The Gap Hiding in 90% of the Retail Coffee Aisle | Isabel Washington, Laurel's

On this episode, we're joined by Isabel Washington, Founder & CEO of Laurel's - the canned latte brand made, built for people who actually look forward to their RTD coffee. Isabel spotted the gap while working at McKinsey, noticing that roughly 90% of the RTD coffee aisle was non-dairy, ultimately leaving in early 2024 to build the dairy-forward latte she wanted to see on the shelf.We get into formulation, why decaf was the wrong white space, why every can lands at 80mg of caffeine instead of the category's usual 200, and why she bet that taste, not convenience, was the real gap in RTD coffee.We also dig into the realities of an A2 dairy supply chain, the white can and cow on the front that made people think it was canned milk, and why the most important job of a label is communicating one attribute clearly, not ten.Isabel shares how Laurel's got into Erewhon, what buyers really want (incrementality and a real promo plan), how UNFI Up Next and KeHE Elevate help young brands, pricing strategy, and the investor catch-22 that comes with scaling.---------------Episode Highlights:☕ Spotting the gap: 90% of RTD coffee is non-dairy🥛 Why 100% A2 dairy, and what makes it gut-friendly⚡ Building for 80mg caffeine, not 200🏭 From kitchen espresso shots to a real co-packer🐄 A2 supply chain risk and the Alec's Ice Cream drama🎨 Why the can is white (people thought it was canned milk)📦 Packaging advice: nail the one attribute that matters🚀 Just launch, then iterate (40 demos in her first 40 days at Erewhon)💰 The category price ceiling and making the unit economics work🛒 How Laurel's got into Erewhon (they just applied online)📊 What buyers want: incrementality, not another me-too SKU🚚 UNFI Up Next and KeHE Elevate for emerging brands👀 Brands Isabel is watching right now---------------Table of Contents:00:00 – Intro01:05 – Origin story: from McKinsey to the RTD coffee gap05:21 – Early R&D and why decaf was the wrong bet07:36 – Why 80mg caffeine, and taste vs convenience09:11 – From kitchen espresso shots to a co-packer10:30 – A2 dairy supply chain and the Alec's drama14:07 – Why the can is white17:00 – Packaging advice: the one attribute that matters18:36 – Just launch, then iterate22:33 – Pricing and the category price ceiling25:55 – How Laurel's got into Erewhon26:48 – What buyers want: incrementality and support29:25 – Distributors: UNFI Up Next and KeHE Elevate32:30 – Being a true partner to your distributor36:52 – Velocity vs expanding distribution40:53 – National vs regional, and the investor catch-2242:24 – Brands Isabel is watching45:42 – Where to find Isabel and Laurel's---------------Links:Laurel's – https://drinklaurels.com/Follow Isabel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabeldwashington/Laurel's on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinklaurels/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 https://www.kitprint.co/.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.