Building the #1 Kimchi and Kraut Brand in the U.S. | Mac Anderson, Cleveland Kitchen

On this episode, we’re joined by Mac Anderson, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of Cleveland Kitchen (formerly Cleveland Kraut) - the #1 kimchi and kraut brand in the U.S.Mac, his brother Drew, and their brother-in-law Luke built the company from Saturday farmer’s markets into a national fermented-foods platform spanning kraut, kimchi, pickles, and more, now sitting at roughly 15,000 doors.We get into the real mechanics of building in the fermented category. Mac breaks down how farmer’s markets became their most valuable feedback engine, what finally gave him the confidence to leave his day job, and how they approached formulation and R&D when “fermented” is both a flavor and a process.Mac also walks through what it takes to scale without losing quality - minimizing batch variance, deciding when to go vertical with in-house manufacturing, and how a cold-chain, time-based product fundamentally changes the business model.We dig into brand identity and packaging decisions that help Cleveland Kitchen win on shelf, how they think about defending territory as the category leader, and what they learned from acquiring Sonoma Brinery.---------------Episode Highlights:🥬 Building Cleveland Kitchen with family🧺 Why farmer’s markets are the best real-world product lab in CPG🚪 When it actually makes sense to leave your full-time job🧪 Formulation & R&D in a process-driven category📉 Minimizing batch variance as you scale🏭 Going vertical: when in-house manufacturing becomes the edge🧬 The fermentation business model (time, cold chain, inventory)🎨 Brand identity & packaging decisions that drive velocity📈 Scaling into ~15,000 doors🛡️ Defending territory as the market leader🤝 Lessons from acquiring Sonoma Brinery🔭 Trends and brands Mac is watching right now---------------Table of Contents:00:00 - Intro00:47 - Cleveland Kitchen origin story, building with family05:54 - Farmer’s Market learning lessons07:34 - When to leave your full-time job10:01 - Formulation and R&D12:29 - Minimizing batch variance at scale14:06 - Going vertical (in-house manufacturing)17:26 - The fermentation business19:59 - Brand identity and packaging design22:48 - Scaling into 15,000 doors26:52 - Defending territory as the market leader29:59 - Acquiring Sonoma Brinery34:06 - Trends and brands Mac is watching---------------Links:Cleveland Kitchen – https://www.clevelandkitchen.com/Follow Mac on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mac-anderson-98500973/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.