launch. This conversation offers a practical blueprint for product leaders looking to build brands that don't just launch successfully, but endure across changing markets over time.
30 Sept 2026
The Bakery Shelf Gap Nobody Else Saw: A Cookie Mix That Tastes Homemade, with Lindsay Hancock
What if the best way to reinvent a category isn't to create something new, but to fix what's been overlooked? Lindsay Hancock saw a gap in the bakery aisle that was hiding in plain sight, and created a cookie mix designed to close it.
In this episode of Behind the Shelf, Keren Novack sits down with Lindsay Hancock, Founder and CEO of My Better Batch, to explore how she turned years of CPG experience into a premium cookie-mix brand built around convenience without compromising on taste or ingredients. Lindsay shares how her experience scaling Creative Snacks through its acquisition by KIND shaped her approach to differentiation, why earning a place on the shelf proved easier than earning a shopper's first purchase, and how My Better Batch uses packaging, premium ingredients and even a QR-code video to improve the experience at home. They also discuss the realities of scaling through a co-manufacturing model, listening to consumers, and protecting product quality as costs and distribution grow.
16 Sept 2026
What if Actual Vegetables Were the Whole Point? With Hailey Swartz
What if the plant-based revolution was missing the whole point?
On this episode of Behind the Shelf, host Keren Novack sits down with Hailey Swartz, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Actual Veggies, to unpack a contrarian approach to the plant-based category: making vegetables the hero instead of trying to make them taste like meat. Hailey shares how Actual Veggies identified a gap between consumer motivations and what the market was offering, validated its concept ahead of the trend, and protected product quality by resisting feedback that compromised its core idea.
The conversation also explores what really drives repeat purchases, how the brand expanded from burgers into new products without losing its identity, and the operational details that can make or break retail growth. From product innovation to shelf strategy, this episode offers a fresh perspective on building products consumers genuinely want.
2 Sept 2026
The Power of the Two-Second Habit with Jessica Hamel on Making Nutrition Effortless
What if the strongest innovation in food isn’t about making bigger promises, but making healthy choices easier?
In this episode of Behind the Shelf, Keren Novack sits down with Jessica Hamel, founder of PlantChi, to explore how “seasonings with benefits” can bring nutrition into everyday routines without complexity, hype, or exaggerated claims. Jessica shares why she resisted adding salt and sugar despite outside pressure, how a simple two-second microhabit can drive lasting consumer adoption, and why product experience ultimately matters more than clever branding.
They also discuss the gap between functional claims and genuine efficacy, the importance of consumer education, and why PlantChi is taking a “narrow and deep” approach to growth. It’s a candid conversation about simplicity, trust, and building brands that earn repeat purchases.
19 Aug 2026
From Family Tradition to Global Shelf: How to Scale a Cultural Product Without Losing Its Roots
What if the key to launching a global product wasn't about reinventing the wheel, but bringing an authentic cultural tradition to an entirely new market?
In this episode of Behind the Shelf, Keren Novack sits down with Roger Velasquez, Co-Founder of The Purple Drop, about introducing chicha morada, a traditional Peruvian drink made from purple corn, to American consumers. Roger shares the realities of moving from a family kitchen to the retail shelf, from sourcing the right ingredients and preserving traditional methods to educating consumers and winning over retail buyers.
They explore why branding may earn the first purchase, but product experience earns the second, and how sampling, storytelling, and social media can turn unfamiliar flavors into lasting habits. The conversation also examines sustainability, consumer behavior, and the countless operational decisions required to scale a heritage product without compromising its identity.
5 Aug 2026
Why Familiar Beats Revolutionary in CPG with Sean Knecht
What if the secret to building a breakthrough CPG brand wasn't inventing something entirely new, but reimagining something familiar?
In this episode of Behind the Shelf, Keren Novack speaks with Sean Knecht, co-founder of Tantos, and President of PrideBites LLC, about transforming a chef's accidental discovery into the world's first pasta chip. Sean shares how early sellout launches validated demand, why combining familiarity with novelty lowers the barrier to consumer trial, and how thoughtful branding can make all the difference in a crowded snack aisle.
He also explains why great taste must come before health messaging, how retailers evaluate emerging brands, and why proving shelf velocity is essential to earning long-term retail placement. Beyond the product itself, Sean offers an honest look at the operational realities of building a CPG company, from inventory forecasting and production planning to managing expiration dates and fulfillment.
22 Jul 2026
The Say-Do Gap in Food: Jacob Trumbull on What Consumers Really Buy
What if the real barrier to healthier food isn't what consumers want, but how they shop?
In this episode of Behind the Shelf, host Keren Novack sits down with Jacob Trumbull, founder of Roaring Fork Mill, to explore the hidden forces shaping the future of food brands. Jacob reveals why the biggest challenge facing healthier, more sustainable food products isn’t consumer demand; it’s consumer behavior. Together, they unpack the “say-do gap,” where shoppers express interest in better ingredients and sustainable practices but often choose based on convenience, price, and availability.
Jacob shares lessons from behavioral science, regenerative agriculture, and building a scalable grain ecosystem, explaining why accessibility, shelf placement, and frictionless purchasing matter more than education alone. From redefining the role of transparency to understanding what turns niche products into everyday habits, this conversation reveals how food innovators can build brands that truly connect with consumers and create lasting category change.
8 Jul 2026
Maggie Schmieder on the Loyalty Secret Most Beauty Brands Miss
What if the secret to building a cult-following brand wasn't fancy manufacturing or massive marketing budgets, but genuine human connection?
In this episode of Behind the Shelf, Keren Novack sits down with Maggie Schmieder, founder of Bitty Balm, to explore how a simple kitchen experiment evolved into a thriving clean beauty brand with an impressive 55% repeat customer rate. Maggie shares the lessons she learned from building products by hand, listening closely to customer feedback, and prioritizing relationships over traditional marketing tactics. The conversation dives into product innovation, brand positioning, consumer trust, and the challenges of standing out in the crowded beauty industry.
Maggie explains why simplicity can be a competitive advantage, how transparency builds loyalty, and why understanding customers on a personal level creates lasting growth. This episode offers valuable insights for founders, marketers, and anyone interested in building brands that customers genuinely love.
24 Jun 2026
Why "Vanilla" Wins: Jason Burke's Playbook for Scaling Food Brands
What if the biggest mistake food brands make is assuming consumers want innovation more than great taste?
In this episode of Behind the Shelf, Keren Novack sits down with Jason Burke, founder and CEO of New Primal, to explore the realities of building a food brand that survives and thrives on crowded retail shelves. Drawing from his journey of growing New Primal from a homemade jerky business into a brand carried in more than 10,000 stores, Jason shares why consumer behavior is often misunderstood and why repeat purchases matter far more than initial curiosity.
The conversation dives into product development, retail strategy, consumer trust, and the economics of shelf space. Jason explains why familiar products often outperform flashy innovations, how brands should think about expansion, and why authentic credibility is difficult for legacy companies to recreate. He also reveals why taste remains the ultimate competitive advantage, regardless of trends, health claims, or marketing campaigns.
22 Jun 2026
Behind the Shelf Trailer
Behind the Shelf is where product ideas meet real-world reality. Hosted by Keren Novack and powered by Curion, this podcast goes beyond marketing claims to uncover what actually makes products succeed once they hit the shelf.
Each episode brings you inside the minds of founders, brand leaders, and product innovators across CPG, FMCG, beauty, food and beverage, and retail. From early-stage concepts to billion-dollar brands, you’ll hear field-tested insights behind the decisions, data, and consumer behavior that shape winning products.
We're jumping beyond speculative theories to talking about what real consumers do, not what we assume they do.
Through candid conversations and data-backed perspectives, Behind the Shelf reveals the gap between intention and impact, helping you build products people truly choose, use, and love.
If you’re building, testing, or scaling products, this is your shortcut to smarter decisions—and better outcomes.
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Spotify
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2 ratings
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