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PODCAST

The Good Food CFO podcast

The Good Food CFO

Join Food Industry Finance Expert Sarah Delevan as she breaks down the need-to-know financial concepts for running a profitable food business, shares case studies and lessons from around the food industry, and highlights the many different ways to build a successful food business on your own terms through conversations with founders and industry experts. thegoodfoodcfo.substack.com

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

35:20

The Resilient Food Brand: Financial Strategies to...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/04/21

Despite rising costs and economic uncertainty, Sarah brings her characteristic straight talk to food business finances in this timely episode: "All is not lost." Drawing from both historical patterns and current market insights, she explains why specialty food brands can still thrive during economic downturns as consumers continue treating themselves to small luxuries like artisan chocolate and premium coffee. "This is not a shelter-in-place moment," Sarah emphasizes, but rather a time to be

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01:02:18

BABOYOT with Benny Blanco Tortillas: Premium Pricing,...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/04/14

In this episode Sarah sits down with Christopher Hudson, the Arizona native behind Benny Blanco Tortillas. After years in food service, Christopher purchased the company in what he calls "a match made in heaven." Christopher's approach to building a business on his own terms combines premium quality ingredients with transparent sourcing, a premium pricing strategy and a willingness to say "no" to opportunities that don't make financial sense or support his vision for a thriving local food industry

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44:40

Beyond 51%: Determining Your TRUE Product Margins for...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/04/07

Did you hear the episode where Sarah told her client they needed 70% product margins? Were you curious why it was so much higher than the usually recommended 51%? In this episode, Sarah pulls back the curtain on how she determines the right product margins for different food businesses, and guides you to finding yours. She reveals where your P&L is hiding crucial information and walks through her "orange slice" method for visualizing what's really happening with the revenue you earn. You'll learn

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52:00

BABOYOT with People's Choice Beef Jerky: Crafting...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/03/31

In a world where food startups chase rapid growth and quick exits, People's Choice Beef Jerky stands as a refreshing counterexample. This Los Angeles-based company has been crafting premium meat products since 1929, and is now thriving under fourth-generation leadership. Their story offers valuable lessons for food founders looking to build sustainable, profitable businesses that can withstand the test of time. In this episode of the Good Food CFO podcast, Sarah Delevan sits down with owners and

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44:48

Community, not FOMO: Sarah Returns to Expo West After...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/03/24

After more than 10 years away, Sarah decided to return to natural foods' biggest industry event - but why now? In this candid Season 14 opener, Sarah takes you behind the scenes of her Expo West experience, revealing what's changed, what hasn't, and whether the industry hype actually lives up to reality. The conversation also explores the striking contrast between the big business of Expo West and the Intense Conference for farmers market founders, managers and vendors Sarah attended just days

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47:58

Breaking the Monopoly: How Founders Can Navigate a...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/03/10

In this eye-opening episode of the Good Food CFO podcast, Sarah Delevan talks with Stacy Mitchell, co-executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, about the myths of market consolidation and how food founders can fight back against corporate monopolies. Stacy Mitchell is a writer, strategist, and policy advocate whose work focuses on dismantling concentrated corporate power and building thriving local economies. As co-executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, she

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38:45

Ask The Good Food CFO: Is Rent a COGS, How to...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/03/03

In this special episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, we’re sharing highlights from our live Q&A session with BABOYOT members. These quarterly events are an awesome opportunity to connect with Founders and answer their most pressing financial questions. Some of the topics we tackled: Food Service vs. Wholesale Pricing: Discover why conventional wisdom about which channel is most profitable doesn't always hold true. One founder shares how running her numbers completely changed her channel

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51:09

Building a Profitable Business: Advice from a $400...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/02/24

In this episode of The Good Food CFO Podcast, Sarah Delevan shares candid insights from a recent meeting with the founder of a brand generating over $400 million in annual revenue, and doing it profitably. Through a series of powerful "sound bites" captured during their conversation, Sarah reveals how this founder's approach challenges traditional industry wisdom while delivering remarkable results. You’ll hear: Why marketing shouldn't drive your offers and how to structure profitable promotions

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01:03:32

BABOYOT with Hope Lawrence of Hudson Henry Baking...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/02/17

In this episode of the Good Food CFO Podcast, Sarah Delavan sits down with Hope Lawrence, founder of Hudson Henry Baking Co., who shares her remarkable journey of building a profitable granola business on her own terms. From starting with just $4,000 in her farmhouse kitchen to reaching $1.25M in annual revenue, Hope's story proves that sustainable growth and profitability are possible without outside investment. In this conversation, Hope shares: The strategic reason she chose granola Why she

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53:31

Pivot Tables: A Secret Weapon for Food Business...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/02/10

In this episode, Sarah is sharing her favorite tool for quickly and easily transforming your basic data into actionable business intelligence - Pivot Tables. From helping you recognize sales patterns and trends, to identifying issues and opportunities, and seeing your customer and sales channel profitability, pivot tables are truly a secret weapon for improving your business profitability and cashflow! Tune into this episode to explore all of the valuable insights that pivot tables can provide

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28:51

Values over Volume: Why Big Spoon Roasters is...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/02/03

After a decade of national growth, Big Spoon Roasters made a decision that has the CPG industry talking: they're walking away from Whole Foods, UNFI, and other national grocery chains. But this isn't a story about failure – it's about what happens when a good food brand chooses values over volume. In this episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, we dive into the pivot that has founders across the industry applauding. Discover why this prestigious nut butter brand is saying goodbye to national

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54:57

Revolutionizing Local Food: The Story of Argus Farm Stop

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/01/27

When Bill Brinkerhoff and his wife stumbled upon a unique store model during a college drop-off trip, they had no idea it would lead them to transform an abandoned gas station into a revolutionary market that's paid out over $22 million to local farms. In this episode, discover how Argus Farm Stop flipped the traditional retail model on its head, giving farmers 70% of sales and complete control over pricing, and hear how they navigated legal battles over egg sales (and won!), and why farmers are

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50:11

6 Strategic Questions to Drive Personal & Business...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/01/20

Ready to dig into some questions that could transform the way you think about your business? In this episode, Sarah and Chelsea share six questions that every founder should ask themselves. They tackle everything from "If we close 100 more deals like this, will we be happy?" to "What's one thing I'm afraid to ask my team, but probably should?" Through real world examples and their own experiences, they explore how these questions can help you understand what your customers really want, when to

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55:08

The $20,000 Mistake: What CPG Founders Need to Know...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/01/13

What’s worse? A $20,000+ legal battle, or having to completely rebrand your CPG company in 30 days? In this eye-opening episode, trademark attorney Nicole Swartz shares how losing her own brand to trademark issues led her to protect over 1,200 brands with a 99.8% success rate. Together with CPG brand strategist Kelly Bennett, they reveal their unique approach combining legal protection with strategic brand growth. Learn exactly when to trademark your brand name, what makes a name trademarkable,

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52:50

BABOYOT with Sarah Nathan of Nooish: How an Industry...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/01/06

Meet Sarah Nathan, founder of Nooish, who transformed traditional Jewish matzo ball soup into an instant comfort food sensation. On this episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, Nathan shares how her decade of experience in CPG and deep roots in Jewish culinary culture led her to invent freeze-dried matzo balls - a culinary breakthrough that turns an hours-long cooking process into a 2.5-minute preparation. Beyond the innovation, she reveals how authenticity in branding and patience during

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13:30

Grateful & Growing: Saying Goodbye to Where This All...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2024/12/16

In this special bonus episode of the Good Food CFO podcast, Sarah Delavan shares a deeply personal moment as she prepares to leave the home office where her consulting business was born seven years ago. From an unexpected job loss that led to her first consulting gig, to launching a podcast that's grown into a thriving community, Sarah reflects on how this single room has witnessed hundreds of conversations with founders across the globe – from Los Angeles to New Zealand. With characteristic

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47:43

A Fresh Take on Planning for the New Year: Why...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2024/12/09

In this must-listen season finale, Sarah Delevan flips the script on typical year-end planning by exploring why looking back is crucial before looking ahead. Inspired by an Office Hours member's approach to evaluating progress, Sarah reveals how understanding your past performance in context can transform your decision-making. She challenges the "bigger is better" mindset, explaining why sometimes declining revenue in certain channels can actually signal success. Through real-world examples, Sarah

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01:07:22

BABOYOT with Sydney Karmes-Wainer of French Squirrel:...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2024/12/02

From accidental entrepreneur to confident business owner: Sydney, founder of French Squirrel, reveals how she transformed her healthy snack company by confronting hard truths about pricing and profitability. After years of underpricing her premium date-based treats and struggling with razor-thin margins, Sydney shares the pivotal mindset shifts that helped her raise prices, say "no" to unprofitable opportunities, and put her business health first. She candidly discusses overcoming people-pleasing

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49:56

Answering Listener Questions: Customer Profitability...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2024/11/18

In this value-packed episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, we tackle three critical business questions asked by our BABOYOT Members. First, we reveal why your cash flow tools might not be delivering results (hint: it's probably not the tool's fault!). Then, we dive into a step-by-step guide for analyzing customer profitability – essential knowledge for any business owner wondering if their biggest customers are actually their most profitable. Finally, we explore how to evaluate new retail

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42:17

Breaking Free from the Food Industry Playbook: How to...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2024/11/11

This week on The Good Food CFO podcast, we explore financial benchmarks for CPG brands, emphasizing that many common questions about business finances often lead to the answer 'it depends.' Sarah discusses the importance of understanding individual business contexts rather than relying solely on industry standards, challenges prevalent beliefs in the food industry such as the notion that founders must sell their businesses to achieve financial success, and encourages founders to create unique

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168 results

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