From Entrepreneur to Intrapreneur at Jack Link's | Kyle Peters, Jack Link's

On this episode, we’re joined by Kyle Peters, the Senior Director of Emerging Brands at Jack Link’s, where he leads brand strategy, P&L, and innovation across a portfolio of growth-stage and incubation brands - including Golden Island, Jack Link’s Chili, and more.Kyle brings a unique lens to scaling emerging brands within a legacy organization, drawing on his experience as a founder of a high-protein ice cream startup and as a former growth leader at Nestlé’s R&D Accelerator.We dive into navigating the post-founder journey, how to be a good partner to a distributor, and what makes for a truly scalable product strategy. We dive deep into COGS, margin planning, and when (if ever) it makes sense to vertically integrate. Plus: emerging CPG trends from the guy leading the emerging trends at Jack Link’s.—---------------Episode Highlights:🥩 Inside Jack Link’s emerging brand strategy🧊 The post-founder handoff playbook🏭 Copacker sourcing tips + trusted directories📉 Tradeoffs when moving from self-manufacturing📦 Packaging design lessons + rebrand advice🚚 How to work with your distributor, not against them💸 What C-store buyers expect, and how to deliver📊 Forecasting margin erosion the right way🔥 Trends Kyle is watching in protein and beyond—---------------Table of Contents:01:00 – Jack Links’ emerging brands portfolio08:54 – The post-founder journey21:29 – Copackers24:18 – Where to find copackers27:23 – Moving from self-manufacturing, tradeoffs in scaling31:37 – If/when to vertically integrate33:36 – Product mix strategy39:23 – Being a good partner to distributors43:18 – A distributor’s expected hit to your margin44:43 – Projecting COGS and margins46:51 – The C-store channel50:47 – Packaging design: what matters53:48 – When to rebrand56:40 – Emerging trends from the emerging trends guy57:46 – Why protein is exploding right now—---------------Links:Jack Link’s – https://www.jacklinks.comFollow Kyle on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylempeters/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.