From a Ninja Creami in Austin to 1,464 Target Doors | Frozen One

On this episode, we're joined by Alan Chen and Conner Mennig, Co-founders of Frozen One, the high-protein ice cream brand packing 40 grams of protein, under 400 calories, 75% less fat and 62% less sugar than traditional ice cream into every pint.Alan and Conner walk through the formulation journey from flavored protein powders and Oreos to milk protein concentrate, and how they tested 50 grams of protein per pint but landed at 40 as the functional ceiling.We also get into finding their first co-packer outside Austin, the in-house packaging design, and expanding from six Royal Blue Grocery doors (averaging 25.9 units per store per week) to Central Market, Bristol Farms, Wegmans, Raley's, Heinen's, Busch's, Schnucks, Fresh Thyme, a Kroger First Pitch win at Expo West, and an upocoming 1,464-door Target launch.We break down how Target deal came together, the scramble to fund the first big order, the oversubscribed $2M round led by Supernatural Ventures and The Angel Group, and the important thing on Alan and Conner's mind right now.....hiring.---------------Episode Highlights:🍦 The Ninja Creamy origin story (still memorialized in the office)🧪 Real ice cream science, freezing point depression and the refreeze problem💪 Why 40 grams is the functional protein ceiling (50 grams blew gaskets)🏭 Finding a small local co-packer willing to run 100-pint test batches🎨 Building the brand and packaging in-house with a friend✏️ How the name "Frozen One" came from "The Chosen One"🛒 First retail: Royal Blue Grocery, portable freezer, sell sheet, repeat visits💰 Pricing evolution from $9.99 super-premium to $6.99–$8.99 conventional mass📊 25.9 units per store per week as the early velocity proof point🚀 The Target inbound, the broker, and 1,464 doors in 15 months💸 The fundraising scramble when no lender would touch them🤝 The three hires that unlock the next stage (sales, frozen ops, digital marketing)🔮 Why the ice cream category still has massive white space---------------Table of Contents:00:00 – Intro00:51 – Origin story and how Frozen One started02:55 – Late-night R&D in the Ninja Creamy05:20 – The protein source and the 40-gram ceiling07:49 – Choosing the three core flavors09:05 – Finding the right co-packer11:48 – Co-packer advice for founders13:04 – Brand identity and packaging design14:25 – The naming process15:16 – First retail accounts at Royal Blue Grocery17:00 – Pricing strategy and moving from premium to mass18:20 – Early velocity and the role of demos19:47 – Landing Target through a cold website inbound21:00 – The fundraising scramble and the $2M round23:30 – What makes Target different (Roundel, granular data)24:30 – Managing multiple retailer launches at once25:59 – One tip for first-time CPG founders26:57 – Building the team and the three key hires29:04 – How to reach Alan and Conner29:30 – Staying ahead of the protein ice cream pack30:39 – Biggest risks and opportunities ahead31:48 – Brand crushes (Fruit Riot, Graza)---------------Links:Frozen One – https://www.frozen-one.com/Follow Alan on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanychen7/Follow Conner on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/conner-mennig-84a469170/Frozen One on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/frozen-one/Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.