#209 - Operations Law 101: Co-Mans & Distribution Deals
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 12 August 2025
⏱️ 65 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Daniel Scharff speaks with Ryan Hall and Anthony Iuzzolino from the boutique CPG law firm Giannuzzi Lewendon, to dive deep into the legal backbone of operations in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) world. They explore the critical components of co-manufacturing, supply, and distribution agreements—covering everything from pricing structures and exclusivity to intellectual property, volume commitments, termination clauses, and the real-world risks brands face when contracts go sideways.
Whether you’re dealing with a first-time co-man, evaluating DSD distributors, or navigating tricky termination fees, this episode is packed with expert legal insights that can help founders avoid costly mistakes and ensure operational agreements support long-term growth and optionality.
Don’t miss this valuable episode – Tune in now!
If you want legal guidance tailored to your CPG brand, reach out to rhall@gllaw.us or anthony@gllaw.us directly or visit gllaw.us to learn more.
Listen in as they share about:
- Co-Manufacturing (CoMan) Agreements
- Supply and Distribution Contracts
- Intellectual Property (IP) Protections
- 3PL (Third-Party Logistics) & Warehousing Agreements
- Distribution Agreements
- Pricing and Cost Management
- Contract Negotiation Strategy
- General Legal and Operational Strategy
Episode Links:
Website: https://gllaw.us/
Email: anthony@gllaw.us
Email: rhall@gllaw.us
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:
- Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
- Join the Startup CPG Slack community (20K+ members and growing!)
- Follow @startupcpg
- Visit host Daniel's Linkedin
- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
If you’re ready for the new standard for business banking,
Head to www.rho.co/startupcpgto learn more.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | What's up friends? Years ago I opened an account with one of the old banks, but they were stuck in the past. |
| 0:08.0 | The online banking was terrible. The customer support was worse, and I basically had to go into an actual bank to deposit any check. |
| 0:15.0 | It drove me nuts. That's why I'm so excited to tell you about our new partner for business banking, grow. |
| 0:20.0 | They are in it with us. |
| 0:22.1 | They are committed to helping emerging CPG startups grow, and they can move just as fast as we all do. |
| 0:27.4 | I got my new bank account and corporate cards set up the very first day. Roe is building a new |
| 0:33.0 | standard for business banking. With Roe, you get up to 2% cashback cards on all categories. Great yield on |
| 0:39.0 | idle cash and zero fees of any kind. And unlike most platforms, Roe does not leave you buried in those |
| 0:44.5 | help center articles. You know what I'm talking about. Everybody gets real dedicated support |
| 0:49.0 | from a team that goes to the end of the earth to help your business win. Once you hit hypergrowth, |
| 0:54.1 | Roe OS takes over. You can |
| 0:55.7 | scale your finance stack with fewer tools, fewer hires, and less friction with receipt matching via |
| 1:01.0 | text or email, and it puts accounting on autopilot once it learns how you code transactions. If you're |
| 1:06.7 | ready for the new standard for business banking, head to www.ro.com. That's rh0.com |
| 1:13.2 | slash startup CPG to learn more. Roe is a fintech company, not a bank or an FDIC insured |
| 1:18.4 | depository institution. Checking account and card services are provided by Webster Bank and a member |
| 1:23.0 | FDIC. See rewards terms for Complete Cashback Details. |
| 1:45.1 | Getting an agreement in place is really important. I think you touched on this earlier, Daniel, it's the backbone of your company. |
| 1:50.0 | What do you do? |
| 1:51.0 | You sell a product. |
| 1:52.0 | So you need agreements in place to define the relationship of the person who makes your product, |
| 1:57.0 | and then who then gets your product out to the customer. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Startup CPG, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Startup CPG and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.