Founder Feature: Philip Teverow of Yolélé
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 28 February 2025
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of The Startup CPG Podcast, Grace Kennedy sits down with Philip Teverow, co-founder of Yolélé, an African food brand bringing Fonio, a gluten-free ancient grain, to the U.S. market. Philip shares the inspiring story of how he and his business partner, Chef Pierre Thiam, embarked on a mission to introduce African flavors to a wider audience while supporting West African farmers and sustainable agriculture.
Philip discusses the challenges of building a supply chain from West Africa to the U.S., how Yolélé secured Whole Foods as its first major retailer, and why food service is their next big focus. He also dives into the unexpected rise of Fonio beer, how Yolélé is expanding into new product categories, and offers valuable advice for emerging CPG founders navigating distribution and growth.
If you’re curious about innovative food businesses, sustainable supply chains, or simply want to try Fonio chips for yourself, this episode is a must-listen!
Listen in as they share about:
- The Origins of Yolélé
- Fonio – An Ancient African Grain
- Expanding Product Line & Retail Presence
- Supply Chain Challenges & Solutions
- Surprising Uses of Fonio
- Business Growth & Strategy
- Advice for CPG Entrepreneurs
Episode Links:
Website: https://yolele.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-teverow-9215962/
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- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | All right, we've got a cool new opportunity for brands that are right for the fitness crowd. |
| 0:37.8 | You know how it really costs a lot of money to get people to sample your product? Like doing demos in the store, you have to pay the agency, get them the product. Same for field marketing. Well, great news. We've got a new partner, the Lyft Box. It's America's Top Fitness subscription box, which goes out to 15,000 subscribers per month. You can get in the box. there's no cost to participate, and they actually help you out with some money to cover your cogs because they end up selling the boxes for their subscribers, which means the audience really values the products inside. On top of the money and exposure, you get to take advantage of their product photoshoots, post-sampling surveys, influencer seating, and media opportunities. Check them out. Find out why brands like Lenny and Larry's Ghost and Lonnie New use them. |
| 0:42.0 | If your product would be a fit, visit their website for more information. |
| 0:45.2 | It's the liftbox.com slash partners. That's t-h-e-l-f-t-B-X.com slash partners. |
| 0:52.6 | It's in the show notes. |
| 1:13.6 | To get visibility for any product in the store, you need display. Right? |
| 1:14.6 | Display drives much more trial and sales than any other promotional method. |
| 1:21.6 | You know, the yellow tag is okay, but in a lower price, even two for one is pretty good. |
| 1:28.3 | But if you put it out there at full price on display and everyone notices it and sees it, |
| 1:33.3 | they'll buy it. |
| 1:34.3 | So we started thinking we need to use Fonio in products in a category that is display-oriented. |
| 1:41.3 | And so we made Fonio chips, salty snacks. And we've been much more |
| 1:48.6 | cautious about gaining distribution for those because it's a very competitive category, |
| 1:54.6 | expensive to play in, and it's got a limited shelf life, and you want to be sure. |
| 2:01.6 | Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Startup CPG podcast. |
| 2:05.6 | This is Grace and I'm here with another founder feature. |
| 2:09.6 | Today I'm talking to Phil Tevereaux, the co-founder of Yulele, |
| 2:13.6 | a brand on a mission to bring the food and flavors of West Africa to American |
| 2:19.0 | tables. Their superstar ingredient is Phonio, an ancient grain grown in West Africa that |
| 2:25.1 | is gluten-free, low-glycemic, and cooks in just five minutes. Phil has decades of experience |
| 2:31.8 | in the food industry and actually helped bring quinoa to the American market in the 80s. |
| 2:36.5 | So he has a wealth of knowledge to offer his fellow CPT founders in this episode. |
... |
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