Retail media for CPG operators
Practical frameworks built on real account work — covering Instacart ROAS, Amazon Ads, and retail media waste diagnostics for CPG operators who run their own programs.
Camino: The Ottawa Worker-Owned Coop That Pioneered Fair Trade Chocolate In North America (Maple Made #031)
Camino is the retail brand of La Siembra Co-operative, an Ottawa worker-owned cooperative founded in 1999 that pioneered the first fair trade certified cocoa, chocolate, and sugar in North America. Its lineup covers chocolate bars, hot chocolate, cocoa powder, baking sugar, and bulk staples sourced from 25+ producer cooperatives across 14 countries.
Wize Tea: Canada's Coffee Leaf Tea Pioneer (Maple Made #029)
Wize Tea, formerly Wize Monkey, is a Vancouver, BC beverage brand that brews tea from arabica coffee leaves rather than beans, sourced year-round from Enrique Ferrufino's family farm in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Founded in 2013 as a KEDGE Business School project by Max Rivest and Arnaud Petitvallet, rebranded from Wize Monkey to Wize Tea in December 2023 under the Boldly Balanced refresh. Current lineup anchored by a sparkling ready-to-drink range (Juicy Mango, Crisp Apple, Wild Raspberry) plus classic iced and dry teas. Sold at drinkwize.com, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Gelson's, and Mother's Market in the US, and Vitarock, Community Natural Foods, and BHealthy in Canada.
Speerville Flour Mill: How a New Brunswick Grain Co-op Has Milled Stone-Ground Organic Flour Since 1982 (Maple Made #032)
Speerville Flour Milling Co-operative is a New Brunswick worker-and-farmer co-op that has stone-ground organic flour, cereal, and pasta since January 1982. Founded on the philosophy of local grain, ethical labour, and low-heat milling that preserves the whole kernel. Sold at Sobeys Atlantic, Loblaws, independent grocers, and food co-ops across the Maritimes.
Rude Mama Hot Sauce: The Solo Toronto Founder Behind the Vietnamese Chili Sauce (Maple Made #028)
Rude Mama is a Toronto Vietnamese-style hot sauce founded by Viet Anh 'Vian' Nguyen, who moved to Canada in 2017 and spent two years developing the recipe before launching in 2024. Four flavours (Original, Mango, Passion Fruit, Pineapple) in 285 mL bottles. Struck an on-air Dragons' Den deal with Manjit Minhas of Minhas Breweries for $150,000 at a $1M valuation. Sold direct at rudemama.ca and in Canadian grocery (Sobeys, Foodland, Fortino's, Healthy Planet, Ambrosia).
Bachan's: The One-Bottle Brand That Sold for $400 Million
Bachan's is the Sebastopol, California condiment brand Justin Gill founded in 2019 around his grandmother Judy Yokoyama's Japanese barbecue sauce recipe. A single hero SKU sequenced from Amazon into Whole Foods, Target, Kroger, Costco, and Walmart to roughly 35,000 doors. $17M raised across two rounds, then a $400M sale to The Marzetti Company in May 2026 on roughly $87M in TTM net sales. The one-bottle playbook explained.
Nuts For Cheese: How a London, Ontario Vegan Chef Built Canada's Cultured Cashew Cheese Brand (Maple Made #027)
Nuts For Cheese is the London, Ontario plant-based cheese brand founded in 2015 by vegan chef Margaret Coons. Cultured, aged cheese made from organic cashews with house-made fermentation cultures, not starch-and-oil melting cheese. The farmers'-market origin story, the CA$5.35M round led by Forage Capital with Manitoba Harvest co-founder Mike Fata, the certified-organic London facility, the woman-founded and 2SLGBTQ+-owned recognition, and where to buy it. Sold at Whole Foods, Sobeys, Metro, Loblaws, Save-On-Foods, Sprouts, and Erewhon across Canada and the US.
LOOP Mission: The Montreal Brand Turning Rejected Produce Into Cold-Pressed Juice (Maple Made #030)
LOOP Mission is a Montreal upcycled beverage brand co-founded in 2016 by Julie Poitras-Saulnier, David Côté, and Frédéric Monette of Courchesne Larose. Cold-pressed juices, sodas, and iced teas brewed from fruits and vegetables that Canada's largest produce distributor would otherwise discard. Sold at Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Whole Foods, IGA, and on Instacart Canada.
Smak Dab: How a Red Seal Chef Built a Manitoba Mustard Brand Into 250+ Canadian Stores (Maple Made #026)
Smak Dab is the Manitoba mustard brand founded in 2014 by Red Seal chef Carly Minish-Wytinck. Seven Prairie-seed flavours (Canadian Maple, Hot & Sweet Dill, Beer Chipotle, Honey Horseradish, Hot Honey Jalapeño, Curry Dijon, White Wine Herb). Family-run production in Swan River. 250+ retail locations including Sobeys, Safeway, Save-On-Foods, Red River Co-op. Sobeys 2020 Best Overall Local Supply Partner for Manitoba.
Cha's Organics: How a Montreal Couple Built a Sri Lankan Pantry Line Around Small-Farm Fair Trade Sourcing (Maple Made #024)
Cha's Organics is the Montreal organic pantry brand co-founded in 2006 by Chanaka Kurera and Marise May. Coconut milk, curry pastes, sauces, and spices from biodiverse Sri Lankan small farms, certified organic and fair trade. The Tokyo-meeting founding story, the corporate entity Sahana Ayurvedic Products Inc, the BPA-free polyester resin can lining, Chanaka's role as Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka for Montreal, and where to buy it. Sold at Costco Canada, Amazon.ca, Well.ca, Goodness Me!, Natura Market, and Satau.
Made With Local: The Nova Scotia Snack Brand That Builds Real Food Bars Around People Facing Barriers to Work (Maple Made #033)
Made With Local is the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia snack brand founded by Sheena Russell in 2012. Certified B Corp Real Food Bars, made in Windsor, NS and produced with social enterprises that employ people facing barriers to work. Now in 3,500+ Canadian stores including Costco, Walmart, Sobeys, and Loblaws.
Sanzo Sparkling Water: The Founder and the Costco Push
Sanzo is the New York-based Asian-inspired sparkling water Sandro Roco founded in 2019 after stints at J.P. Morgan and Bombfell. Six flavors built on real Asian fruit — calamansi, lychee, yuzu, mango, mandarin, pomelo — stocked at Whole Foods, Target, Panda Express, and a Costco Pacific Region 18-pack (item 1995579). The Costco arc, $16M cap table, and what the wedge strategy looks like when it works.
Brand Breakdown: Fishwife
Fishwife is the Los Angeles tinned fish brand that turned a quiet European pantry staple into a Whole Foods category. Founded December 2020 by Becca Millstein and Caroline Goldfarb. $6M 2023 revenue, $350K Shark Tank deal, national at Whole Foods, Target, Costco, and Kroger on modest pre-seed capital. The structural play: find a brandless household category and build the brand nobody built.
Highwood Crossing: The 120-Year Alberta Family Farm Behind Cold-Pressed Organic Flax Oil (Maple Made #025)
Highwood Crossing Foods Ltd. is a family-run, certified-organic pantry brand operating from High River, Alberta. Tony and Penny Marshall switched the family farm to organic in 1989 and launched the packaged brand in 1996. The lineup runs from cold-pressed flax oil and canola oil to organic granola, stone-ground flours, and gluten-free oats.
Näak: How Two Montreal Triathletes Built UTMB's Endurance Nutrition Brand From a Kitchen Bet on Cricket Protein (Maple Made #023)
Näak is the Montreal endurance nutrition brand founded in 2016 by triathletes William Walcker and Minh-Anh Pham, who went vegetarian for their training, started making cricket protein bars in a Montreal kitchen, and built a B Corp now stocking aid stations at UTMB World Series races through 2029. Ultra Energy bars, waffles, gels, hydration, and recovery, in both plant-based and cricket-protein formulations. Sold on naak.com, The Feed, Running Warehouse, and Amazon.
SmartSweets: How a 22-Year-Old Built a $360M Low-Sugar Candy Brand From a Vancouver Kitchen (Maple Made #022)
SmartSweets is the Vancouver low-sugar candy brand Tara Bosch launched in 2016 from her kitchen with an Amazon gummy-bear mould. The UBC-dropout origin, the $105K debt bet, the first yes from Bed Bath & Beyond Canada, the climb to roughly $125M in annual sales, and the $360M sale to TPG Growth in 2020. Reformulated gummies, fish, peach rings, and sour chews with up to 92% less sugar, made in Canada and sold on smartsweets.ca and at retailers nationwide.
Brand Breakdown: Graza
Graza launched in January 2022 as a Brooklyn-founded olive oil brand with three SKUs in a green squeeze bottle. Three years later it is the fifth-largest national olive oil brand in the US, stocked in more than 11,000 stores, on less than $3M of outside capital. Pack as positioning, naming as instructions, single-farm sourcing told honestly — the structural breakdown.
Brand Breakdown: Goodles — Mac and Cheese With 14g Protein, 7g Fiber, and a Pack That Broke the Aisle
Goodles launched in 2021 with a bundled nutrition claim nobody had tried in boxed mac and cheese: 14g protein, 7g prebiotic fiber, and 21 nutrients per serving — in a wheat-based noodle that actually tastes like mac and cheese. Here is the structural breakdown of how Jen Zeszut, Galit Laibow, and investor Gal Gadot got it into 18,000 doors in under four years.
Stoked Oats: How a Calgary Ultra-Runner Built a Prairie-Grown Oatmeal Brand From His Kitchen (Maple Made #021)
Stoked Oats is the Calgary brand founded in 2011 by ultra-endurance athlete and Boundless TV host Simon Donato, milled from certified organic gluten-free oats grown on Alberta and Saskatchewan family farms. The kitchen origin, the cofounder bet with Brad Slessor, the farmers'-market start, the Dragons' Den pitch, and the climb to Walmart, Costco, Loblaws, and Sobeys across Canada. Plus growing US natural-grocery distribution and a direct subscription on stokedoats.com.
RISE Kombucha: How Two Montreal Friends Brewed Canada's #1 Kombucha From a Vegan Restaurant (Maple Made #020)
RISE Kombucha is the Montreal brand that started in 2008 as Crudessence Kombucha, brewed by friends Mathieu Gallant and David Côté for their vegan restaurant. The face-to-face restaurant start, the first one-litre kombucha bottle in North America, the certified organic and unpasteurized recipe, the 2012 rebrand to RISE, and the climb to Canada's best-selling kombucha. Sold at Loblaws, Walmart, Sobeys, and on Instacart Canada.
Nonna Pia's: How a Whistler Chef Turned a Trip to Italy Into a Costco-Famous Balsamic Glaze (Maple Made #019)
Nonna Pia's is the Whistler, BC brand founded in 2010 by Red Seal chef Norm Strim and his wife Natasha. The trip-to-Italy origin, the farmers'-market start, the slow-simmered true reduction made from IGP balsamic from Modena, the Dragons' Den pitch, and the climb to a national Costco staple. Sold at Costco, Walmart Canada, and on Instacart.
Nature's Path: How a Vancouver Restaurant Founder Built North America's Largest Family-Owned Organic Cereal Company (Maple Made #018)
Nature's Path is the Richmond, BC organic breakfast brand founded in 1985 by Arran and Ratana Stephens, who started with one loaf of Manna Bread. The vegetarian-restaurant origin, the ancient-grain Heritage Flakes, the climb to North America's #1 organic breakfast company, the owned organic farmland, the 40 years still family-owned, and where to buy it. Sold at Loblaws, Costco, Whole Foods, and on Instacart Canada.
Kicking Horse Coffee: How Two Founders Built Canada's #1 Organic Fair Trade Coffee From a Rocky Mountain Garage (Maple Made #017)
Kicking Horse Coffee is the Invermere, BC roaster founded in 1996 by Elana Rosenfeld and Leo Johnson in a garage. The mountain-town origin, the bold blends like Kick Ass, the climb to Canada's #1 organic Fairtrade roaster, the $215M Lavazza deal, and where to buy it. Sold at Loblaws, Sobeys, Costco, and on Amazon.ca.
Blume: How a Vancouver Real Estate Manager Bootstrapped a Superfood Latte Brand Into 1,500+ Stores (Maple Made #016)
Blume is the Vancouver superfood latte brand founded in 2017 by Karen Danudjaja, who quit commercial real estate to sell powdered, low-sugar latte blends. The café-jitters origin, the bootstrapped run to millions in sales, the $2M raise that closed in five weeks, the Whole Foods and Loblaws rollout, the move into Target, and where to buy it. On Instacart Canada.
Partake Brewing: How a Crohn's Diagnosis Led to Canada's Leading Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer (Maple Made #015)
Partake Brewing is the Calgary-founded non-alcoholic craft beer brand started in 2017 by Ted Fleming after Crohn's disease forced him to quit alcohol. The 10-calorie IPA, the World Beer Awards wins, the B Corp mission, and where to buy it. Sold at Sobeys, Loblaws, Whole Foods, Walmart, and on Instacart Canada.
Peace by Chocolate: The Syrian Refugee Family That Rebuilt a Chocolate Factory in Nova Scotia (Maple Made #014)
Peace by Chocolate is the Antigonish, Nova Scotia chocolate brand founded in 2016 by the Hadhad family after fleeing Syria. The bombed Damascus factory, the Antigonish welcome, the Trudeau UN speech, the 2021 film, and where to buy it. Sold at Sobeys, Loblaws, 1,000+ stores, and on Instacart Canada.
Sapsucker: How a Farm Family Turned Maple Sap Into Sparkling Tree Water (Maple Made #013)
Sapsucker is an organic sparkling tree water made from Canadian maple sap, founded in 2015 in Flesherton, Ontario by Nancy and Paul Chapman. No added sugar, backed by Arlene Dickinson's District Ventures Capital, and sold at Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Whole Foods, Costco, and on Instacart Canada.
MadeGood: How a Canadian Family Built an Allergen-Free Organic Snack Brand for Every Lunchbox (Maple Made #011)
MadeGood is a Greater Toronto Area organic snack brand founded in 2013 by Nima Fotovat with his wife Ladan and his sisters Sahba and Salma. Certified Organic, Non-GMO, school-safe, and made in a dedicated nut-free facility. Sold at Walmart Canada, Loblaws, Sobeys, Whole Foods, Costco, and on Instacart Canada.
Mid-Day Squares: How Three Siblings Built a Montreal Chocolate Brand by Documenting Every Day in Public (Maple Made #010)
Mid-Day Squares is a Montreal refrigerated functional chocolate brand founded by siblings Jake Karls and Lezlie Karls with co-founder Nick Saltarelli. Vertically integrated, founder-led, and sold across Canada at Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Whole Foods, Walmart Canada, and on Instacart Canada.
Three Farmers: How Three Saskatchewan Farming Families Built a National Pulse Snack Brand (Maple Made #009)
Three Farmers Foods is a Saskatoon-based snack brand built by three prairie farming families and led by sister CEOs Natasha and Elysia Vandenhurk. Roasted Crunchy Little Peas, lentils, and Camelina Oil — stocked at Sobeys, Loblaws, Save-On-Foods, Walmart Canada, and on Instacart Canada.
Acid League: How Two Guelph Food Scientists Turned Vinegar Into a 3,000-Store Pantry Brand (Maple Made #008)
Acid League is a Toronto pantry brand making living vinegars, non-alcoholic Wine Proxy, hot sauces, and shrubs. Co-founder Cole Pearsall made Forbes 30 Under 30. Stocked in 3,000+ stores across Canada and the US, including Loblaws, Whole Foods, Walmart, and Instacart Canada.
Evive Nutrition: The Quebec Frozen Smoothie Cube Brand That Won All Five Dragons (Maple Made #007)
Evive Nutrition makes frozen smoothie cubes sold in 5,000+ stores across Canada, including Instacart, Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, Metro, and Sobeys.
Comeback Snacks: The Hamilton Popcorn Brand Born Inside a Prison Cell (Maple Made #006)
Comeback Snacks is a Hamilton, Ontario specialty popcorn brand founded by Emily O'Brien after her release from prison in 2018. Mission-driven, Instacart-native, available at Loblaws, Walmart, and Sobeys across Canada. 2025 Sobeys Diversity Award winner.
Sushi Pocket: Inside the Canadian Frozen Brand That Cracked Sushi for the Grocery Aisle (Maple Made #005)
Sushi Pocket by Goodwave Technology is a Canadian frozen sushi brand — Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards finalist, available at Loblaws, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, and Instacart Canada.
Benny: Inside the BC Energy Drink That Made Forbes 30 Under 30 and Hit 500+ Canadian Stores (Maple Made #004)
Benny is a BC energy drink made with yerba mate and adaptogens by two UVic grads. Forbes 30 Under 30 2026. In 500+ Canadian stores and on Instacart Canada.
Brand Breakdown: Sobrii 0-Gin
Canada's first distilled non-alcoholic spirit launched in 2017 before the category existed at scale. How Sobrii built first-mover advantage in a market growing 24% year over year -- and what the retail media path looks like from here.
Brand Breakdown: Okazu by Abokichi
Canada's only authentic Taberu Rayu started as a farmers' market side dish and became a Gold Award-winning condiment. What makes Abokichi a compelling retail media story -- and what scaling into mainstream grocery actually requires.
Dose Juice: How a Montreal Couple Built Canada's Female-Founded Organic Cold-Pressed Juice Brand (Maple Made #003)
A Montreal couple cold-pressing in their Old-Port kitchen turned Dose Juice into a certified-organic brand stocked at Costco, Walmart, Metro, Whole Foods, IGA, and across roughly 18 SKUs on Instacart Canada.
Triple X.O.G.: Inside Canada's First Canned Cognac Green Tea Cocktail (Maple Made #001)
Canada's first ready-to-drink canned cocktail made from cognac, jasmine green tea, and Canadian honey. Inside the Vancouver brand: the founders, the Dragons' Den deal, and where to buy it.
Maple 3: Inside the Quebec Maple Water Brand Selling in 10 Countries (Maple Made #002)
A fourth-generation maple producer turned a single Quebec sugar bush into a beverage brand stocked in IGA, Metro, Whole Foods, Costco US, and ten countries, without a venture round.
How to Measure Blended ROAS Across Instacart, Meta, and Google
Blended ROAS is total attributed revenue divided by total ad spend across Instacart, Meta, and Google. How CPG brands should calculate it, avoid common mistakes, and use it for weekly budget decisions.
Retail Media Reporting Template for CPG Founders
A weekly retail media reporting template for founder-led CPG brands spending on Instacart, Amazon, Walmart Connect, or Loblaw Advance. Track spend, revenue, ROAS, NTB percent, and CPC in one view.
How to Track New-to-Brand on Instacart
New-to-Brand on Instacart shows whether your ads are reaching shoppers who have not recently bought your brand. How founder-led CPG brands should read NTB in Ads Manager and use it with ROAS.
Signs Your Retail Media Budget Is Being Wasted
Most retail media waste is structural, not dramatic. Too many campaigns, fragmented budgets, and dashboards that hide more than they reveal. A 10-minute self-audit for CPG founders.
What Is a Good Instacart ROAS for CPG Brands?
A practical operating ladder for CPG brands: under 2x means fix the system, 2x–3x is workable, 3x–4x is healthy, and 4x+ is strong enough to protect before scaling.
How to Improve Instacart ROAS for Founder-Led CPG Brands
Most stuck accounts fail in three boring places: structure, budget allocation, and reporting. A 30-day recovery framework for founder-led brands.
Instacart Advertising for Snack Brands
Snack brands underperform on Instacart when they spread budget across too many products. How to pick hero SKUs, set budget rules, and avoid early-stage over-diversification.
Instacart Advertising for Beverage Brands
For beverage brands, Instacart works best when media and promotions move together. How to coordinate spend, product focus, and promo timing for better efficiency.
Instacart vs Amazon Ads for Emerging CPG Brands
If your CPG brand is already stocked in grocery, Instacart usually gives a cleaner demand signal than Amazon. A framework for deciding where to put your first paid media budget.
From the community
Curated weekly from r/InstacartAds, r/Google_Ads, and r/DigitalMarketing.
CPG digital ad recommendations
Marketers sharing channel recommendations for CPG brands — where to spend, what benchmarks to target, and which platforms deliver real retail lift.
Open thread →r/Google_AdsHow is CPC 10x less on Google-generated ads?
Discussion on why AI-generated Google ads can show dramatically lower CPCs and whether the quality of traffic actually holds up for conversion campaigns.
Open thread →r/InstacartAdsI tested Instacart Acquire (New-to-Brand) with optimized bidding
Real-world test results from running Instacart's Acquire NTB campaign type with optimized bidding — including ROAS, NTB rate, and spend efficiency findings.
Open thread →r/InstacartAdsDoes optimized or autobidding on Instacart actually work?
Operators comparing manual bidding vs. autobid on Instacart campaigns — sharing spend data and whether ceding bid control improves or hurts efficiency.
Open thread →