Unable to find a co-manufacturer through traditional means, co-founder Breezy Griffith scoured esoteric chocolate blogs, found a chocolatier's comment, reverse-engineered their screen name to find a phone number, and cold-called them at home.
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In their search for a scalable process, the founders experimented with a completely unconventional method: using a paint sprayer and heat guns to coat almonds with chocolate. While it failed, it demonstrates a crucial, scrappy innovation mindset.
When the Target buyer asked if they had supply chain issues before offering a chain-wide launch, the founder instantly said 'nope'—despite producing in a 'chicken coop.' This bold move secured the deal, forcing them to rapidly scale.
To perfect their recipe, the founders didn't just experiment randomly. They carefully deconstructed a high-end chocolatier's almond with a knife to understand its unique properties and palate, which informed their own development.
To secure a critical partnership with Beyond Meat after another deal collapsed, Emma Hernan didn't use traditional channels. She systematically reached out to every account Beyond Meat followed on social media, correctly assuming this network contained employees or close connections, and successfully landed the deal.
To secure one of their first major corporate accounts, co-founder Chrissy Holler bypassed traditional channels by sneaking into the Google campus cafeteria. She found the chef and pitched them directly, successfully getting the product stocked for employees.
Facing a tough funding environment in 2022, Breezy Griffith pivoted from traditional VC. She painstakingly raised capital from 65 separate celebrity investors, requiring multiple individual calls with each to close the round and save the company.
To boost visibility for their risky chain-wide launch, the founders negotiated for a coveted end cap. Instead of a hefty fee, they offered Target an exclusive peanut butter almond flavor, turning product development into a powerful marketing asset.
Breezy Griffith's early ventures, like selling sorbets and sandwiches at a loss, weren't failures. They were crucial learning experiences that built the foundational skills and resilience needed to launch a successful CPG brand.
The co-founders credit their success to their complementary skills. Daughter Breezy provides the relentless execution ('jet fuel'), while mother Val, the 'visionary,' has an innate ability to see long-term consumer trends before they materialize.
The search for an initial manufacturer required contacting hundreds of potential suppliers. This quantifies the immense and often underestimated volume of outreach necessary for a new brand to find a partner willing to accommodate small, early-stage production runs.
