BelliWelli’s Inside Story: From Tummy Troubles to Belli Bliss
Join re:COGs Host Mike Gelb as he chats with Tyson Woeste, co-founder of BelliWelli to uncover how this ingenious brand baked up a new category of gut-friendly snacks.
From procuring prebiotics to perfecting processes, Tyson gives an inside look at the complex orchestration required to craft crave-worthy, tummy-friendly snacks.
Identifying the Market Beyond Gluten-Free
While gluten-free addressed some dietary needs, Tyson and co-founder Katie still struggled with lingering digestive discomfort. Realizing many products aggravate FODMAP sensitivities, they saw a gap for snacks catering to this underserved audience.
Kneading Out Kinks: Iterating for an Optimal Recipe
WelliBelli went through countless iterations to formulate the ultimate gut-friendly bar. Balancing ingredient functionality, manufacturability, and mouthwatering flavor was no easy feat. Tyson describes the R&D process behind selecting their proprietary prebiotic and probiotic blend for optimal digestive support.
Proofing Prosperity: Validating Product Market Fit
Before firing up production, WelliBelli validated demand through early online sales. The fervent following demonstrated the appetite for low FODMAP snacks promoting good gut flora. Tyson advocates using DTC as a lab to establish product-market fit before ramping up supply chains and pivoting to retail and explains how natural grocers like Sprouts served as a logical launchpad given their appetite for new offerings.
Rising Through Retail: Building High-Volume Distribution
WelliBelli strategically chose retail partners providing exposure to new brands. As volumes rose, Tyson focused on aligning production and distribution with sales forecasts to avoid waste. He also discusses designing price-pack architectures for each channel to streamline inventory SKUs.
Avoiding a Gut Punch: Mitigating Supply Chain Risks
Tyson outlines approaches to safeguarding WelliBelli’s supply chain, like maintaining reserves of key commodities and securing contracted ingredients. He also explains how sampling helps redirect soon-to-expire bars to high-value users to prevent write-downs.
Join us as Tyson serves up a behind-the-scenes look at building a scalable snack brand focused on delivering macro and microbiome nourishment. You’ll walk away craving these insider tips for crafting a thriving CPG operation.
Listen In:
Mike and Tyson Discuss:
- Transitioning from tech to CPG/food
- Identifying the market opportunity in gut-friendly snacks
- Ingredient selection considerations – gluten-free, low FODMAP, probiotics
- Iterating on product recipe through multiple versions
- Finding co-manufacturers willing to partner with a startup
- Validating product-market fit through early online sales
- Using DTC as a lab to establish a brand before scaling
- Choosing natural channel retailers to launch product
- Designing price-pack architectures for different retail channels
- Aligning production planning with sales forecasts
- Mitigating supply chain risks with reserves and contracts
- Leveraging sampling to avoid write-downs of expiring inventory
- Managing the number of SKUs to limit complexity as business scales
- Making tradeoffs between inventory levels and working capital needs
- Developing temperature temperature-controlled supply chain for quality
- Building sampling channels to redirect excess inventory
About BelliWelli:
BelliWelli is a snack brand that caters to those with sensitive stomachs. Their delicious bars are gluten-free, dairy-free, low in sugar, and certified low FODMAP. With a blend of ancient grains and seeds, along with prebiotics and probiotics, their soft-baked bars are easily digestible and packed with nutrition. Created to alleviate digestive discomfort, BelliWelli bars provide tasty and nourishing options without any inflammatory additives. With rave reviews from satisfied customers, these bars offer relief from tummy troubles and cravings. Conveniently available for direct shipping in the US and in major grocery chains nationwide, BelliWelli is the go-to brand for a satisfying and gut-friendly snack. Learn more at www.belliwelli.com
Listen to the Entire re:COGs Series:
Tune in to re:COGs, the podcast series that examines the essential aspects of inventory management, supply chain optimization, and operational excellence, all through a COGs-focused lens.
Hear business operators and thought leaders from growing consumer brands share their thoughts on product manufacturing. Through inspiring stories and critical conversations with top experts across CPG, food, fashion, and other industries, listeners are treated to valuable insights and actionable advice that can be applied to any growing business as it scales up operations.
Sip to Success: Unleash Your Beverage Brand’s Potential with Expert Manufacturing and Operational Insights
LIVE WEBINAR
Tuesday, November 28th
12:00 PM PDT / 3:00 PM EST.
From concept to cup, our next webinar will feature operators who will generously share their insights on mastering manufacturing and branding for beverages! Re:COGs host Mike Gelb will be joined by this esteemed panel of guests:
- Elliott Cohen from Ritual Zero Proof
- Emily Heintz from Sèchey
- Sallie Jian from Diageo
- Trey Lockerbie from Better Booch
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to grow to the next level, this webinar is designed to provide actionable advice for beverage founders and entrepreneurs on the operations side of building your brand as the panel discusses:
• Financing options to fuel growth
• How to increase current velocities
• Strategies for expanding your distribution footprint
• Best practices for scaling production and operations
RSVP to secure your virtual seat!
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