Founder Feature: Sue Delegan and Kim Hehir of Brutus Bone Broth
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 4 July 2025
⏱️ 41 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG podcast, Grace Kennedy speaks with Sue Delegan and Kim Hehir, the co-founders of Brutus Bone Broth, a leading brand in the emerging category of functional pet food toppers. As sisters and entrepreneurs, Sue and Kim share the journey of building a mission-driven company that started in their home kitchens and scaled to national distribution with major retailers like Target.
They explore how Brutus Bone Broth was born out of a personal need and quickly gained traction through strategic beta testing, a strong emphasis on product quality, and persistent outreach to retailers. Sue and Kim discuss navigating regulatory hurdles, maintaining cost-efficiency while preserving ingredient integrity, and the importance of innovation in developing new product lines like powdered bone broth and functional goat milk.
They also reflect on the emotional realities of entrepreneurship, the value of building collaborative relationships, and how a clear brand mission—nourishing pets while giving back to the community—has remained central to their growth.
Listen in to gain valuable insights on product development, retail strategy, and scaling a consumer brand—plus learn how Brutus Bone Broth is shaping the future of pet nutrition.
Listen in as they share about:
- Brutus Bone Broth Overview
- Manufacturing & Product Development
- Go-to-Market Strategy & Early Challenges
- Negotiation & Cost Management
- Retail Expansion
- DTC & Innovation
Episode Links:
Website: brutusbroth.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-hehir-6753391/Â
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 Grace's LinkedinÂ
- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 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. people ask all the time how did you get in with some of the largest manufacturing companies that make |
| 1:05.2 | mainstream broth for humans and i quite literally just called them and so many people hung up on me they laughed at me |
| 1:13.9 | of course that they had to sign an NDA before I could even talk to them so they were like this |
| 1:19.2 | girl is crazy hello everyone and welcome back to the startup CPG podcast this is is Grace and today I'm talking to Kim and Sue, |
| 1:31.0 | the co-founders of Brutus Bone Broth, who also happen to be sisters. Brutus Bone Broth creates |
| 1:37.2 | broth and broth-related recipes that are both tasty and nutritional. Brutus broth is easily digestible, |
| 1:46.7 | can give dogs added joint and hip protection, |
| 1:52.6 | and has also been known to help with food sensitivities and allergies. We chat all about why Kim and Sue created this product, how they launched nationwide into Target after only two years |
| 1:58.9 | in business, and why they're never afraid to negotiate a price. |
| 2:03.4 | I love chatting to Kim and Sue about all things Brutus Bone Broth and the original Brutus |
| 2:09.3 | the dog. And I hope you enjoyed this episode. And as always, let me know what you think. |
| 2:20.0 | Hello, everyone. |
| 2:22.0 | Today I am interviewing Kim and Sue, the co-founders and also real-life sisters of Brutus Bone |
... |
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.