Gardar Stefansson - Hard Pivot to the Fastest Growing Spread Brand

On this episode, we’re joined by Gardar Stefansson, Co-founder & CEO of GOOD GOOD - the fastest-growing spread brand in the U.S.

Born in Iceland, GOOD GOOD offers no-added-sugar, fruit-first jams, jellies, chocolate spreads, and a vegan lemon curd, among others.

Gardar shares how a looming write-off in a stevia/erythritol drops business sparked the pivot to spreads. He lays out the playbook on formulation, packaging that signals “indulgent but better,” moving from Amazon discovery to national retail, and what it actually takes to earn and hold more facings in conventional grocery. 

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Episode Highlights:

🍓 The “inventory crisis” that led to GOOD GOOD’s jam breakthrough
🧪 The R&D journey
🥄 Alternative sweeteners
🧂 Lessons from prior CPG ventures
📦 Packaging & claims that drive trial and repeat without confusing shoppers
🛍️ Amazon as the first wedge, and what still works there in 2025
🏪 Translating ecomm proof into retail wins and cleaner resets
🧱 How to capture shelf space over time
🛒 Kroger, H-E-B, Publix - how to win
📈 Trends

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Table of Contents:

00:49:14 – Origin story, the big pivot
03:47:10 – R&D and formulation
06:41:29 – Sweetener testing
09:25:25 – Learning lessons from previous CPG experience
12:53:18 – Brand identity and packaging design
17:41:26 – Amazon
24:08:26 – Expanding into retail
29:19:27 – Capturing more shelf space
32:41:09 – Kroger, H-E-B, Publix
37:12:24 – Trends Garðar is watching

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Links:

GOOD GOOD - https://goodgoodbrand.com
Follow Garðar on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gardar-stefansson/ 
Follow me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ 

For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.

Transcript

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welcome to shelf help hailing from Iceland co founder and CEO of Good Good fastest growing spread brand in the US last time I checked originally started as Via Health a brand focused on stevia drops and tabletop sweeteners Gartner was asked to join the the company to basically restructure and rebrand into what ultimately turned into the good good you see today on the shelf and I think over 10,000 doors at least the last time I checked so really cool story excited to get into it Gardner maybe just just first off for the listeners that aren't all that familiar with good good give us just quick lay of the land in terms of origin story why behind the brand core products you guys offer maybe just floor out a few places that get people can get their hands on them and then we'll go from there yeah absolutely so uh good good is a Icelandic originated uh spread brand we focus on creating no added sugar spreads that are low calorie with natural ingredients that taste good and are good for you we started as a sweetener company in Iceland and we were super interested in stevia and other natural sweetener that had just been allowed in the EU market a little bit before that in the States and had high hopes to become a leading stevia and a natural sweetener brand that did not materialize and we needed to pivot to something else we had overproduced which is a common problem for CPT companies and Excel forecasts when the Excel sheet looks better than your actual earnings so I talked to my co partner and said like hey that you know we need to do something with our inventory here otherwise it's gonna expire and I had this idea that you know we could make jams out of it because always in the fall in Iceland I used to go to the mountains with my kids and family and just like pick berries and then make a jam I was always appalled on how much sugar went into those beautiful natural berries so so I thought like hey we could use our sweeteners to to do this so we met in my kitchen quite desperate but also full of enthusiasm and and and innovative mindset and and we we boiled the berries added the sweeteners we had smelled really good you know looked really good made it cool down a bit tried it and it was the worst thing I ever put in my mouth it was the worst uh thing it was overly sweet it it completely was not there but as with everything that was the first prototype number one so after about 100 trials we got the functional recipe that we still use today so so we pivoted it from being a sweetener company into a spread company focusing on the natural aspect of it focusing on the locality aspect of it and so forth that was in 2,016 when that happened later we are one of the fastest growing spread brands in the United States we sell to 30 countries around the world we are available in banners like Walmart Whole Foods Sprouts Publix Meyer H E B Kroger and so forth so so growing every year and and building our customer base and and making customer happy with not eating too much sugar at least not when they are adding spreads to whatever they're having that's great that's such a cool pivot it's always cool to see companies when they make a pivot like that and see that much success that you guys are seeing you talked a bit about the kind of R&D formulation process the first version that you made didn't taste great said it sounded like it took a fair amount of iterations to get there you know without giving in any way too many trade secrets what were some of the key variables that you guys played around with during the R&D formulation stage to for from that first one that tasted terrible to the point where you got to the version where you're like okay this this feels right I feel good about bringing this to market yeah that that is a great question and and to answer that fully it's still I when we're always improving it you know it's it's good and I think that's the key with innovative CBG brand is like there's no like the formula is never done you know you can always make it better and and sometimes you can even make it worse I don't recommend that route but that sometimes happens uh to many the iteration was that first we just copied the sugary formula which is like 50% berries and 50% sugar and that was the mistake so it's it's like it's hard to balance natural sweeteners with the fruits so so we increased the fruit count quite heavily and then we balanced out the sweeteners we also use the right amount of uh preservatives natural preservatives that sometimes boost also the flavoring depending on the Berry and that has helped us you know maintain the flavor profile without sensing that it's sweetened with anything else than just like the right amount so the fruit flavor really pops off it's always gonna be less sweet than a sugary one and that's a benchmark we just have to accept and that's also what our customer like you know but that's like you know we're just creating something completely different it's like the jam category has been existence for as long time as men were able to cook so so as preserves so so this was just like our approach to to create this to offer now since every since sugar isn't everything we eat that wasn't the case 100 years ago it's the case now to offer an alternative like let's eliminate sugar from from this bread category uh it's tricky thing I mean it's it's super easy to create a healthy product you know like from a macro standpoint to nutritional values but it's super hard to make healthy product taste good and vice versa so so so that is a balance that is a thin line that is really hard to to navigate and I mean we have a a storage room back in Iceland with failed product that we haven't even launched because we don't launch product unless they fulfill the great taste as long as the nutritional fact and ingredients are on par with that promise yeah did you know from the beginning that you were gonna use this I think you use a stevia erythritol blend for the sweetener or did you play around with various options and blends before honing in on that that blend it might have just been as simple as cause you mentioned you were sitting on a bunch of inventory from the the previous brand iteration like the tabletop sweeteners and the drops and was it just as simple as we already have the sittings so we're just gonna use what we've got or yeah did was it more was there more tweaking involved in playing around with the different sweetener blends well I mean the problem was that we had stevia erythritol uh out of inventory so so we needed to use that so so that was like the urge to the urgency was hey we need to get you know this into something and sell it so that was always what we aimed at in regards of other sweeteners I mean we have done and it's a really good formula it's as close to like the sweetness of sugar it's about 80% of the sweetness of sugar but at the same time it's not you know that orally sweet and it doesn't have the aftertaste which many other natural and artificial sweeteners have and so that was like the urgency was that we have those sweeteners on hand let's use them and then we just have tweak the formula like by adding different kinds of Berry formulations and ratios and and so forth and and that has helped a lot we are also I mean we are constantly developing so now for example we just launched a new line with Whole Foods where we don't use erythritol and use much larger amount of berries about 80 to 90% so so that's like we're always pivoting in that like category and trying to test something else to different customers with our peanut butter we use uh prebiotic fibers from chicory roots that are extremely like helpful it's good for the gut bacteria but at the same time it sweetens the product you know so it's like it's like it makes the peanut butter a little bit sweeter without being overly sweet like uh you know the legacy brands that we grew up with as kids you know so so so yes we are always trying things out and and and testing it but when we have a good formula going and you just need to do minor tweaks to it then and it like the customer really reacts to it well we we just tend to go along with that but I think this always you can always do a little bit better you know it's like that's that's the mindset you need to have like and if as soon as you stop innovating you are also coming to a halt as I'm an entrepreneur you know totally so yeah totally agree I know previously the good good you built um salt brand out in Iceland I think it's nordor salt if I'm pronouncing that right like what um what like thinking back now what kind of learning lessons or insights do you feel like from from your days building the Norda Salt were were top of mind as you came on board with the next venture yeah so that was a a amazing experience and you know that like was a little bit more in terms of the production site so my experience with it was building a production facility from ground up you know securing investment for it building it up uh negotiating with the authorities to build that plant branding and getting everything going from the gecko so the learnings that I took from there was like you know from like branding was just and and pitching a product is something I've used a lot so I think like as a food entrepreneur you know you need to understand how food is made you know as as long if you can't understand how fruit grows or you know how they're processed same with like how salt is made if you can't portray that and put that as your story you know I think I think people will like guess people will at least judge a bit from that because you need to you need to be an expert you know what I mean like in what you're saying it often without boring people to death with tiny details it can be a really good intricate part of your pitch and also the follow up questions is explaining how things work you know explaining how this come about like how it's made why like our product is more sensitive than the sugary ones and so forth also a huge learning is like to you know to outsource when you can you know focus on what you're best at and and I mean it was running a production facility from like the beginning uh you know in the original steps and also branding and selling and doing all that was extremely hard thing to do you know so it's it's about you know with good good we figured out once we got into the spread that hey there are great producers out there we have the recipe we did all the hard work there you know there are people and companies and facilities that are faster better faster and able to scale that we can work with so so that was the learning is like now we have the recipe we did like that developing work and we're gonna continue to develop but maybe we can negotiate with a co packer to help us produce and that's what we did so so we outsource that to a capable producer that's definitely better in doing that at that stage of time than we are and meanwhile we focused on the branding and the selling and the story and we're able to scale faster without seeking investment to build new production machines or or factory and and so forth so so you know the key there is that able to you know know where your strengths are know what your company needs at that point of time for you to push and that was product development branding selling and just being founder and just going out there and and you know sharing the story and selling the product you know and that's like that was the key then and it's still the key now but like and that's like diversifying and knowing your strengths and talents and where you should apply them at that stage in your business growth yeah totally that makes a lot of sense and they're really helpful good in terms of that rebrand new brand creation just from a you know brand identity packaging standpoint I guess first off just what did that um what that naming process look like that ultimately LED you to decide on good good yeah it's a it's I wish I had a better story like I was walking and lightning came from the sky and put the name good good in front of us but you know the the truth is is that our creative agency and I said that one of our co hunters is actually his agency came to us with that name it's that simple as that like hey I mean Ukrainian product tastes good and are good for you why not call it good good and as simple as that is we liked it I was sure that someone had taken that name specifically in the US which was not the case so I immediately registered the the trademark and did it worldwide for our category and you know we had like there were some people that came to us like when we're starting and like saying good good that's like that's so common why not call you like something like a word with different letters like use Scandinavian letters instead of a or U you know what I mean and like then people will do you know know that you're different totally you know and everyone's doing that like in 2,000 19 tons of brand like true through and and and others which is cool and nothing wrong with that but I also like the idea like hey it sounds like we have been on the market for 50 years you know and and you know just getting there and and like as soon as we get more brand recognition it just feels right you know so that was the strength we saw in the name and today we're super happy with the name and and the product and and being able I was glad that in 2,018 I registered the brand like and took it you know for our categories but you know I think it helps us in the long run even though I agree with our our constructive critic back then that yes we would have had a name that would be more different that people used to talk about SEO purposes and so forth yeah but yeah I I was mainly thinking about how do we look in the shelf you know because that's like our main focus is there even though online is important it's just about you know how do we look in the shelf and then build from there the actual kind of visual identity the look of the packaging and the brand what were some of the the key variables that were top of mind for you in terms of you know what you included in that brief as an example the brief was simple in the beginning the first one we need a name that was the brief mouth is is to like doesn't explain exactly who we are but you know and and in the beginning it just was a super simple logo that was created and and we like we're happy with it it was not the forefront we we use different hierarchy in terms of communication so it was the product name that was communicated first and then the attributes we like and then we were like happy with like the patterns were there and everything like the same idea of like the natural perspective and the coloring it was all there from the beginning with our from our great designers back in Iceland but then in 2,020 me and my other co founders are checking out a store that we're in and we go into the store and we look at the shelf and we can't find our product there and we're like looking at the shelf and we're like where's the product it's supposed to be here it's like the store locator says it's here and and then like after 30 seconds we're like it's there you know like and then we were like it was awakening for us like even though it looks great on our screen in your computer alone it doesn't work in the jungle that the supermarket is so so that's when we went back to the drawing board okay and we created the smiley good good logo and we put the attribute first and then we put the product name below and and focused on the branding as the main communication from our standpoint but that brief was totally different from the first one you know it was about hey we have our product is like nothing else it's the lowest calorie natural spread out there it needs to reflect that in the packaging this is like our main method of getting new customers and that's the shelf space that we have invested in and and from there the the good good was uh the local we used today and the messaging is was created from yeah yeah that makes a lot of sense um I'm pretty sure you guys made a a pretty early bet on Amazon before putting a focus on on going into retail like what what have you guys found that's been key to winning in this Amazon channel yeah uh I think like I think like you have to what are you gonna use the Amazon channel for you know it's it's not good channel for uh products that are heavy and have low price you know and when I say low price below $20 unit which most food CPG products are you know in our case winning on Amazon is to be break even and and and promoting the product you know getting new customers and using it as a marketing channel and that what has been our our uh you know decision since we got into Amazon in 2,016 so so the first uh reason for why we used Amazon was that we recognized the power of it I mean it had already disrupted the book market it was going full force into gaming and you know everything that was related to entertainment in 2,016 the food space had just started and they had like maybe three years ahead like allowed sellers to to sell on their own there using their platforms so we saw this as a great tool to get our product to the US without over investing in shipping a container getting a warehouse with expiring products hiring people to sell you know so so from there we saw like hey let's just send a couple of cases to Amazon and let's see how it goes yeah and and that was like we got like immediately custom reaction with the reviews and and like we got like some trashy reviews and some of them are completely right you know like hey my jar broke you know and then we like hey we need to create a better packaging you know and so it doesn't break while shipping and then and it's been super helpful in product innovation making the product better knowing the customer like what they want because they're paying a lot to get the product but we use it mainly and we were at the time before we got into distribution with 10,000 stores in the state we were the best selling jam brand on Amazon so that helped us get into retail also when we are you know entering seriously the US market in 2,019 2,020 we just pointing out the fact that we are the best selling jam on Amazon and that's uh uh and that's something they can the buyers can that look at themselves and see that this product is bought by thousands of people you know every week and they should perhaps think about adding it to the shelves so so and I think it's still super relevant and important channel yep it's hard to make profits there with glass jars and heavy items at the price point we're at and that's just the fact but you know and the Beverages Beverages CPT founders have exactly the same method like they they over invest in Amazon to get the products into the hand of customers and then hope that that will scale into yeah wider distribution yeah no that makes I mean that's a logical strategy for sure let's just say an upcoming operator approach you ask you for some advice and they're just about getting ready to launch on Amazon what would you tell them is is the number one if you had to pick 1 KPI that they should be tracking on a you know daily basis as they're as they're ramping up on Amazon yeah I mean I would first of first of for for foremost ask them about what what the goal is you know is it like is it brand awareness is it first time customer is it just to be alive there with good reviews I mean what is the goal and but like let's just say it's gonna be they wanna get trials and increase brand awareness I would definitely recommend pricing you know and make sure that if the goal is to go to supermarket you can't overly price your product you have to be on par with the competition there because the customer's not gonna buy a a six pack or something that cost two times as much there as the competitors so so you have to align on that marketing mice like do the right sponsored ads the keywords put realistic goals in place put your spending like how much are you gonna spend I think a lot of first timers that go in there and and either spend too much or too little you know so so it's key to focus on that that that's the case like this is the amount this what I budget for these are the project sales and then I will focus on like just put your best sellers there yeah don't put if you have 10 skills just to 3 you know like focus on doing them the best there are gonna be operational challenges Amazon is gonna lose your inventory and it's gonna take two months to get something out of it if you get something out of it right expect to lose a lot of money yeah yeah expect to of lose I mean expect that you're investing in this channel and you know and then I think also it's the key is just like focus on the customer that like you know if you get a negative review analyze it like is it like is it a competitor trying to you know keep you out is it like something related to how the product is fulfilled is it about the taste you know and then you know try to get as many 5 star reviews and happy customers as much as you can and then build on that you know we will shop I mean we always at least I do I read all the reviews not all the I read the best reviews and I read the worst reviews just to figure out like what are the how is this product you know so so yeah you're investing in the story of your new skew or Asian you wanted to look good and you wanted to go well and you know don't expect that you're gonna be the best selling item in in week one yeah or like or the stores are gonna call you and like hey can we get your product it's like it's it's a long Marathon ahead yeah now that makes sense that those are all really helpful tips shifting a bit forward you guys kind of proved prove the concept on Amazon prove that there's a market for it then at some point you decide OK we're gonna start you know putting the focus on retail in terms of launch launching it and growing in retail what did your initial kind of go to market strategy look like yeah I mean we went in at a too low price you know so so we I mean from the European model which is like you're always at a low price you know and promotions are very rare you know they happen maybe once or twice a year so so we needed to restructure our price proposal and and build our offerings on a 20 week promotion a year you know and work with the retailers from that so the mistake we did was just being inexperienced in that regard that we have then we quickly Learned to fix like with everything and the best way for us is like in the space that we are in which is moving slower than snacks and beverages and a little bit less innovation than those uh categories as well is to focus primarily on promotions and like and invest in the packaging and the main message there you know that's the key and work as much with the retailer programs as we can build good relationship with them you know ask them about their you know promotional mechanism that they have or vehicles that they have in in place and build the brand within those banners so closely monitor that we use pins data we check it every month we get like all cancelled the data then we are also heavily in social media that's the key I mean if you do it well that is and that needs to be authentic with the true voice sharing a good story and also communicative your fans are there and those are the most important people ever so it's like and and you know always treat them like royalty and VIP and try to build the community around them try to recognize them try to find them because those are the reasons for why your brand will but they are the main fuel in the beginning that will propel it to to to other heights so it's like the key is just the community and and using those tools available other than that like trying to get new customer is also super important so do good promotions you know focus on your best selling products that you know are gonna like people will like to buy again and then build the velocities from there you know so it's it's like it sounds simple those three main points but it's super complicated because you're dealing with maybe 40 50 retailers that you need to fix and and and then promotion things get lost but it's like that's why it's so important also to have an amazing team with you that we had could could have you know experienced people that just like are on it and and will do the things needed to do to get things going it's funny a brand was in roughly 10,000 doors or so you know top spread brand in the US as you're thinking about scaling up from that next 10 you know 30 40,000 doors what is that strategy look like to you in your mind is it you know more of the same keep doubling down about what's working or are there some new things you're kind of thinking you're gonna have to try to you know take that next big uh jump in in terms of door count and expansion I guess let's say yeah so so we need to make sure that like the stores and new accounts we enter the velocities are there you know so it's like for us like we are not in a in a race to get into as many stores as possible we are in a race to sell as much as we can within the stores we're at so so that's has been our focus and we have said no to new retailer accounts just like because that's not the goal right now so so that's the base um and then like we are all constantly thinking about our product offerings sizes and and different opportunities so so that's something we are doing we launched our peanut butter like a year ago we've been super careful about not launching it in every new account possible we see tons of opportunities it's a new fiber in rates prebiotic peanut butter that just tastes good and like it's good for you everything we do like also there are tons of opportunities of like size different sizes convenient sizes like to go that we are exploring and and probably gonna launch but the core is is still like we are selling we wanna sell more pet store this week than we did last week so so that is like our core focus and it's so easy I mean it's so easy to lose sight of that and like try to get in as many account as possible but there's nothing there's no feeling as horrible at least in the CPT world as getting discontinued because of the two person sales so it's like you know it's kind of like hair of the dog is like going to those all of those accounts and then you're not performing and then like yeah you're not selling so I'm gonna get a new brand in you know so so we take super care of the stores and chains we're in and and we want to grow there because that's gonna have a multiplier effect for sure but I talked to some operators that tell me like after the first year or two on shelf within a retailer even when the brand is is a velocity leader you know like you guys in in the spread category it can still sometimes be challenging to kind of capture more shelf space and to be able to get those opportunities that take advantage of out of aisle opportunities like you know end caps side caps that kind of stuff I think partially it's because some of the bigger stylist brands they just pay more for shelf space kind of try to keep their elbows up they're always in the retailer's ear I'm not sure if this resonates with you at all have you had like a similar experience and and if if not great if if if so I'm curious have you uncovered any strategy that work to kind of combat some of these challenges yeah I mean like we're like a up and coming you know basically a a the new guys on the block you know so it's like we only been on the market for five years and we are like competing to legacy brands that have been there for 110 years you know so it's like that have the power and have done tons of mergers in the past and just just own basically the shelf space so yes it's it's hard to you know you know you have to take space from someone and like the at least the spread category gems is like decreasing maybe you know 1% a year or we are like growing like crazy so that's the story you try to tell like hey we are like your answer to the customers that have stopped shopping this you know so so try to increase the space but it's like it's it was specifically harder like two three years ago when we were like trying to build the the shoe count but now we're seeing like we're getting more sell space because first of all we got the velocities uh the buyers believe in like that this is what the customer wants and we have the numbers to prove it so so we are experiencing that in our space I think like this is definitely more harder in more competitive space like snacks and beverages I think like uh I think that uh is crazy environment but but but I mean ours also crazy but it's it's like you know it we're also a little bit slower you know so it's like you know it it takes longer time to get that placement than other spaces I would assume yeah but we have definitely experienced that getting the off shelf placement is just a matter of like good negotiations and discussion and relationship and also you have to pay for it I mean nothing is free you know so it's like you have to invest heavily into that and then you have to figure out am I going to be on that offshore placement with that banner is it gonna pay off you know and I mean the same questions you know arises as with Amazon like how are we gonna use this you know are we gonna do a BOGO which is like we're losing on that you know our margins are that not that high to give one 50% off the product but at the same time are you able you know to create first time customers that then they're gonna buy it again you know and then to justify that spend it's a delicate uh subject and it's hard to be there but yeah it's just a battle you know yeah so and you have to you have to put your best players out there in the beginning that you know are your best selling excuse and and then that will help you grow the space totally yeah that's really helpful you mentioned right at the beginning at this point the brand is in a lot of the major retailers just for other up and coming operators as they're starting to get on the shelf what have you found or some of the key differences in working between let's just pick Kroger HEB and Publix just in terms of how you work with them on a daily basis are there different ways you know kind of keys to succeeding and winning on shelf that differ between the three yeah absolutely it also it differentiates within its retailer culture so so they have different ways of doing things and different promotional mechanism and and vehicles so you know even though like you wanna be in the conversation with your buyer every day you know and and you know that's not always the case you know sometimes they just allow you to meet them once a year at a category view or not even meet you you know so suddenly you're just like a uplifted their Excel sheet other buyers are super communicative and want to have good relationship with their brands and want them to succeed and I think that's like a pretty good approach and strategy because you know you're already there in the shelf you know and now you want the brand to commit to like build it within your store and you know create better you know return on the shelf space that is basically real estate you know so so it's it differs per retailer for sure and it's a it's a sensitive like communication you have to be aware of like like that like if you wanna grow you also have to commit a lot of investment into promotions and so forth and for operators who are focused on you know growing I think and starting I think like the key is like there's no right way to do it you know you like when we started we went to Amazon with very few brands were doing and then we got into conventional you know retailers like Meyer and and Safeway and then we grew from there before that like people told us yeah you have to go with a really specific natural store on this corner in New York City from there you can try to approach the buyer for that whole first division and then you grow there and then you go national and then focus on being in one state and grow and and we did like like went on Amazon as a natural brand then we went conventional then grew from everywhere and now suddenly like in the past one or two years we we went into the natural like full force I think the key is like pick a state pick a state where you're gonna grow preferably it's where you live there you know and and try to build like find the retailers that have good relationship with their core customers like if they have good relations HP is a perfect example I mean it's just like they treat their customers and people with respect you know it's like they they want to surprise them here's the food like if something is wrong they will fund you they will like treat you and it's like the communication is awesome so it's like it's it's important to like find a retailer that like is there and you can maybe preferably grow the brand there and then focus on you know building within the state and then go to other states that you think are better fit for your product than other states so it's like there are there is no formula you know and we are definitely the odd one out because we went different way in and so I and we are proof proof of that so I think like I think but I think the key is just like try like same with Amazon just start if you have 10 screws start with three like don't that same with like retail just like focus on you know the best selling products you know I know you're an entrepreneur or innovator or like a new operator you want to create everything and you have built this amazing you know plan in your head but like you often have to hesitate and pause a bit and just like focus on like building your core and I often have to remind myself of that like every day like hey OK what's happening with our best seller you know like let's take a look at that and then you know this could be an interesting new product development and so forth so probably so yeah it's the focus that matters a lot and then just using that energy inside to sell and promote and build the brand and and that's the key that makes a lot of sense now that's that's really helpful and um Gordon this has been really helpful like last question for you um any brands or just trends in general in the CPG space peaked your interest lately or anything that you're kind of excited about yeah I I mean I go to all the shows and I've been there and like there's always some hype with new ingredients or like CBD for example that just went into everything and then like just like stop like vegan like all this vegan plant alternative it was huge like but now it's kind of like plateaued it's always gonna be there and I think growth is there and I am totally up for better options in terms of uh meat alternative but you know there there has been a lot of like it was a lot of overinvestment in that category a couple years ago and I think it's gonna balance and I think it's gonna grow faster in my opinion but I've seen like with the protein trend it's huge I think we're gonna see a little bit like not all proteins are equal so we're gonna see a little bit like diversification there what kind of protein you know is gonna win versus the other less proteins that are available and then something also we are leaning on is fibers I think fiber is the new protein and I think there are tons of opportunities there specifically you know with modern diet when we have to eat on the go and you know we're like we don't cook as much as as we did you know I think trying to get a balanced diet and there's a missing this is missing in our diet is our fibers so so I think I'm super excited about that one and you seen that with Poppy and like all the drinks and Paris that they leaned on that and I am pretty sure that we're gonna see that as well with other categories as well yeah I think you're probably right oh yeah Gordon this been awesome a lot of really valuable insights here I think people are gonna be excited to listen what's the um what's the best place for people to follow along with you and then best place for people to follow along with the good good brand as well well I'm active on LinkedIn pouring my heart out there every day so Gardar Stefansson is a well LinkedIn and all uh good good is I mean we're amazing on Instagram and and TikTok so I will encourage you to follow us there perfect awesome link that's the pod great thank you for having me alright Today we're speaking with Gardar Stefansson yeah from a go to market standpoint I think like the core is the most important one this question is really getting in the weeds anything that's kind of really