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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

67:23

Angel Investor Katie Dunn: Warm Intros, Thesis Fit,...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/12/22

Most food founders think fundraising means perfecting your pitch deck. Angel investor Katie Dunn says you’re starting in the wrong place.In our conversation, Katie breaks down the three fundamentals that actually get investors to meet with you, and say yes: understanding investor thesis (and why it saves you from wasting time), leveraging warm introductions instead of cold pitching, and building a financial model that shows exactly how you’ll reach profitability.We cover the investment basics every

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50:20

BABOYOT with Daniel Goetz of Good Pop: Putting Profit...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/12/08

Building a profitable food business without investors isn’t just possible—it’s a strategic choice.Sarah sits down with Daniel Goetz, founder of Good Pop, who’s bootstrapped his popsicle brand for 16 years by prioritizing profitability over growth headlines.Daniel shares practical strategies that kept Good Pop alive and thriving:* Why he sold just 4 popsicles at his “big launch” (and what happened next)* The 3am working capital discovery that kept his business going* Why he focused on going “deep not

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57:00

BABOYOT with Shelley Elkovich of For Bitter For...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/11/24

Sarah sits down with Shelley Elkovich, co-founder and CEO of For Bitter For Worse, to explore the financial strategy behind building a profitable specialty beverage brand. Shelley shares how self-manufacturing became a dual revenue stream through contract manufacturing, allowing her to control costs while generating additional income.The conversation reveals practical insights on sustainable growth versus rapid expansion, how to filter customer feedback without compromising your vision, and the

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41:38

The Power of Organizing Your Data: What These Food...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/11/10

Sarah shares real stories from beta testers using The Good Food CFO financial strategy software for the first time:* A founder running five sales channels discovered their revenue tracking wasn’t set up to support strategic decision-making* A 16-year bakery owner finally understood where profit actually goes when monthly debt payments take it right back out* A founder learned why categorizing marketing expenses as cost of goods sold makes their numbers nearly impossible to interpretThe software

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64:25

BABOYOT w/ Kelley Scanlin of Pure Simple Foods

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/10/27

Can you build a CPG brand without chasing unicorn status? Kelley Scanlin, founder of Pure Simple Foods (parent to Lark-Ellen Farm and Purely Sprouted), shares how she grew from farmer’s market beginnings to operating a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility—all while refusing to compromise on quality.Sarah and Kelley dig into the strategic path most founders overlook, exploring:* Why regional growth beats racing for national distribution* How mission and values guide major business decisions

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35:17

Profit by Design: Building a Food Business That...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/10/13

Margins matter—but what’s the rest of the financial strategy that transforms good margins into actual profitability and positive cash flow?Sarah lays out the complete three-part framework behind “Profit by Design,” the philosophy helping food founders escape the 70% failure rate. Beyond product margins, you need clarity on your true operating expenses and the ability to build financial scenarios that answer critical questions: How many units do I need to sell to break even? How much capital will

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47:23

Farmer’s Market Strategies w/ Catt Fields-White: On...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/10/06

Farmers markets offer food founders the chance to capture high margin sales —but it only matters if you know how to make them profitable. In this episode, Sarah sits down with Catt Fields-White, nationally recognized farmers market expert and founder of the InTents National Farmers Market Conference, to answer real questions from Good Food CFO listeners about maximizing farmers market revenue.What You’ll Learn:* Why Catt told one cookie vendor to raise prices five times before adding production

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36:35

Client Story: The "Grow Last" Strategy That Created...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/09/22

What if the secret to massive food business profits isn't growing revenue first? Sarah reveals a counterintuitive "grow last" strategy that transformed a seasonal business from $19K to $107K monthly profits in just two years.This client's 14% gross profit margins were a ticking time bomb – every new sale was actually creating bigger losses. But instead of the typical "sell more" advice, Sarah implemented a radical two-year approach that flipped conventional growth wisdom upside down.Year 1 Strategy:

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40:26

Right-Sizing vs. Scaling: The Growth Strategy That...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/09/08

What if the secret to a profitable food business isn't scaling bigger, but growing smarter? Sarah challenges the "grow fast or fail" mentality that's crushing food entrepreneurs, revealing why 75% of VC funded businesses fail and sharing a proven approach to sustainable growth.You’ll meet two food founders who made the counterintuitive decision to right-size their businesses - one contracting from national to regional distribution, another strategically eliminating sales channels. The result? Better

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65:12

BABOYOT with Kartik Das from Doosra: Building...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/08/25

While most founders obsess over store count, Kartik Das, Founder of Doosra is building repeatable revenue systems. Rather than chasing new accounts Kartik focused on just 15 core retail partners and developed a multi-channel strategy that generates predictable cash flow.Sarah and Kartik dive deep into Doosra’s financial playbook: the 90-day cash flow planning system that breaks large expenses into daily decision points, strategic use of 0% APR credit cards for working capital, and community

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33:39

Big News: We're Launching Custom Financial Software...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/08/11

The Good Food CFO is launching first-of-its-kind financial strategy software built exclusively for food founders! After seven years of perfecting her approach with hundreds of clients, Sarah's taking everything she knows about building profitable food businesses and turning it into powerful software that doesn't exist anywhere else.This isn't another generic financial tool trying to serve everyone. In this episode Sarah is sharing the three core features launching in the initial version of the

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59:25

BABOYOT with Alyssa Fernandez of Ollin: Her Strategy...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/07/28

What if accepting failure could actually free you to build a stronger food business? Sarah talks with Alyssa Fernandez, founder of Ollin, who is revolutionizing premium baking by filling the gap between conventional and gluten-free cake mixes with Texas-based ancient grain blends.Alyssa shares how she spent 18 months perfecting her heritage grain strategy before launch, why she's deliberately learning every aspect of her business before hiring, and her "bullets before cannonballs" approach to

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45:55

Poppi's $1.95B Exit: Who Really Won and What the...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/07/14

Poppi's $1.95B exit is being hailed as the new "North Star" for food entrepreneurs – but Sarah isn't buying the headlines.When she dug into the reported investor returns, the math literally doesn't work. Forbes reported returns that would individually equal the entire acquisition price – a mathematical impossibility. But if major publications can't do basic math on these deals, what else are we getting wrong?With $39 million invested over seven years to fuel Poppi's rapid growth from Shark Tank to

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45:08

BABOYOT with Joe Nicchi of CVT Soft Serve: Packaging...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/06/30

What happens when nostalgia meets innovation? Sarah sits down with Joe Nicchi, founder of CVT Soft Serve, who transformed a simple craving for East Coast soft serve ice cream into a nationwide success now in 3,000 stores.After investing $150,000 in a vintage 1961 truck to bring authentic East Coast soft serve to LA, Joe spent years building cult-like brand loyalty. Then came the pivotal moment: when Jeff Bezos installed CVT's machine in his home, Joe realized he needed to democratize access to

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45:55

Answering Listener Questions: What Does My Inventory...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/06/23

Your inventory numbers are telling a story - but do you know how to read it? In this episode, Sarah answers listener questions about inventory turnover ratio - the metric that reveals whether your products are converting to cash or quietly draining your resources. She shows how to turn a confusing ratio like "2.75" into clear insights - that inventory turnover ratio means it takes your business 146 days to sell through the product on your shelves. The eye-opener: Sarah shares how a rapidly growing

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59:45

BABOYOT with Ilay Karateke of Bezi: Data-Driven...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/06/16

What happens when you choose to 'control your growth' instead of racing to expand? Sarah sits down with Ilay Karateke, co-founder and CEO of Bezi, the labneh brand redefining growth through meticulous data collection and strategic expansion. Ilay shares her unconventional approach: launching direct-to-retail in handpicked New York stores, doing her own distribution, and running 5-10 demos weekly while tracking every data point. Every retail partner and expansion move is calculated to maintain

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42:51

Answering Listener Questions: What Google Gets Wrong,...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/06/09

You asked, Sarah is answering! We love these listener Q&A episodes, and today's cost of goods sold questions are absolute gold. First up: When Google gives you two different definitions for the same term, which one should you trust? Sarah breaks it down and explains gross profit margin vs. net profit margin and which should be your starting point for healthy food business cash flow. Then, we hear from a food founder who thinks they're "double charging" themselves for labor. Spoiler alert – they're

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48:29

100 Apply, 2 Get In: Expert Advice on How to Beat the...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/05/26

Ever wondered why finding a co-manufacturer feels impossibly difficult? Sarah sits down with Julia Megson, CEO of ReScale, who reveals the shocking reality that co-manufacturers receive about 100 inquiries monthly but only work with one to two brands from that entire pool. Julia's unique background – from auditing over 100 contract manufacturers at Trader Joe's to founding a tech platform specifically for emerging food brands – gives her unparalleled insight into what actually works in

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40:44

KeHE Uncovered: Real Case Study of a Food Brand's...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/05/19

In this eye-opening episode, Sarah breaks down the harsh food distributor chargeback reality that many founders don't discover until it's too late. Using a real-world example of a brand that invoiced KeHE for $68,267 but received only $13,345 (just 19.5%), she dissects exactly where that money went. From the surprising "initial PO" payment policy that can delay your first check for 3-6 months, to the specific chargebacks that consumed 80% of a brand's revenue, Sarah provides the financial

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47:07

40 Successful Years in Food: Financial Lessons from...

The Good Food CFO podcast ·

2025/05/12

Ever wonder how a food business thrives for four decades without compromising on quality? Sarah sits down with culinary visionary Ariane Daguin, who transformed America's specialty meat landscape with just $15,000 and an unwavering commitment to sustainability. Ariane shares the unvarnished truth about building D'Artagnan from the ground up. She walks us through those challenging first ten years managing tight cash flow, explains why turning down certain growth opportunities actually strengthened

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170 results

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