Ep 501: How Mid-Day Squares Scaled to $36M with Careful Costco, Costly Cocao, and a Bitcoin Supply Chain Makeover with Nick Saltarelli
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupIn this episode, we sit down with Nick Saltarelli, co-founder of Mid-Day Squares — one of the most disruptive brands in functional CPG. Nick dives deep into how they broke a Costco sales record, built a new refrigerated snack category in mass retail, and fought margin collapse during a global cocoa crisis.🔑 In this episode, you'll learn:How Mid-Day Squares turned 13-day roadshows into viral brand momentsThe radical way they use Bitcoin and WhatsApp to source cocoa and slash costs by 35%Why ChatGPT is now a core operational layer in their businessThe book that changed Nick’s thinking about retention and customer acquisition foreverWhat it really takes to scale a manufacturing operation to serve Costco and the U.S. marketThis is a tactical, no-BS episode for operators who want to break molds, not just grow linearly.Timestamps00:00 - How Bitcoin Supercharged Mid-Day Squares’ Supply Chain02:00 - Breaking Costco Records With Community-Powered Roadshows06:00 - Creating a New Product Category in Costco's Refrigerated Section08:00 - Cocoa Crisis and Vertical Supply Chain Innovation12:00 - Using WhatsApp and Bitcoin to Revolutionize Global Sourcing16:00 - Why Mid-Day Squares Doesn’t Hold Bitcoin — But Trades With It20:00 - Scaling Production to Meet Massive Costco Demand24:00 - Understanding the Global Cocoa Price Surge28:00 - How AI and ChatGPT Are Embedded Into Daily Operations32:00 - Breaking DTC Marketing Myths With “How Brands Grow”Hashtags#middaySquares #DTCmarketing #CostcoLaunch #BitcoinSupplyChain #CPGfounders #CocoaCrisis #VerticalIntegration #ChatGPTforBusiness #ByronSharp #HowBrandsGrow #DirectToConsumer #AIinCPG #ecommercebrands #scalingstartups #entrepreneurmindset Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video