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First time CPG food & beverage founder
Brand Strategy
You’re one step closer to turning your product idea into a brand people want to shop.
Why brand strategy comes next
Building a CPG food & beverage brand isn’t just about your product — it’s about launching a brand people want to shop.
But before your brand name, logo, packaging, or even choosing flavors… comes brand strategy.
This is where I come in.
Within 4 weeks, I’ll work with you one-on-one pre-launch founders to turn your product idea into a brand. Your brand strategy becomes the roadmap that defines what makes you different, why people will buy, and how you’ll build buzz and stand out on shelf.
Don’t spend thousands on packaging & choosing flavors before you know who your brand is.
You’ll then use this roadmap to make every early decision— sharing it with your food scientist for formulation direction, shaping your content as you build in public, handing it to your designer for branding and packaging, pitching early investors, and landing your first retail partners.
And I don’t hand over the strategy and leave. I stay with you as you put it into action — advising you through each step, connecting you with the right partners, and helping you launch with buzz. You get the roadmap and an industry insider in your corner.
As a first-time founder, you’re juggling a lot. And with a high failure rate in CPG, it’s easy to make early missteps from confusing messaging, inconsistent branding, or missed retail opportunities can slow your launch before it even begins. That’s why brand strategy before launch changes everything.
Working with me goes beyond strategy— it’s about industry access, community, and putting your brand in the right rooms early.
First time CPG food & bev founder?
Here’s a high-level view of how your brand comes to life and why starting with strategy saves time, money, and missteps.
1. Brand Strategy — Your First Step: This work is your pre-launch roadmap to turn your product idea into a brand. This work comes before naming, design, manufacturing, or flavors. This shapes every decision that follows.
2. Trademark: Protect the brand you’re building with a proper search and filing.
3. Formulation & Manufacturing: Choose the right partners once you know who you’re for and what sets you apart.
4. Go-to-Market Strategy: Pricing, margins, channel clarity, and distribution strategy.
5. Branding & Packaging: Packaging becomes your first salesperson — but it must be rooted in your strategy.
6. Financial Strategy: Plan your path from pre-launch to your first $1M in revenue.
7. Social Media: Start building buzz early with your founder story and behind-the-scenes.
8. Photography: Capture the lifestyle, e-comm, and founder visuals needed for launch.
9. Shopify Website: Create a home base and start building your waitlist.
10. Activations, Sampling & Seeding: Get your product into real hands early to gather feedback and build community.
11. Early Retail: Identify stores that make sense for your stage, price point, and category fit.
12. Document the Build: Founders who build in public gain attention sooner — from consumers, buyers, investors, and media.
Bottom Line: Brand strategy is step one.
Everything that comes next depends on the clarity you build upfront. If you want to launch more confidently and avoid costly pivots — you need your strategy in place first.
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Brand Concept: Explains what your brand is, why it exists, and what makes it stand out in the market
Founder & Brand Story: Connects your personal journey with the problem your brand solves
Media Bio: Provides a press-ready intro that highlights your key selling points
Consumer Problem & Solution: Defines the customer need and how your product is their answer
Brand Differentiators: Pinpoints the unique features that set your brand apart
Brand Messaging to Test Pre Launch: Outlines the core messages that communicate your value and builds buzz. use for content, sampling, tasting to test messaging before packaging
Brand Opportunities: Identifies trends, whitespace, and positioning that give you an edge
Brand Values: Clarifies the principles that guide your brand and connect with consumers
Brand Voice & Personality: Inspiration for visual branding & packaging design
Pack Claims: Short phrases on your packaging that quickly tell shoppers what your product is and why they should care before they ever read the ingredients
Brand Name Concepts (if needed): Naming options that capture your identity and are memorable
Tagline Concepts: Distilling your brand into a short and punchy line
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Launch Product & Flavors: Defines the lead product that represents your brand and drives your launch
Customer Lifestyle Profile: Describes your early adopters, their habits, and how your product fits their life
Consumer Selling Points: Highlights the must-have features that drives sales & reorders
Buyer Use Cases: Shows real-life scenarios where your product becomes the go-to choice
Sales Channel Strategy Consultation with Danielle Calabrese, founder It’s All Happening so you can understand the best sales channels for you brand and product
Retail Positioning for Launch (with consulting from Nicole Krasnow Smith): Along side myself, I bring in a retail buyer. Nicole will work with you to differentiate your product, think about potential competition, and help you navigate how you position your brand. There's a difference between a new brand, and a category disruptor, and Nicole will help you make waves.
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Pre-launch Content Hooks: Storylines that builds buzz and audience
Instagram Bio: Explaining how to fill our your social media bios
Brand Activation Series: Creates a repeatable plan for activations that build buzz and visibility
Brand Partnerships with Nicole Krasnow Smith: Along side myself, I’ll bring in Nicole who will provide ideas and execution strategies on how to show up in your community, on menu, and more. Not only is it important to get on shelf, but you need to sell! Partnerships is truly the combination of sales and marketing.
What's inside your brand strategy...
What's inside your brand strategy...
What’s Included
4x Brand Strategy Meetings— Clear direction, confident decision-making, and a strong foundation you can build on ($1600 value)
Retail Positioning, Packaging & Partnerships Consultations — You’ll receive retail feedback through a strategic review with Nicole Krasnow Smith, who works directly with emerging brands as they prepare for launch and retail ($600 value)
Sales Channel Strategy Consultation — A dedicated consultation with Danielle Calabrese, founder of It’s All Happening, to determine the right sales channels for your product ($300 value)
Ready-to-Use Brand Strategy Deck— You’ll walk away with a complete, founder-friendly brand strategy deck, your roadmap for launch ($5000 value)
Invitation to Continued Advisement— Select clients are invited into continued advisement post-strategy. This offers ongoing guidance as you execute — including pressure-testing decisions, making warm introductions to trusted partners, and navigating launch with momentum ($5000 value)
Save $500+ with one time payment
SAVE $
How it works...
How it works...
Week 1
Brand
We define what your brand is, why it exists, and why people will care.
This week builds the strategic core that guides everything that follows (1 hour)
Week 2
buyer
We shape your product, use cases, and positioning so it’s easy to say yes to by consumers and retail buyers (1 hour)
Week 3
buzz
We focus on brand awareness, discoverability, and strategic partnerships and collaborations (with Nicole Krasnow Smith) to drive trial, visibility, and sell-through (1 hour)
Week 4
STRATEGY
A launch-ready roadmap and introductions to the right strategic partners to help you execute. (1 hour)
You’ll Work with Industry Experts
Nicole Krasnow Smith
Nicole will consult on your retail positioning, packaging, and partnership strategy. Nicole has spent her career growing and discovering emerging brands. With experience in sales, marketing, partnerships, and scouting, she has taken her love and passion for great branding and innovative products, into directly working with brands as they prepare for retail and launch.
Danielle Calabrese
Danielle will consult on your sales channel strategy. With 16+ years in CPG, Danielle has scaled brands from zero to $40M, revived a legacy brand, guided 100+ brands to $100M in sales, and secured dozens of SKUs with top distributors and retailers. Danielle advises founders helping them build smarter, not harder. She is the creator of Launch Lab, a program for first time, early stage founders and the host of the It's All Happening, Women in CPG podcast.
kelly bennett
Kelly Bennett will be your brand strategist. With 15+ years of experience working with early-stage brands, she helps founders turn better-for-you product ideas into brands people want to shop.
The outcomes of brand strategy
pre-launch
create your audience early with a list of people excited to buy at launch
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You’ll have a roadmap and an industry insider in your corner as you launch
Launch with buzz by Building in public, activations, and community before hitting shelves
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Your Brand Strategy will…
Clearly differentiate your brand in a crowded marketplace
Uncover unique selling points that resonate with your target customers
build buzz with targeted partnerships, strong consumer engagement, and sales at launch
Client Perks
Sneak peek events
Clients have exclusive opportunities to showcase their products at invite-only Sneak Peek events—placing your brand in front of industry leaders, media, buyers, investors, and tastemakers before launch. Hosted twice a year in New York City.
Emerging brands podcast
Clients may be invited to share their founder and brand story on a leading industry podcast listened to by fellow founders, operators, retailers, and emerging brand fans.
the founders table
Clients receive exclusive access to intimate, invite-only gatherings in New York City with founders building standout emerging brands, along with continued advisement as they put their strategy into action.
Have an industry expert in your corner
Hi! I’m Kelly Bennett a New York City–based brand strategist for pre-launch CPG food & beverage founders and host of Emerging Brands Podcast®.
I got my start in CPG by bootstrapping a nationally recognized plant-based restaurant. Before we opened the doors, I built community through social media, activations, and partnerships—launching with a waitlist, national press in Forbes, CNN, and LA Times, and multiple locations.
With 15+ years of experience working with founders across hospitality, food, beverage, and lifestyle, I’ve developed a framework that helps first-time founders turn early product ideas into brands people want to shop.
When you work with me, you’re not just getting strategy — you’re gaining a partner who’s been on both sides of the shelf. My process connects every piece of your brand so you can launch with confidence and community already in place. Launch with confidence, stand out on shelf, land first retailers.
Once your strategy is complete, you’re not on your own. You’ll have access to check-in calls and warm introductions within my network to help you move seamlessly into launch execution.
Most founders spend thousands redoing packaging, messaging, and positioning after realizing they weren’t clear on who they were for. But skipping strategy costs you more.
This process saves you time, money, and stress by getting it right the first time— and positions you for growth with a cohesive brand that connects deeply with your audience and stands out on shelf.
How you’ll use your brand strategy
Naming your brand
Finding the right advisors for your business
Go-to-market strategy
Formulation
Flavor choices
Finding the right manufacturing partner
Financial strategy
Visual branding
Creating content
Testing messaging, taglines & selling points
Copywriting for packaging & website
Packaging
Product testing for early feedback
Building pre-launch waitlist
Activations & sampling series
Building brand awareness with specialty retailers
Brand partnerships
Launch event
Pitching investors
Save $500+ with one time payment
SAVE $