The CPG Launch Sequence
Perfect the product, lock the co-packer, then let it fulfill before you sell.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 85%
Emma lays out a repeatable sequence for launching any consumer packaged good, not just food. It starts with a product you're passionate about and have refined, then moves to R&D because mass production alters flavor and quality. Next comes finding a solid co-packer, adding a mentor or partner, and writing a business plan. Only once you can actually fulfill an order do you approach buyers, because failing to fill a purchase order usually ends the relationship. Marketing is then near-free through social media if the product is genuinely good.
Origin
Emma has spent her life in the food industry, from doing supermarket demos at 12 to placing all the orders for her family's growing company. When strangers repeatedly ask her how to launch a CPG brand, she distilled her experience into an ordered set of steps she shares freely, emphasizing the R&D and fulfillment pitfalls she has seen sink other startups.
Core principles
- 01R&D matters because mass production changes taste, texture, and quality.
- 02A solid co-packer determines whether the company succeeds or fails.
- 03Never take a purchase order you cannot fulfill — a missed PO is rarely repeated.
How to run it
- 1
Refine a product you're passionate about
Start with ingredients or a formulation you have genuinely worked on for a long time, whether food, shampoo, or another CPG.
- 2
Do the R&D for scale
Test how the product holds up under mass production, because taste, texture, and quality often change when scaled.
Watch out A recipe or formula that shines in small batches can degrade at scale — validate before committing.
- 3
Find a solid co-packer
Secure a reliable manufacturing partner, since the co-packer's quality can make or break the company.
Watch out Many startups fail specifically because they chose a poor co-packer.
- 4
Add a mentor or partner and a business plan
Bring in someone to support you and write a business plan to structure the launch and protect your mental health as a founder.
Pro tip Ask for mentorship directly — Emma gives advice to strangers who simply ask.
- 5
Confirm fulfillment, then sell
Only approach buyers once you can reliably fulfill orders; use free social media marketing to build demand.
Pro tip If the product is great, word of mouth and organic social will carry it.
Watch out If you win a PO and can't fulfill it, the buyer will not place another — never over-promise capacity.
In the wild
Emma launched with a keto cauliflower crab cake adapted from her grandfather's recipe by removing breadcrumbs and adding cauliflower, positioning her line as comfort food made healthier for the frozen market.
→ A differentiated product line that got her onto QVC and into Costco.
Common mistakes
Skipping R&D for scale
Assuming a small-batch recipe or formula will taste and perform the same at mass production leads to a degraded product on shelves.
Meeting buyers before you can fulfill
Winning a purchase order you cannot deliver on burns the buyer relationship, and they typically won't give you a second chance.
Is it for you?
Best for
First-time consumer product founders in food, beauty, or wellness who have a formulation but no launch roadmap.
Not ideal for
Digital or service businesses with no physical manufacturing component.
From the transcript
“once you have the ingredients down, then it's time to go meet with a c-acker. And that's when it's really, really important to find a…”
“you really have to do R&D when it comes to launching a product, especially at that scale”
“the worst thing is you don't ever want to go in and meet with a buyer, they want the product, they put in the PO,…”
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