Sheena Russell is the Founder and CEO of Made with Local, a B-Corp Certified snack company. As a social entrepreneur, she creates real food bars and granola mixes with ethically-sourced ingredients to connect people to the planet. Made with Local creates social impact through partnerships with local farmers and food producers. The brand has grown to reach over 3,000 grocery stores across Canada.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- Sheena Russell shares Made with Local’s founding story
- How Sheena cultivates relationships with farmers to create her snack bars
- The effects of scaling on sourcing natural ingredients, and the challenges of expanding into new markets
- Building a community to gain brand recognition
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of self-manufacturing?
- Made with Local’s plans for innovation
- Sheena talks about her most fundamental mistakes and proudest moments
- Tips for emerging CPG brands
In this episode…
Many natural and organic snack brands are often dry and bland, with minimal variation in texture and flavor. This is because the ingredients are mass-produced in factories with specific product lines. Learn how one company cultivates a community to self-manufacture locally-sourced, tasty snack bars.
Sheena Russell began self-manufacturing her products in an exclusive bakery to gain control of quality and profit margins. This has allowed her to innovate and scale her brand into new markets. To maintain fresh, natural ingredients during growth, Sheena builds a network of local farmers who align with the brand’s mission and values. Establishing a disruptive brand that outperforms CPG competitors requires developing exceptional products and creating a community of supporters.
In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Sheena Russell, Founder and CEO of Made with Local, joins Taja Dockendorf to talk about how she created a social impact snack brand. Sheena explains the importance of building a community to gain brand recognition, the benefits and challenges of self-manufacturing, and the brand’s goals for innovation.
