SIMPLi

Speaker A: Welcome to the Emerging Brands podcast sharing the stories behind brands you'll want to shop next. I'm your host, Kelly Bennett. I am a New York City based brand strategist for CPG food and beverage brands. In each episode I'll take you behind the scenes of uh, founders that are building better for you products and bringing them to market. Also, I talk to brand builders, retailers, industry experts and tastemakers who help bring those cool products to your shopping cart. You will stories of real life founders, their launch strategies and practical advice you could use to grow your own brand or simply discover what's next on shelf. And the best part is you could shop all the brands featured on the show.

Speaker B: This podcast is brought to you by Glimpse. Glimpse is an AI powered deduction management tool that disputes and recovers invalid deductions, winning brands thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours back to founders so that they could focus on what really matters most. If you're a brand selling in retail, go to try glimpse.com trial for 30 days free and let them know I sent you. Now let's dive into the new episode.

Speaker C: Hi everyone.

Speaker B: Welcome back to a new episode of

Speaker C: uh, Emerging Brands podcast with Kelly Bennett. When this brand came across my desk as a possible guest on the podcast, I got genuinely so excited. For one, I just saw they did a beautiful event in New York City. The event producer Philo is one of my favorite event producers in the city. It looked absolutely stunning how the brand activated also their retail presence in natural, conventional, indie, uh, film, food service, D2C, multiple categories. This brand honestly checks so many boxes of what I admire in cpg. And so today I have Sorella Harada. She is the co founder of Simply and I'm so happy to have you on the show today.

Speaker D: I am so happy to be here. Thank you for having me, Kelly.

Speaker C: You're so welcome. As I was sharing, I love how your brand is activating and how you just are finding so many unique ways of finding distribution and also collaborations and also having that integrity behind the products. Right. Which is so important. So I would love to first kick off the conversation with how did the idea of simply first come to be?

Speaker D: Yeah, and I think you led with a really good point of building that integrity and that trust.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker D: As we launch companies we believe that that trust can be built immediately, but it actually takes time and we've been in the market now for, for six years and um, we're just in that moment where now trust has truly been built and our brand is coming and activating in different ways because Our consumer base, um, really trusts the work that we're doing at Sembly. Um, but the brand got started from a, from understanding that there was a need in the market for ingredients that stand for authenticity, trust, nutrient density, quality, um, and for the gap that the farmers, um, specifically at that time international. Now we do a lot of work domestically. We're not being thought as a direct stakeholder on food and not really thinking them, um, thinking about the impact that our food systems have on them from a social aspect but also from an environmental aspect. So me and my husband now, but at that time it was my boyfriend of six months, I'm Peruvian myself. And um, I had to bring Matt down to South America and show him South America, um, introduce him to my family. But most importantly, just see how we connect with nature and food in a different way. Um, so we started to backpack and hiked and in one of trips we were right on the border of Peru and Bolivia and Lake Taka. And there's this island in the middle, it's called, um, the uh, island of the Sun Isol. And we were camping in that island. And um, at that time I was working for Cava, which is a Mediterranean fast casual and the, the food and beverage team. And um, we were always at, at that time and this is 2,000, maybe 17, 18, um, you know, there was the boom of fast casuals, better for you food and, and you know, sweet green and kava and all this chop do, all these concepts were just growing and exploding, um, in quality really matter. But how do you do that at scale? Now you have this really bigger brands going out, um, and it's not only on the retail side but, you know, building infrastructures that are going to put millions of pounds of product of better for you food on the table. So my role at Cava, I was always challenged to find great food, great ingredients. But it could really be done at scale. Not just a niche product or a niche, really great story, but transformational food change systems. And during the hike with Matt, we saw that um, the lake was surrounded by beautiful fields of quinoa. And the farmers, it felt like there was no inquino at that time, was already introduced into the US for 20 years development change for them. So it just felt like something was missing. And that the uh, export market benefits didn't really, it uh, didn't really affect them. They were just continuing to do the same. And the consumer wanted to know more about where food came from and the impact that their voting dollars were doing to the farmers. So it Just felt like there was a huge disconnect internationally building, bringing products of authenticity and that are better for you and better for the environment and can just really influence the environment and the farmers. Yet that was not happening on the sourcing ground. So it just felt like there was a huge disconnect. So that's where the idea of simply came from. And our first product that we launched was quinoa into the market. And um, we launched service which is very, very unique for a CPG brand to, to go with that angle. But we needed economies of scale, we needed volume, we need our long term commitments within farming and honoring their work that they do. It needed to have the infrastructure for export, for import, for processing, um, for deep relationships with the land. So we launched in food service and then um, we, this was. We launched in January 2020 and we had three incredible clients. We had Sweet Green that signed up, we had Little Beat and we had be Good up in Boston. And um, Covid hit in March20. We had all this incredible inventory in the US but nowhere to be placed. And um, we had to as a, as an entrepreneur and thinking uh, outside the box, we had to really think of what partners we could go to market with. And um, that's when Daily Harvest and Blue Apron and um, Marley Spoon were really taking off. So we partner up with the meal kit organizations and we started thinking what about retail? If we believe our B2B partners can do this, can consumers really see the value of ancestral indigenous agriculture? That when grown the right way is going to be better for environment and better for you. It is going to have more nutrient dense. And this was all a theory back then. Right. We're talking about in 2020.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker D: We have that all validated of the linkage of healthy soil is more nutrient dense food. It grows more nutrient dense food. So um, yeah, so that's how we got into market and then eventually we got into retail.

Speaker B: What an incredible story.

Speaker C: And also the fact that you come from cava, right. That background you had that lined up of food service and finding that go to market partner, then the most wild pivot of all. Right. And then going into retail, what were some of the things that you had to show shift? Was it the packaging, the storyline? Right. Because we know that pitching to food service is different than say pitching to retailers and also directly to consumers. So I would love to hear how you went about that first pivot.

Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. And. And today we, we didn't lead with D2C until this year on the 20.

Speaker C: Oh, interesting. Okay.

Speaker D: So our Business has been food service, then retail and now D2C. Um, because simply had to build supply chains first we had to bring products. Uh, we have 20 regenerative organic certified unique product supply chains in the market and that makes up 33 SKUs. We are the um, the company that has the biggest SKUs that are regenerative organic certified in the market. And regenerative organic certification is, is. It means that the product has to be organic first and foremost and it builds on that. It needs to have really good soil health. So the food that is grown is going to be more nutrient dense and more flavorful. And what you and the animals that make up the ecosystem have to take care taken care of and the people are, have to be fairly paid. And the whole concept is that you not only take from the land but you also give back.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker D: So next year the next harvest is better and it continues to increase. But, but um, that pivot. So those three channels are very different. How you communicate to those three channels and how you show your value to those three channels are completely different. So for food service it was really building a supply chain. It was building consistency. It was building um. When food is grown the right ah way it also performs better on, on the line. It just holds better. Our grains are going to be fluffier, our beans are going to be more buttery. And when concepts care about the quality of ingredients that put it on their menu. As consumers we notice that.

Speaker A: Right?

Speaker D: We notice. And when we stop going to a restaurant, maybe there was a restaurant that we went once a week and then now we're going once a month and now we're going once a quarter is because we don't have that crave in that reason is because sometimes their quality of ingredients go down. You might not notice it right away, but the next time you come back six months after that's not the same meal that you had before that it made you go to that concept. So really invest on the quality are the concepts that are really focused on same store sales growth and just that creating that consumer um, uh, loyalty. So that's B2B. That's food service. And make sure that you have the infrastructure, supply chains and volume to support it. Because a restaurant running out of food is chaos. You always.

Speaker C: It really is. I come from the restaurant business. That was uh, how I got into cpg and that was like literally the worst days.

Speaker D: That's right.

Speaker C: We ran out of something. It was like oh my gosh, it scales.

Speaker D: A trustworthy supplier.

Speaker C: Yes.

Speaker D: The retail side is telling that story direct to the consumer.

Speaker A: So mhm.

Speaker D: What we have learned is that the consumer, while we all at our heart appreciate the sustainability story and supporting the smallholder farmer and supporting the environment and having a way to be an activist, because regenerative organic agriculture sequesters carbon and fights climate change, consumers are also looking for what's in it for me. What are the attributes of the product that is going to make me come back. We were leading a lot with the sustainability story because that is the heart of simply that's why I wake up every single day and I do this fight. Because we truly believe that healthy soil will grow better food and that is going to change the food system in the United States. But we realized that what regenerative organic agriculture does is it creates food that is more nutrient dense. So we just finished a nutrient density study where food is 35% more nutrient dense than USDA benchmarks. And that's because of how it's grown. It has more fiber, protein, it has, is a rich source of the essential eight minerals. And when you compare against a quinoa that is regenerative organic versus a conventional quinoa is by data better for you. If you compare a regenerative organic bean against a conventional bean is better for you. Our food has no glyphosates, no heavy metals, no chemicals. So that's how we lean and in and tell the story to consumers.

Speaker C: That makes so much sense. So when you were making that shift of communicating that to consumers, did you have to do your own um, research or is there research happening right now that you're able to leverage for that?

Speaker D: So the, the regenerative organic movement, although it is new and growing, the fastest growing certification in the market by far, the concept of it is very ancient, is based on indigenous agricult is what our ancestral knowledge comes from in agriculture. Yet we have moved away so far from it, from the industrialization of food. And um, after World War II we needed food to feed um, soldiers and families. And although manufacturing of food, processing of food felt like a bend, a solution at that time, it has become the norm in the grocery stores of America. So the concept of growing good food, rotational crops and having nutrients in our food that are not empty calories is how we, how humans have grown through generations. So it's just bringing that back and just bringing that awareness, um, that our food should taste good and it should fuel you and it should be medicine. Um, so that's what simply is really trying to convey and educate the consumer that lentils and beans and Grains should be tasty and you should crave them and you should be excited to have them on your meals.

Speaker C: I want to have like a simply bean salad after this podcast. I'm in. I'm totally in. Uh, so a question I wanted to ask you is that for retail in, in particular you're in the natural channels, you're in some conventional channels, independent. How has that pitch worked for the retail buyers to buy into this too? Have you found that they're looking for more regenerative organic products or that consumers are just catching up?

Speaker B: Like because there's so many different components

Speaker C: of how to get products on consumers radar. So I would love to hear more from the retail buyer pitch of how you're also moving not just in natural but in more conventional grocery stores too.

Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. And yes, regenerative organic claim and certification is definitely a huge pillar that retailers are looking to add to their shelves today. A matter of fact, they're trying to put more products in more categories and there isn't enough brands that are certified or have developed these supply chains yet or are going through that journey to get those products out. So it is. Yeah. So there's a huge encouragement, I would say for brands to be part of the regenerative organic movement, to be regenerative organic certified specifically because it's the only regenerative certification in the market that builds on organic. So we believe that there is nothing about regenerative food that has chemicals and pesticides in it. So it's something, it's something to truly take into account as uh, you're looking into moving your supply chains and you're sourcing into regenerative agriculture. Um, but retailers are looking for that. Retailers are absolutely looking to bring more um, certifications and products of authenticity and nutrient density into their shelves. So as when we launch our first partner and the partner that truly believes in ecosystems and I was just with um, with their, with their CEO and their cultural champions in Peru is Whole Foods. Whole Foods has been a huge advocate of the regenerative organic movement and it truly believes on the authenticity of food very deeply as also as a culture within the organization. Um, and part of it is because we consumers, we are on the forefront right now and it is happening where we're starting to ask questions where does our food come from? And when questions are being asked, there's curiosity and there's a space for education. And just a label of all natural or sustainable or whole doesn't define the food because those are just marketing terms that are not going to be they're not regulated by a third party certification and consumers are getting just savvier and smarter about that. So they're just sniffing out the bullshit that they see on labels and on products and retailers see that. So Whole Foods is absolutely in the forefront of that and they've been an incredible partner to define that. And in a natural space. We have an incredible partnership with Erewhon. I was just at Erewhon, um, with someone from their leadership team and a customer came, um, one of their, their C suite members and was like, hey, like have you heard about the um, regenerative organic certification and the standards? And they were talking about eggs specifically with everything happening.

Speaker A: Oh, interesting.

Speaker D: What, what brands are you carrying? Because everyone's consumer cares, right? They're educated. They're having the conversation live while I was there about what are your egg standards? So retailers are listening to what the consumer wants on their shelf and we're just getting more educated. So there's a lot of power. And because consumers want, retailers are going to be able to carry that. So in the natural space that has been really exciting. And I, um, would say any brand or any uh, person is looking into this space. The natural space is absolutely welcoming it and they're just gonna um, most likely be able to provide some shelf on space for you to now get on the other, on the other side in the second chapter of cpg, which is getting that pull through and that velocity

Speaker C: from the other side of it once

Speaker A: you get on it.

Speaker D: Yeah, exactly. The hard work. Really.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker D: Um, but on the conventional side there is this um, really beautiful. We, and we, we work with HB in Texas, Wegmans here in the Northeast. Um, we also sell on Amazon, which simply is doing really, really well, and Publix also. And in Florida where because the consumer is starting the earlier generation, the gen zers are being educating, um, their parents at home. Their parents are now taking more time and they usually have more time than the millennials to read more labels to understand it. So they are interesting. Mhm. They are a huge advocate of this movement and they get it and they cook. So they're going to take time to soak beans, they're going to take time to put some grains on the rice cooker and slow down and make meals for themselves, for their loved ones and nourishment. And there is something beautiful about the full circle, how the new generation is really educating their parents about the quality of food. So we see just an incredible performance within the specialty conventional market.

Speaker C: I love how you just broke that down Because I know so many emerging founders are listening to this episode right now and getting encouraged. They're feeling encouraged.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker C: Because it could sound so daunting to start a CPG brand. It sounds so daunting about different claims and different things that you want to accomplish with your brand. But how you are saying there is this genuine growing demand, especially on the retail side, that's just awesome to hear.

Speaker D: Yeah. And it is really exciting to see. And, and when we saw that, we're like, well, if there's this high demand growing with consumers, why not take that demand digitally? Simply digital brand. And um, I will say when we started the movement and the awareness of where food comes from was still developing. But today in 2026 is here and when we have launched digitally is just fast growing. Amazon is having a huge momentum. People buy groceries um, online and there's a population that we were just not um, touching because we didn't really have that channel set up properly. And now we do and um, it's more um, there's more real estate for us to tell the story of why Simply is different than just your conventional bag of beans.

Speaker C: What is your vision for Simply?

Speaker D: Yeah, I believe that Simply can be the brand that creates the catalyst change in our food system. I think that is the brand that can really uh, encourage and wake up a bigger population about food. And starting with quality and flavor and nutrient density. When people are going to start to understand that why is this bag of beans has more protein and fiber than the other bag of beans next to the shelf. That doesn't make sense.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker D: That and they learn it, they're going to start understanding. Wait a second. If my food is grown in better soil, then is going to be more nutrient dense. What about my chicken? What about my apples? What about my lettuce?

Speaker C: Right.

Speaker D: Just going to start a way of people thinking about food is medicine and, and really taking care of ourselves rather than really continuing to poison ourselves with processed foods and foods with chemicals. And what the America Food um, chain really has been prioritizing over the years.

Speaker C: It's so true. And I love how you are keeping the integrity of your products and standards

Speaker B: again as you grow in scale.

Speaker C: Because that's not easy either. It's one thing to come to market with a product that has integrity, but to really be scaling how you are, that just also speaks volumes that you are not just, you know, keeping with pace, but you are even, it sounds like pushing yourselves even further and how to even improve on what you've already set the bar for.

Speaker A: At simply.

Speaker D: And it's an abs. You're absolutely right. It's hard. And I think that the biggest challenge probably for other CPG brands is because they don't have the operational side to be able to transform supply chains to that specific standard. So. And that's how the majority of CPG companies are structured, where you work with a supplier to provide you the, the food and the goods. And I get it. Building a CPG company is very cutthroat. You wake up every single day to fight for that market share and go and convey that message to consumers. But I believe that the next wave of CPG brands, and I'm already seeing that, is that we also have to have more authority about our sourcing and where our ingredients come from because the consumer now is demanding it. And if you can find it, you have to do it yourself, you have to develop it and you have to bring some of that expertise and some of that development in house. And I get it. It might be a lot of work and it might be taunting and you know, I would suggest not to do for all, but whatever that hero ingredient or hero hero product that you have, focus on that. And there's a lot of support within the industry about how to transform. A lot of support from retailers that if they want to see the commitment from you, they, um, will even give you, I've seen from other brands give you shelf space with a commitment that you will move towards regenerative organic agriculture. Um, there's great money to support this change out there as well. So, um, and I think that now is up to the brands to really own that. And um, I think the, the, um, the thought of, oh, I can't find it so I'm not going to do it is just not good enough for the consumer anymore.

Speaker C: Right. Again, I'm obsessed. I really have enjoyed every moment of this conversation and I appreciate you sharing so transparently and genuinely of how you've been building the past six years and also where you all are heading. I, I'm really excited to see where it all goes and just deeply again

Speaker B: admire how you've been building.

Speaker D: Thank you, Kelly. And thanks again for having me here.

Speaker A: You're so welcome. Last question.

Speaker D: Where can people find simply? Well, first you can find us in our website at Eat Simply with an eye@theend.com. uh, you can also find us at your local natural store, if that is sprouts or Whole Foods Moms, uh, your co ops, your independence. Uh, hopefully you will find us there. And uh, you can also find us in Amazon.com and some of your, uh, beloved conventional groceries out there.

Speaker C: Amazing.

Speaker A: Well, thank you everyone for listening.

Speaker C: Go stock up on Simply and I'll

Speaker B: see everyone on the next episode. Bye. This episode was brought to you by Glimpse. As we know, building a brand is not as sexy and glamorous as it looks on the on social media. At times, a lot of those unsexy problems come into play when brands start to scale in retail distribution. Founders are always incredibly excited to see their products on shelves at major retail chains, but they don't realize all the hard work that starts to begin. Retailers and distributors are known for their processes of deducting amounts from invoices.

Speaker A: Most of the time those are totally

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Speaker A: Thank you again for listening to this episode of the Emerging Brands Podcast. It really means so much to me that you listen to this show, share it with your friends and support it. If you are a CPG food and beverage founder and you're ready to launch a brand people want to shop, head to withkellybennett.com for the details. And as always, thank you so much for listening, shopping the brands featured on the show and following brands I'm working with. It means so much. See you on the next episode.