Scaling a BFY Donut Brand on a Budget | Kathrin Henon, Planet Bake

On this episode, we’re joined by Kathrin Henon, Founder & CEO of Planet Bake - the better-for-you donut brand making sugar-free, low-carb, gluten-free, plant-based donuts that actually taste indulgent.Kathrin shares her journey from a design and fashion background to building Planet Bake during the pandemic, driven by a desire to solve real problems around sugar, metabolic health, and access to healthier indulgences. Growing up in Germany shaped her perspective on food quality and sugar consumption, and that lens heavily influences how she thinks about formulation, branding, and product strategy today.We get deep into the tactical side of building an early-stage CPG brand. Kathrin walks through brand identity and packaging decisions, early formulation and R&D challenges, how Planet Bake explored different sweeteners before landing on the right solution, and what it takes to find and work with co-packers early on.A big part of the conversation focuses on early-stage financial pressure: managing cash when vendors want upfront payment, tools that can help bridge cash gaps, and why fundraising, banking, and credit are especially broken for emerging CPG brands. ---------------Episode Highlights:🍩 Building a better-for-you donut brand from scratch🇩🇪 How Kathrin’s German upbringing shaped Planet Bake🎨 Brand identity and packaging design decisions🧪 Formulation, R&D, and sweetener exploration🏭 Finding and working with co-packers early💸 Cash flow challenges most founders underestimate🧰 Tools that help relieve early-stage cash crunch🤝 Fundraising and financial support for early brands📦 Velocity vs. distribution in the early days👥 Building demo collectives to drive sell-through🚚 Distributors, brokers, and retail strategy🚀 2026 goals and trends Kathrin is watching---------------Table of Contents:00:00 – Intro00:48 – Origin story02:57 – Kathrin’s German upbringing04:22 – Brand identity and packaging design06:31 – Formulation and R&D09:36 – Sweetener exploration11:52 – Product roadmap12:29 – Co-packers15:56 – Cash flow challenges17:52 – Tools to help with the cash crunch20:08 – Fundraising at the early stage21:54 – Support communities for early-stage founders24:04 – Velocity vs. distribution in the early days25:41 – Building a demo “collective” to drive sell-through26:42 – Distributors and brokers29:18 – 2026 goals, Sprouts29:54 – Trends Kathrin is watching---------------Links:Planet Bake – https://planet-bake.com/Follow Kathrin on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrinhenon/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.