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From award-winning Executive Chef to consumer packaged goods creator extraordinaire, Shaun Quade’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. In this week’s episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with the talented Shaun. Shaun and his life and business partner Veronica Fil recently returned to Australia from the US where they scaled a plant-based CPG cheese product called Grounded. 

Together they landed Grounded in more than 2000 stockists across the US, raised $4M in investment and faced the challenges of an industry dominated by big food companies. In this episode Shaun speaks about doing business in the food industry at scale, including slotting fees, distribution, merchandising and brand building. With Shaun’s love for good food and keen interest in the rapid changes in the food system, he shares insights from his global journey, answering practical questions about scaling a perishable product in this current economic client and what it takes to put more money in your pocket for every product you sell. 

Tune in to this week’s episode to discover:

🧀 Scaling a plant-based CPG product.
🧀 Raising investment to enable you to scale.
🧀 Transporting a perishable product and what to avoid to maximise your shelf life and margin.
🧀 What costs to be aware of when scaling into big retail.
🧀 What it will take to build a sustainable speciality food industry.
🧀 The challenge of distribution and what things to consider.
🧀 Insights into food tech.
🧀 How BIG FOOD is impacting the food industry.
🧀 The cost of ‘convenience’.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Say My Name Agency
• Episode 110 Raising Funds For Your CPG Business
• Your Free Pitch Plan
• Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
• Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter

Season 15

Season 15, out now, is 'Marketing Season' and is being presented by Foodpreneurs Festival.

The highly anticipated 2026 BiteBack Awards & Foodpreneurs Festival are both must-attend events dedicated to bringing consumer packaged goods food, drink (alc and non-alc), pet and supplements brand owners, buyers, media, industry specialists and distributors together under one roof.

You can't miss these events. Here’s why:

• Thousands of stockists looking for new products for their shelves.
• A chance to pitch for funding + mentorship to scale your brand.
• Workshops tailored to where you’re at - whether you’re just starting or scaling big (THIS IS NEW!)
• A NEW Marketing Clinic for hands-on brand strategy - you'll leave with five key messages ready to use.
• Opportunities to get recognised and get your brand in front of industry experts, media, buyers, distributors and fellow brand owners.
• If you’re an Industry Specialist, tap into a highly engaged, niche audience.
• And much, much more.

The full program drops early 2026. For now, block out May 21-22 and click this link to see how you can be part of it.