Shelf Talks

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What does it really take to grow a product-based business and expand into retail? In this Retail Readiness Round, Erica Haft, founder of Sweeter Collective, shares three practical lessons for emerging brands looking to get their products on retail shelves.
Erica reveals what she wishes she had done before launching in retail, including building a stronger online community, and highlights the trade shows and communities that have helped her along the way, including Startup CPG, Natural Products Expo West, and Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City.
Her biggest piece of advice for founders? Start with one region, learn who your core customer is, and use the data to guide your growth. By focusing your time, energy, and financial resources on one market, you can better understand what resonates with shoppers before expanding into new regions.
Tune in for actionable retail advice to help you build a stronger brand, make smarter decisions, and prepare for your next stage of growth.
🎧 Listen to the full Shelf Talks Podcast conversation with Erica Haft for more insights into her entrepreneurial journey and the launch of Sweeter Collective.
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Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
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Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
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Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book

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What does it take to turn a big idea into a product on retail shelves? For Erica Haft, founder of Sweeter Collective, it started with a sweet tooth, a gap in the candy aisle, and the courage to leave a nearly decade-long career in law to build something entirely new.
In this episode of Shelf Talks, Erica shares how she reimagined hard candy with modern flavors and better-for-you ingredients, spent nearly two years developing the product, and landed an opportunity with Sprouts before her official launch.
We dive into the realities of launching a product in retail, from pitching buyers and spotting emerging flavor trends to navigating pricing challenges, building brand awareness, and learning why getting on shelf is only one part of retail success.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How Erica transitioned from attorney to founder of a consumer packaged goods brand.
Why identifying a gap in the market can spark a winning product idea.
How she connected with Sprouts through industry events and strategic networking.
Why pitching retailers before your product is fully finalized can be valuable.
What her early retail experience taught her about pricing, packaging, sampling, and social media.
Why building direct-to-consumer sales and brand awareness can support future retail growth.
How alternative channels, including hotels and independent retailers, can help emerging brands reach new customers.
Erica's journey is a reminder that retail success isn't just about getting your product into stores. It's about understanding your customer, learning from the data, and building a brand that shoppers want to discover.
Whether you're preparing to pitch your first retailer or figuring out how to grow after launch, this conversation is packed with insights you can apply to your own product-based business.
Connect with Sweeter Collective:
Website: https://sweetercollective.com
Instagram & TikTok: @sweetercollective
Follow Shelf Talks for more conversations with female founders building brands and bringing their products to retail shelves.
Support the show

Event Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0Zba

Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcast
Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/support
Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book

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What does it really take to be ready for a national retail opportunity?
In this Retail Readiness Round, Cory Varona, co-founder of OCOA Beauty, shares three important lessons every product-based founder should know before pitching a national retailer.
Cory talks about:
Why your product and packaging need to be retail-ready before you pitch
Why having a manufacturer that can scale with you is critical
How mentors, accelerators, and retailer programs can help open doors
Why researching your retail peers can make your pitch stronger
And the retail lesson she learned the hard way: supply chain is expensive
Cory also shares how Ocoa Beauty launched at Ulta Beauty through an accelerator program and why preparing before the opportunity comes can make all the difference.  
If you're a founder hoping to get your product into retail, this quick Retail Readiness Round is packed with practical advice you can use before your next buyer pitch.
🎧 Listen now and get retail ready.
Support the show

Event Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0Zba

Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcast
Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/support
Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book

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What does it really take to go from an idea in your kitchen to getting your product on the shelves of 461 Ulta Beauty stores?
In this episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta sits down with Cory Varona, co-founder of OCOA Beauty, the sister-founded curly hair brand inspired by their Dominican heritage and their own journey of learning to embrace their natural curls.
Cory and her sister Nicole didn't come from the beauty industry. Cory was an accountant and Nicole worked in financial services and marketing. But after discovering cleaner hair care options and realizing there was a gap in the market, Cory decided to educate herself in formulation and began developing OCOA's first products.
What followed was a journey filled with persistence, mistakes, a major rebrand, accelerator programs, and plenty of lessons about what it takes to become retail ready.
Cory shares how they:
• Created their first formulas themselves before partnering with a lab
• Found a manufacturer by refusing to give up
• Launched with one hero product instead of trying to launch five
• Learned the importance of branding and packaging before entering retail
• Rebranded from D N Organics to OCOA Beauty and connected the brand more deeply to their Dominican heritage
• Used accelerator programs to learn the retail business
• Prepared for and pitched Ulta Beauty
• Differentiated OCOA by identifying white space on the shelf
• Prepared their supply chain for a 461-store retail launch
• Learned the difference between selling DTC and supporting a retail business
• Track productivity and rebuys to understand retail performance
• Built community as a small brand without a huge marketing budget
Cory also gets candid about the challenges of growing a small CPG brand, knowing when to invest in education, building a business with your sister, leaving a corporate career, and trusting your intuition when the next opportunity appears.
If you're a founder trying to get your product into retail, this episode is packed with lessons on persistence, retail readiness, differentiation, community building, and knowing when your brand is ready for the shelf.
This is a conversation about more than getting into retail. It's about building a brand that is ready to stay there.
OCOA Beauty Website
OCOA Beauty Instagram
Support the show

Event Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0Zba

Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcast
Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/support
Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book

Send us Fan Mail
Getting your product onto a retail shelf is not the finish line. It’s the beginning.
In this solo episode of Shelf Talks, host Roberta breaks down one of the most powerful ways product-based brands can turn their retail presence into real consumer connection: sampling.
If you sell an experiential product that customers can taste, feel, use, or experience, sampling gives you the opportunity to connect with shoppers at the exact moment they are making purchasing decisions. But Roberta explains why the value goes far beyond getting someone to try your product.
You’ll learn how sampling can help you:
• Build trust and loyalty with consumers
• Turn product claims into real proof through firsthand experience
• Gather valuable feedback on your product, packaging, pricing, and positioning
• Create content from real customer reactions and conversations
• Show retail buyers that you are invested in growing your business once you’re on the shelf
• Turn retail associates into brand advocates
• Drive incremental sales and add-to-basket purchases
• Start sampling strategically, even when you have a small budget
• Create an in-store experience even if your product can't be physically sampled
Roberta also shares examples from founders featured on Shelf Talks, including SEEQ and Loonen Water, and explains how brands can start small with one store, one activation, and a clear strategy.
Whether you're already selling in retail or preparing for your first retail launch, this episode will help you think differently about what you do after you get on the shelf.
Because getting on the shelf is just the beginning. The real question is: what are you going to do with the opportunity?
Listen now and start thinking about how you can turn your retail shelf presence into an experience customers remember.
Support the show

Event Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0Zba

Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcast
Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/support
Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book