#86 Clean Macros, Playful Branding, Real Growth: How to scale a $4 CPG product

In this Rectified podcast episode, Sandy interviews Julian Hattem, founder of Juju’s Protein Snacks, about building a standout protein snack brand in a fast-growing global market projected at $8–$10B. Julien shares how his career as a personal trainer led him to create better-tasting, clean-label snacks, including Juju’s early protein donuts and the pivot to refrigerated protein cookie dough driven by customer demand and nostalgia. He explains product formulation priorities—clean ingredients, strong macros, 24g protein per tub, low sugar (about 3g), keto-friendly net carbs, and sweeteners like honey and monk fruit—plus the strategy behind bright, playful packaging to stand out in refrigerated cases. The conversation covers launching a freeze-dried version for 18–24 month shelf life and easier portability, retailer growth from Popeye’s Supplements to Metro, and upcoming expansion to Super C. Hattem also discusses CPG fundamentals such as the importance of team, margins, accounting, managing refrigerated logistics, raising capital through partners who believe in the product, handling manufacturing and formulation mistakes, delegating social media to his brother, and scaling carefully one account at a time while staying calm and operating in solution mode.⚡️Join the waitlist to be notified about our monthly workshops ➡️ https://learn.rectified.co/2026-workshop-waitlist⚡️Join the Scale Partner Community, a FREE space where founders connect, exchange ideas, and support each other ➡️ community.rectified.co/scalepartnerJuju’s Protein Snack on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jujusproteinsnacks/Find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandydedeian/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sandydedeian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandydedeian/Chapters: 00:00 Protein Snacks Boom + Meet Juju’s Founder Julian Hattem01:40 From Personal Trainer to CPG Leap: Shutting Down the Gym05:56 New Innovation: Freeze-Dried Cookie Dough Bites for Shelf Stability10:22 Clean Macros Breakdown: Keto-Friendly, Low Sugar, High Protein14:24 Branding That Pops: Fun Colors, 2-Second Hook & Clean Label Trust18:27 Surviving CPG: Team, Margins, and Scaling Without Going Broke20:36 First Retail Wins: Popeye’s, IGA, Metro—and Getting Buyers to Call You25:56 Freeze-Dried Pivot: Shelf-Stable Snacking & New Tech32:05 Founder Mindset: Staying Calm, Managing Cash Flow & Clean Accounting39:13 The Volume Game: Margins, Manufacturing Costs & Co-Packer Tradeoffs43:06 Final Takeaways: Belief, Plan, Team, and Relentless Action