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The Startup CPG Podcast

Founder Feature: Taylor Espinoza of Unicorn Bites

The Startup CPG Podcast

Startup CPG

Startup, Food, Business, Beverage, Cpg, Entrepreneurship

4.9 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Caitlin Bricker welcomes Taylor Espinoza, founder of Unicorn Bites, a fast-emerging better-for-you snack brand known for its 100% date-sweetened, allergen-free mini cookies.


Taylor shares her remarkable journey from practicing law to building a brand that’s redefining indulgence with clean, functional ingredients designed to be school-safe and family-friendly.


Throughout the conversation, Taylor discusses how Unicorn Bites evolved from a farmer’s market concept into a shelf-ready product beloved by parents and kids alike. She reveals the product development process—refining hundreds of recipes, responding to direct consumer feedback, and navigating challenges such as ensuring product consistency and durability during warm-weather shipping.


You will also gain insight into Taylor’s retail and growth strategy, her focus on local market expansion in New Jersey and New York, and her long-term vision of landing partnerships with leading natural retailers like Whole Foods and Erewhon. The episode closes with an engaging discussion on the evolving value of certifications, ingredient transparency, and how modern consumers are reshaping the standards of trust and authenticity in the food industry.


Listen now to learn how Taylor Espinoza turned a weekend baking passion into a purpose-driven snack brand.


Listen in as they share about:

  • Founder Story & Brand Origins
  • Product Development & Innovation
  • Branding & Naming
  • Retail & Growth Strategy
  • Managing Costs and Financial Planning
  • Certifications, Transparency & Consumer Trust
  • Community & Customer Connection


Episode Links:

Website: https://tryunicornbites.com/
Instagram: @tryunicornbites

 


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 (30K+ members and growing!)
  • Follow @startupcpg
  • Visit host Caitlin's Linkedin 
  • 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

To make a better for you cookie that was still fun,

0:13.8

that didn't feel like you were compromising and doing something boring and just not delicious.

0:20.1

And so that applies to adults and kids, you know,

0:22.8

adults who maybe want to, as you were mentioning, relive the nostalgic, like chewy chips

0:28.3

a hoi cookie days. And then kids who are like, yeah, I want a good snack that I'm going to be

0:34.2

able to take to school that doesn't feel boring. So I would say both,

0:37.6

but the natural top market for us has definitely been kids and their parents.

0:46.1

Hey, everybody. This is Caitlin Bricker, editor at Startup CPG. We are back with another founder

0:51.8

of future. Today we're talking with Taylor Espinoza, founder of Unicorn Bites, 100% date-sweetened mini-cookies that are school-safe and allergen-friendly.

1:01.8

As a practicing lawyer who started baking as stress relief, Taylor's legal background has been surprisingly useful for navigating everything from co-man contracts to compliance concerns as a first-time

1:12.7

CPG founder. From perfecting her recipe at farmers markets to becoming a shelfy's finalist in just

1:19.0

months, she's built something that doesn't compromise on taste while being truly better for you.

1:24.8

Unicorn Bites have earned themselves a top spot in our household suite selection,

1:29.3

and you're about to find out why. Enjoy. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the startup CPG

1:38.4

podcast. This is Caitlin, and today I'm here with Taylor Espinoza, founder of Unicorn Bites. Taylor,

1:44.9

welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so with Taylor Espinoza, founder of Unicorn Bites. Taylor, welcome to the show.

1:50.5

Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to have you here. You are a Shelfies finalist, and that is a huge feat. And we're going to get into it. But before we get into that, I would love for you to tell us what Unicorn Bites is for anybody who's listening and isn't familiar yet.

2:01.8

Yeah, sure. So Unicorn Bites are 100% date sweetened cookies. There are many cookies that are

2:08.0

school safe, so we don't use any of the top allergen. Awesome. I'm sure I'm sounding like a broken

2:13.9

record here, but I'm such a fan of dates. I feel like dates are the future for sweeteners.

2:19.2

I mean, they're the present, but they're definitely the future. And I'm always excited when I see a

2:24.2

date sweetened brand. So your products became a favorite in our household very quickly. Awesome. I'm so

...

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