EPISODE · Jul 6, 2026 · 29 MIN
The LinkedIn Message They Almost Ignored For Target Nationwide
from In The Money: eCommerce, DTC, and CPG · host In The Money: eCommerce, DTC, and CPG
What happens when a high-protein, clean-ingredient frozen pizza brand spends two years grinding through cold chain nightmares, supply chain restarts, and a fundraising carousel, and then lands at number one in the frozen pizza category at Target?Michael Rolland, Co-Founder of Yough!, joins In The Money to tell one of the more honest origin stories in better-for-you frozen food, a brand built around a simple thesis that you shouldn't have to choose between eating pizza and feeling good afterward, and the long road it took to get that product in front of the right retailers at the right moment.700 calories. 46 grams of protein. No junk ingredients. An anytime meal that people are eating pre-workout, post-workout, and at 2am after a night out, without the guilt.We cover:Why DTC was the wrong model for frozen and what Yough! learned the expensive wayThe supply chain issues that forced a full relaunch and why it ultimately made the product betterHow Yough! built into boutique specialty retail first before going massThe LinkedIn message they almost ignored and how it turned into a meeting at Target HQWhat it actually looks like when a national retailer offers you a launch before you've pitched themGoing from specialty to Target and Sprouts on organic momentum alone, no broker, no traditional pitchWhat number one in frozen pizza at Target actually means for a brand at this stageThe fundraising reality for better-for-you frozen: what investors want to see and when the timing is rightProtein in frozen as the next major category wave and why the timing is right nowWhat Michael would do differently in the first 12-24 months if he started overWhat's next for Yough! heading into the back half of 2026If you're building in frozen, better-for-you, or any category where the product has to earn its place on a cold shelf, this episode is a candid look at what the grind before the breakthrough actually costs.
What this episode covers
What happens when a high-protein, clean-ingredient frozen pizza brand spends two years grinding through cold chain nightmares, supply chain restarts, and a fundraising carousel, and then lands at number one in the frozen pizza category at Target?Michael Rolland, Co-Founder of Yough!, joins In The Money to tell one of the more honest origin stories in better-for-you frozen food, a brand built around a simple thesis that you shouldn't have to choose between eating pizza and feeling good afterward, and the long road it took to get that product in front of the right retailers at the right moment.700 calories. 46 grams of protein. No junk ingredients. An anytime meal that people are eating pre-workout, post-workout, and at 2am after a night out, without the guilt.We cover:Why DTC was the wrong model for frozen and what Yough! learned the expensive wayThe supply chain issues that forced a full relaunch and why it ultimately made the product betterHow Yough! built into boutique specialty retail first before going massThe LinkedIn message they almost ignored and how it turned into a meeting at Target HQWhat it actually looks like when a national retailer offers you a launch before you've pitched themGoing from specialty to Target and Sprouts on organic momentum alone, no broker, no traditional pitchWhat number one in frozen pizza at Target actually means for a brand at this stageThe fundraising reality for better-for-you frozen: what investors want to see and when the timing is rightProtein in frozen as the next major category wave and why the timing is right nowWhat Michael would do differently in the first 12-24 months if he started overWhat's next for Yough! heading into the back half of 2026If you're building in frozen, better-for-you, or any category where the product has to earn its place on a cold shelf, this episode is a candid look at what the grind before the breakthrough actually costs.
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The LinkedIn Message They Almost Ignored For Target Nationwide
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