Shelf Space

About Shelf Space

Conversations with CPG founders at the top of their game. Gathering unique insights and having impactful conversations to help guide the next generation of founders.

Publisher

Connor Macpherson and Luke Anthony

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Apr 2026

Latest episode

15 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

26 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Oct 2026

   The Seltzer That Outgrew the Nelk Boys - Alex Isby on Happy Dad's Next Chapter

   What does it actually take to make a creator brand last longer than the hype? On this episode of ShelfSpace, Connor Macpherson and Luke Anthony sit down with Alex Isby, Director of Product and Innovation at Happy Dad, the hard seltzer founded by the Nelk Boys in 2021. Alex left E. & J. Gallo, where he developed liquids for High Noon, after a coffee chat with a friend turned into a job offer within days. He joined a team of about eight people and was immediately sent to Memphis for the first Snoop Dogg Death Row Grape production run. Demand was exploding, but co-manufacturers kept pushing Happy Dad down the schedule for bigger customers. Alex breaks down how he and the team visited more than 70 co-manufacturers across the US to build a four-site network, why early-stage brands should start with a turnkey co-man to protect cash flow, and how combining raw material runs saves 10 to 15 cents per unit. He shares the real reason behind the fat can and low carbonation (hint: "claw throat"), why they removed electrolyte claims, and how the team tastes samples from every single batch tank. He also goes inside Happy Dad 2.0: moving from the Nelk Boys' gut instinct to scan data, the upcoming hard lemonade launch, and how they moved from idea to production in months when it would have taken two years at Gallo. Plus floods, lightning strikes, a CO2 force majeure, and why Happy Dad is still growing while the seltzer category shrinks. If you're building a beverage brand or working with co-manufacturers, this one is packed with operational lessons. Shop Happy Dad: https://happydad.com/ Connect with Connor Macpherson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-retail/ Connect with Luke Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-anthony-🍵-394052131/ Powered by Plus Forty: http://plusforty.co/ Book a call with Plus Forty: https://calendly.com/d/cr89-stz-hcy/shared-booking-link #ShelfSpace #HappyDad #NelkBoys #HardSeltzer #CPG #BeverageIndustry #CoManufacturing #SupplyChain #ProductInnovation #CreatorBrands #FoundersPodcast #BeverageBrands #Entrepreneurship

2. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Built and Sold in Five Years - Jon Sebastiani on KRAVE, selling to Hersey and Sonoma Brands

   How do you take a "gas station" snack, make it premium, and sell it to Hershey in just five years? On this episode of Shelf Space, Connor Macpherson sits down with Jon Sebastiani, founder of KRAVE Jerky and founder of Sonoma Brands Capital, the growth equity firm behind brands like Oats Overnight, Touchland and Beekeeper's Naturals. Jon grew up in his family's multi-generational wine business. While training for the 2009 New York City Marathon, he found a local butcher's jerky that changed how he thought about protein, and realized what was on store shelves was nowhere near premium. So he built KRAVE: whole muscle cuts, culinary flavors, no artificial junk, and a brand designed for a customer jerky had never spoken to. Jon breaks down how he validated the idea with a tiny test audience before spending big, how a first-of-its-kind Safeway deal took KRAVE from 200 stores to 2,000 doors, and how that data opened the door to Target, Walmart and Costco. He also gets honest about the hard parts: margins sinking to single digits, a supplier recall that put KRAVE in headlines from Hawaii to New York, and a bad batch so overcooked it was "like chewing a rock." Then it's the Hershey story, from an unsolicited "what's your number?" to a deal closed in a matter of months, and why Jon jumped back in as an investor. He shares the mistakes from Fund 1, Sonoma Brands' four-category thesis, their $10M to $50M revenue strike zone, and exactly what he looks for in a founder before writing a check. If you're building an early or mid-stage CPG brand, or getting ready to raise, this one's packed with lessons you can use right away. Connect with Jon Sebastiani: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonsebastiani/ Learn more about Sonoma Brands Capital: https://www.sonomabrands.com/ Connect with Connor Macpherson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-retail/ Connect with Luke Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-anthony-🍵-394052131/ Powered by Plus Forty: http://plusforty.co/ Book a call with Plus Forty: https://calendly.com/d/cr89-stz-hcy/shared-booking-link #ShelfSpace #CPG #KRAVE #JonSebastiani #SonomaBrands #Hershey #FoodAndBeverage #CPGFounders #RetailStrategy #Fundraising #ConsumerBrands #Entrepreneurship #StartupPodcast

3. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Stolen Trucks, Broken Bottles, and a Billion-Dollar Vision - Jared Pobre on Caldera + Lab

   Most men's skincare brands buy an existing formula off the shelf and slap a label on it. Jared Pobre, founder and CEO of Caldera + Lab, did the opposite — and it cost him two extra years. In this episode, Jared breaks down how he validated a men's skincare brand using anonymous freelance consultants before telling a single person his real idea, why he chose to build a proprietary formula from scratch instead of buying an existing one, and why he ran a full third-party clinical trial before ever launching a product. He gets into the launch strategy behind Caldera + Lab's hero serum "The Good," how the brand found its real audience (men 40-60, not the twenty-somethings everyone else was chasing), and the years it took to actually crack paid ads on Meta. Jared also opens up about the expensive mistakes along the way — a beautiful but impractical glass bottle, an oversized web agency bill, and a full truck of inventory stolen right before Black Friday — plus how Caldera + Lab built an in-house team from scratch, hit a 70% repeat purchase rate, and is now closing in on $60 million in profitable revenue with a Nordstrom retail launch and a billion-dollar goal ahead. What we cover: Validating a business idea anonymously before committing to it Why proprietary formulas take years longer than off-the-shelf ones — and why that's the point Running an actual third-party clinical trial before launch Finding your real customer (and ignoring the "obvious" demographic) What actually makes a winning Meta ad The CAC-to-LTV math that keeps a DTC brand alive Building an in-house team without hiring "experienced" people The expensive mistakes: bad packaging, an oversized agency, a stolen truck of inventory What's next: Nordstrom, biotech ingredients, and a billion-dollar roadmap Connect with Jared Pobre: https://www.instagram.com/jaredpobre/ Shop Caldera + Lab: https://calderalab.com/ Connect with Connor Macpherson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-retail/ Connect with Luke Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-anthony-🍵-394052131/ Powered by Plus Forty: http://plusforty.co/ Book a call with Plus Forty: https://calendly.com/d/cr89-stz-hcy/shared-booking-link

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Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.