Founder Feature: Sarah Hartmann of Vêsucré
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 26 September 2025
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Caitlin Bricker interviews Sarah Hartmann, founder of Vêsucré, a zero-waste, plant-based dessert company based in Oneonta, New York. Sarah shares how Vêsucré—short for “vegan sweets”—evolved from a home kitchen experiment into a fast-scaling brand now featured in over 450 stores across nine states.
She discusses the innovation behind Vêsucré’s clean-label, dairy-free frozen desserts, the importance of inclusive hiring through a neurodiverse workforce, and the brand’s commitment to sustainability through zero-waste production practices. Sarah also highlights key partnerships with Cornell’s Food Spark program and Wakefern Food Corp., which helped accelerate Vêsucré’s retail expansion.
Plus, Sarah reveals how Vêsucré practices zero waste by repurposing oat milk byproducts into delicious treats like brownies and protein truffles—and how her latest initiative, The Makery, is helping other small food brands scale responsibly.
Listen now!
Listen in as they share about:
- Founder’s Inspiration & Product Development
- Business Growth & Mentorship
- The Makery Initiative
- Inclusivity and Workforce Development
- Sustainability & Zero Waste Commitment
- Retail Expansion
- Community & Support Networks
Episode Links:
Website: https://vesucre.com/
Website: https://themakeryoneonta.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skhartmann/
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Show Links:
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- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | A few years back when I ran a beverage company, we had to launch using those plastic sleeves to put our designs on the cans. |
| 0:08.0 | But they looked bad, the sleeves get stretched out, they don't cover the full can, and overall they just look and feel low quality. |
| 0:14.0 | Lucky for you, digital can printing technology has come so far over the last few years that now you can launch your beverage brand or new skews with a fully |
| 0:21.7 | printed look and it's at similar pricing to those plastic sleeves. |
| 0:25.3 | Our friends at CanWorks, which is the largest U.S.-based digital can printer, are happy to work with |
| 0:30.1 | our community at very low minimums, even one palette. |
| 0:32.9 | They've got locations in the East Coast, the West Coast, Texas. |
| 0:36.0 | Get in touch with them through our contact form. |
| 0:38.2 | It's at canworksprinting.com slash startup CPG. |
| 0:42.7 | Thank you. The first intern that we ever have is a young woman named Gwen. P.S., she's in the kitchen |
| 1:04.8 | right now. She's an employee, full employee, and an operations associate. But Gwen has a problem with texture. And so she |
| 1:13.2 | asked, you know, can we have just like a plain milk chocolate flavor? Because everything else has, |
| 1:19.2 | you know, salty, sweet, crunchy stuff on top. And I said, sure, but you're going to make it. |
| 1:23.4 | And so after like four rounds of testing, our milk chocolate flavor is exactly what it is now. |
| 1:29.8 | And it's pretty special to have, you know, Gwen and the other members of our team, you know, |
| 1:35.9 | visit the grocery store and go to the freezer and say, I made that. |
| 1:42.7 | Hey, everybody. This is Caitlin Br, editor at Startup CPG. |
| 1:47.0 | We are back with another founder feature. |
| 1:50.0 | Looking for a frozen dessert that's both delicious and doing good in the world? |
| 1:54.0 | Well, we might have found your new favorite. |
| 1:57.0 | Today we're talking with Sarah Hartman, founder of Vesoucra. |
| 2:00.0 | With their zero-waste production model, inclusive hiring practices, and clean label, Plant |
... |
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