22 - From Sustainability to the Shelf: Building a Mission-Driven Pet Brand

How do you launch a new product brand into retail, before it even exists? In this episode of Innovator Insights, we sit down with Jim and Melissa Schifman, co-founders of Project Hive Pet Company, to unpack their unconventional go-to-market journey: launching a full line of toys and treats into retail before COVID hit, and before they’d even completed manufacturing. We explore:Why they skipped the DTC-first playbook and went straight to mass retailThe challenges of making sustainable products in the U.S., and why they insisted on doing it anywayHow their mission to save bees is embedded into every product designWhat it’s really like to build a company with your spouse Whether you’re a product founder, retail operator, or mission-driven entrepreneur, this conversation will challenge your assumptions about what it takes to get from idea to shelf.