How Lifeway Foods Built a Retail Category from Scratch | Shelf-Ready Growth Lessons for Founders скачать в хорошем качестве

How Lifeway Foods Built a Retail Category from Scratch | Shelf-Ready Growth Lessons for Founders

How do you build a category, earn retail shelf space, and stay relevant for over 40 years without venture capital or massive ad budgets? In this episode of Shelf Talks, host Roberta Townes sits down with Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway Foods, the brand that introduced kefir to the U.S. market and transformed it from a niche ethnic product into a national retail staple. Julie shares her powerful journey from growing up in an immigrant family business to becoming CEO at just 27 years old, leading a public company through skepticism, category creation, and massive retail growth. This conversation is a masterclass for product-based founders who want to get their products into retail stores, stay on shelf, and scale sustainably. If you’re a founder wondering: How to get into grocery stores without paying massive slotting fees How to build consumer demand that retailers can’t ignore How to educate shoppers on a new category How to scale in retail without losing brand integrity How to lead as a female founder in a male-dominated industry …this episode is for you. Julie breaks down how Lifeway: ✔ Built community before retail expansion ✔ Used grassroots and guerrilla marketing to drive trial ✔ Let consumers pull the brand into stores ✔ Stayed disciplined while others chased trends ✔ Continues to win in one of the most competitive retail categories today This episode is especially valuable for emerging brands, food and beverage founders, wellness entrepreneurs, and female founders preparing for retail growth. 🎧 Listen to the full episode to learn what it really takes to build a shelf-ready brand that lasts. About Shelf Talks: Shelf Talks is the podcast for female founders and product-based entrepreneurs who want to get their products onto retail shelves — and succeed once they’re there. Each episode features real stories, retail strategy, and actionable advice from founders who’ve done it. 👉 Listen, subscribe, and share if you’re building a brand meant for retail. 🔔 Subscribe to Shelf Talks for more founder stories, retail insights, and CPG growth strategies. Subscribe on You Tube, or Spotify & Apple Podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iNWnlq... Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 👀 FOLLOW Shelf Talks: Instagram:   / shelftalkspodcast   LinkedIn:   / shelf-talks-podcast   📘 Want to launch your product in retail stores? Grab the book “Shelf Talk” by Roberta Townes — your step-by-step retail guide! https://www.amazon.com/Shelf-Talk-Lau... Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast and help us share more founder stories and retail insights by visiting our listener support page. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/su... #retailbusiness #retailstrategy #indiebrand #founderstory