On this episode, we’re joined by Jenny Thielen, CMO at Green Seed North America, and a seasoned CPG marketer who’s spent her career helping food and beverage brands find their footing, grow distribution, and scale sustainably.
Jenny shares a wealth of insights on what it really takes to win in retail today - from how to de-risk growth and avoid costly pitfalls to how to build true shopper marketing muscle that drives velocity without burning cash.
We dive into her playbook for helping international brands successfully launch in the U.S., how to tailor both product and messaging for a new consumer base.
Jenny also breaks down how to approach retail media, what brands are still getting wrong about shopper marketing, and the key lessons she’s learned from Green Seed helping Siggi’s, Quorn, and GoGo squeeZ grow from early-stage to household names.
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Episode Highlights:
🌱 How Green Seed helps brands de-risk growth
🇺🇸 The playbook for bringing international brands to the U.S.
🥛 Siggi’s, Quorn, and GoGo squeeZ growth stories
💰 When and why Green Seed takes equity
⚠️ The biggest pitfalls Jenny sees emerging brands make
🛍️ What shopper marketing really looks like today
📈 How to think about retail media networks
🔥 Trends and brands Jenny is watching right now
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Table of Contents:
00:00:00 - Intro & Overview
00:47:23 - Green Seed origin story
04:19:08 - Siggi’s growth story
08:01:03 - Quorn growth story
09:55:27 - GoGo Squeez growth story
11:09:28 - When and why Green Seed decides to take equity
13:53:22 - De-risking growth for brands
16:01:25 - One of most common pitfalls Jenny sees brands make
17:14:03 - The playbook for bringing international brands to the U.S.
20:29:21 - Tailoring messaging and recipes for the U.S. consumer
28:54:10 - Expanding beyond the ethnic aisle
30:50:13 - Shopper marketing
34:40:11 - How brands can get shopper marketing wrong today
36:19:13 - Shopper marketing for brands selling $5–10M/yr
39:11:22 - Retail media networks
41:33:00 - Trends and brands Jenny is watching
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Links:
Green Seed North America – https://greenseedna.com
Follow Jenny on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferthielen/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/
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