#186 - Bootstrap Heroes: Bumpin Blends, Lentiful and Drink Wholesome
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 11 March 2025
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG podcast, Daniel Scharff speaks with three visionary founders who have built and scaled their businesses without external funding. Joining the discussion are Lisa Mastela of Bumpin Blends, Ben Bacon of Lentiful, and Jack & Tessa Schrupp of Drink Wholesome—leaders who have mastered lean operations, strategic growth, and creative problem-solving.
Lisa shares how she turned a small investment into a $10 million revenue smoothie brand, leveraging unconventional marketing and scrappy operational tactics. Ben reveals how Lentiful grew from an idea to a profitable omnichannel brand, balancing DTC sales and retail expansion while staying lean. Jack and Tessa discuss how Drink Wholesome has scaled to $2 million in revenue with just two employees, focusing on product differentiation and strategic partnerships.
This episode explores cost-efficient scaling strategies, organic customer acquisition, and practical insights into operating a CPG business without outside capital. Whether you're an early-stage founder or looking to refine your growth strategy, this conversation offers actionable takeaways from those who have successfully bootstrapped their way to success.
Tune in to hear how these founders navigated challenges, optimized resources, and built thriving businesses—without giving up equity!
Listen in as they share about:
- Lisa Mastela - Bumpin Blends
- Overview
- Bootstrapping Tactics
- Marketing Approach
- Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) & Retail Expansion - Ben Bacon - Lentiful
- Overview
- Bootstrapping Tactics
- Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) & Retail Expansion
- Retail Strategy - Jack Schrupp & Tessa Schrupp - Drink Wholesome
- Overview
- Bootstrapping Tactics
- Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) & Retail Expansion
- Scrappy & Creative Growth Strategies
Episode Links:
Website: https://bumpinblends.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamastela/
Website: https://eatlentiful.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminpbacon/
Website: https://www.drinkwholesome.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-schrupp/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-schrupp-4a14a7a1/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
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- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, do you know about Mini Social? |
| 0:03.7 | So it takes seven touch points on average to convert a potential consumer. |
| 0:07.3 | You can get started by meeting your consumers where they can see you every day on social. |
| 0:11.9 | Our friends at Mini Social work with brands on micro-influencer amplification and UGC creation. |
| 0:18.2 | You can get content that's fully licensed for use on your own marketing channels |
| 0:21.6 | and watch creators post about your products to their audience. |
| 0:25.6 | Mini Social has been around since 2018, partnering with over 1,000 CPG brands like |
| 0:30.3 | Bonza, Outstanding Foods, Fly By Jing, Hydrant, Love Wellness, and many more. |
| 0:34.6 | You can learn how it works by visiting CPG.binisocial.com and take a look |
| 0:39.5 | of their case studies. |
| 0:40.6 | Make sure to mention us at Startup CPG for a special |
| 0:43.1 | discount. |
| 1:04.9 | Thank you. When I was a dietitian, I'm recommending smoothies to people every day. And I was recommending smoothies that were like specific to certain needs. So like if someone was really having |
| 1:09.1 | trouble focusing or having trouble sleeping |
| 1:11.3 | or having poor digestion, I'd be like, okay, you need this list of foods. Let's pack them together |
| 1:16.4 | in a smoothie and make it taste good. It was during COVID, my wife and I started eating more |
| 1:20.0 | plant base. She made lentils for me one night. I was two bites in. I'm like, what am I eating? And she's |
| 1:24.9 | like, it's lentils. And then I just started seeing it everywhere, like Tim Ferriss and Reese Witherspoon and Dua, they're all talking about how much they love |
| 1:32.7 | Lennels. And like, you go to the store, there's no Lennels. And so that was the first dot. |
| 1:36.4 | So in 2024, we cracked the $2 million revenue threshold with only two employees, which was a big |
| 1:44.1 | achievement for us. But it didn't seem |
| 1:46.3 | that way because we're five years into what has been quite the grind. Start-up CPGers. Welcome to |
... |
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