Ops Spotlight: Laura Romano of Graza

The Startup CPG Podcast

Startup CPG

Startup, Food, Business, Beverage, Cpg, Entrepreneurship

4.9 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 11 October 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Turn every BFCM QR code scan into sales—get the free report now: www.uniqode.com/bfcmcpg

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Hannah Dittman speaks with Laura Romano, Director of Operations at Graza, the olive oil brand redefining a pantry staple. Laura shares her journey from scaling Blue Marble Ice Cream to leading operations at Graza, offering practical lessons on managing growth, strengthening supply chains, and building resilient systems.

Together, they discuss the operator’s mindset, balancing founder vision with operational realities, and the importance of forecasting, inventory management, and supplier relationships. Laura also highlights the critical role of packaging, pricing negotiations, and co-manufacturer partnerships, while reflecting on how to navigate the tension between scrappy execution and sustainable infrastructure.

Packed with insights from both successes and setbacks, this conversation is essential listening for founders, operators, and anyone passionate about scaling consumer brands effectively.

Tune in now to learn actionable strategies for building strong operations and positioning your business for long-term success.

Don’t miss the chance to connect with investors and brands—secure your spot at fandf.startupcpg.com

Listen in as they share about:

Graza Overview & Product Development
Operations in the Early Days
Role of an Ops Leader
Scaling & Growth Challenges
KPIs & Inventory Management
Manufacturing & Supplier Relationships
DTC vs. Retail Operations
Packaging & Distribution
Advice for Founders & Operators

Episode Links:

Website: https://www.graza.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-romano-47a9a89b/

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!)
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Visit host Hannah's Linkedin
Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
Episode music by Super Fantastics

Transcript

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0:00.0	Okay, you know that moment when someone hands you a business card and then it disappears into the void 10 minutes later?
0:07.6	Yeah, same.
0:08.4	If you're out pitching your CPG brand, grinding at trade shows, networking like it's your job, Unicode's digital business cards are the smarter, scalable upgrade that you need.
0:18.0	Just one tap or scan and boom, your contact info, socials, website,
0:22.4	videos, even your cell sheet saved instantly to their phone, no app required. But here's
0:27.6	where it gets next level. You get real-time data on who scanned it, where, what they clicked.
0:32.6	You can follow up faster and smarter. Unicode even integrates with your CRM, Salesforce, HubSpot. You can turn
0:39.4	handshakes into trackable leads automatically. If you're managing a team, you can deploy branded
0:45.2	cards at scale. You can lock templates for your brand consistency and automate updates
0:50.4	across the whole organization. So no more printing, guessing, or hoping that the card didn't end up in the hotel trash can.
0:56.8	Skip the paper, start making every hello measurable.
1:00.6	Hit the link in the show notes or visit unico.com slash CPG business cards.
1:04.8	That's un Iqo-d-com slash CPG business cards and create your first card and get your brand into their phone, not
1:13.6	their recycling bin.
1:14.9	All right.
1:37.1	Something I feel like I've definitely learned at my time in Graza is a decision that was made six months ago does not mean it's like a decision forever.
1:42.3	And it doesn't mean you have to keep on evaluating every decision you've made.
1:46.1	But I think a lot of times we make a great decision in the moment,
1:49.9	but it doesn't mean we shouldn't really look at it in again,
1:52.6	because your business is changing so much at all times.
1:57.7	You know, you picked up a new customer or you have changed the location of your command,
1:59.2	so now you should look at Freight again.
	...

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