Founder Feature: Marc Brown of ONOIN
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 15 May 2026
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Marc Brown, founder of ONOIN — a line of shelf-stable, pre-chopped and flavored onions in 100% olive oil designed to save you time and tears in the kitchen. ONOIN comes in four flavors — original, garlic and herb, jalapeño lime, and ginger and lemongrass — and is designed to go on or in anything, from eggs to meatballs to savory oatmeal bowls.
Marc is a food scientist with a master's degree from Drexel University and a seriously stacked background: R&D and industrialization at Danone, Head of R&D as employee #8 at Clio Snacks, and R&D and contract manufacturing work at Hain Celestial. He came to founding ONOIN with a rare 360-degree view of the food industry — from bench science to co-manufacturer negotiations to retailer conversations — and shares hard-won lessons throughout this conversation.
Together, Caitlin and Marc dig into why chopped onions in a jar hadn't been done before (and why it should have been), the origin story of the ONOIN name (credit goes to his brother-in-law at a backyard grill), and what makes a co-manufacturer relationship truly work. Marc breaks down the three-part pricing transparency framework every brand should demand from their co-man — raw, pack, and toll — and explains why trust and belief in your vision are just as important as the contract.
They also get into the realities of early-stage distribution, how to build a velocity story with the right retail partners, and why knowing your product well enough to tell a buyer exactly why they need it on the shelf is non-negotiable.
Listen in as they cover:
- How a graduate school innovation exercise sparked the idea for ONOIN
- Why shelf-stable pre-chopped onions solve a problem that fresh never fully could
- The naming journey from "Yun" to ONOIN — and why the name works on shelf
- The three things every brand must demand from their co-manufacturer: raw, pack, and toll
- Red flags when vetting a co-man and why trust is the ultimate filter
- How Marc's background at Danone, Clio Snacks, and Hain Celestial shaped his approach to founding
- Building a velocity story with retailers who actually believe in your product
- Why knowing your product's ideal placement in store can change your whole sales conversation
- Reducing food waste — one of ONOIN's often-overlooked benefits
Whether you're a founder navigating co-manufacturer relationships, a food scientist thinking about making the jump to your own brand, or a buyer looking for the next smart pantry staple, this episode is for you.
Episode Links:
ONOIN Website: https://eatonoin.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eat.onoin/
Marc Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-brown-41500546/
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- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | There needs to be transparency on pricing and what is driving cost. |
| 0:14.8 | If somebody will not give you the breakdown of these three things, you are in trouble. |
| 0:19.3 | Raw, pack, toll. |
| 0:21.1 | What is the cost of your raw materials going into that? |
| 0:23.4 | What is the cost of your packaging, whether each jar, lid, label costs X? |
| 0:27.8 | And then finally, toll. |
| 0:29.2 | How much does it cost to turn those raw materials into that finished product? |
| 0:32.9 | And then find someone that believes from you and the vision because you cannot scale like |
| 0:37.0 | that where every single time you're worried about a production or this or that or payments or finances |
| 0:41.7 | or inventory, that's not a way to build a business. |
| 0:45.6 | Hey everybody, this is Caitlin Bricker, managing editor at Startup CPG. |
| 0:49.9 | We are back with another founder feature. |
| 0:52.4 | Today I'm sitting down with Mark Brown, founder of Anowin, |
| 0:55.7 | shelf stable, pre-choped, and flavored onions and olive oil |
| 0:58.9 | designed to save you, time, and tears in the kitchen. |
| 1:02.3 | Mark's a food scientist with a master's degree from Drexel |
| 1:05.3 | and a seriously impressive background at Danone, Cleo Snacks, and Haines Celestial. |
| 1:10.6 | We're diving into how he came up with that |
| 1:12.7 | genius name, Ono In, meaning the onions go on or in anything, why co-manufacturer relationships |
| 1:20.5 | are make or make for food brands, the red flags to watch for when choosing a co-man, and his advice on |
| 1:26.5 | building velocity stories with retailers |
| 1:28.7 | who believe in your product. Plus, we're talking about why transparency and pricing is non-negotiable |
... |
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