Founder Feature: Susan Hartman of Recoup Beverages
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 14 March 2025
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Grace Kennedy sits down with Susan Hartman, co-founder of Recoup Beverages, to discuss the journey of building a gut-healthy hydration brand. Susan shares how she met her co-founder, Siwat, and how his personal health journey inspired the creation of Recoup. She dives into the challenges and triumphs of transitioning from a fresh juice product to a shelf-stable beverage, navigating retail expansion, and securing national distribution with Sprouts.
Susan also talks about the importance of branding, packaging decisions, and how to strategically market a beverage product in a competitive industry. She provides insights on raising capital, working with distributors, and leveraging trade shows like Expo West to gain visibility and connect with investors.
Whether you’re an emerging founder or a CPG enthusiast, this episode is packed with practical insights on brand positioning, retail growth, and consumer engagement.
Tune in now to hear Susan’s journey and learn how Recoup is redefining hydration!
Listen in as they share about:
- Founding Story & Inspiration of Recoup Beverage
- Branding & Marketing Strategy
- Retail Growth & Expansion
- Expo West & Pitch Slams
- Funding & Investment Strategy
- Future Plans (2025 & Beyond)
- Advice for Other Entrepreneurs
Episode Links:
Website: https://www.recoupwellness.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-buckwalter-hartman-704a19a/
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:
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- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:40.6 | Make sure to mention us at Startup CPG for a special |
| 0:43.1 | discount. |
| 1:07.7 | Thank you. We start regionally. We self-distributed, and that allows you to get a lot of feedback directly from the retailer, from the consumer. And it allows you to control the messaging, control your growth. And really until |
| 1:13.6 | you have to go to a distributor, it's a really nice way to grow in trial. And then if you have to |
| 1:18.8 | change things, you're not paying slotting fees over again. You know, you're not worried about all |
| 1:22.9 | the implications that happen if you don't do everything perfectly the first time. So most people tell you you need 40 points of distribution to unlock a distributor, |
| 1:32.3 | or sometimes if just one big anchor will do it. |
| 1:35.3 | So you don't have to worry about it, you don't have to deal with it until you get one of those anchor stores. |
| 1:40.3 | And then once you do, a lot of times they don't want to deal with a bunch of little brands. |
| 1:50.5 | Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the start of CPG podcast. |
| 1:54.3 | This is Grace, and I'm here with another founder feature. |
| 2:03.8 | Today, I'm talking to Susan Hartman, the co-founder of Recoup, a gut-healthy hydration brand. Recoup is gearing up for a big year with a national launch at sprouts and plans to develop a new skew. Susan and I talk all about |
... |
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