Loren of Sweet Lorens on Beating Cancer, $120M in Revenue and Building a Cookie Empire

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Hot Takes Big Stakes

Natalie Holloway and Lana Elie

18 episodes

6 days ago

The real-world highs and lows of building a business—from early ideas scribbled on napkins to multimillion-dollar raises and the pivotal moments in between. Hosted by serial founders Natalie Holloway (Bala) and Lana Elie (Floom). We explore the unfiltered truths most founders are too polished (or too cautious) to say out loud. No hype, no jargon—just honest conversations about what actually works, what doesn’t, and what it really takes to grow something from nothing. Each week, Natalie and Lana sit down founder-to-founder to share sharp insights, fresh perspectives, and the kind of candor you rarely hear in the boardroom. Build your dream. Burn the playbook.

Entrepreneurship

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Entrepreneurship

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Loren of Sweet Lorens on Beating Cancer, $120M in Revenue and Building a Cookie Empire | #16

Hot Takes Big Stakes

50 minutes 7 seconds

2 weeks ago

Loren of Sweet Lorens on Beating Cancer, $120M in Revenue and Building a Cookie Empire | #16

Founder Loren Castle shares how a health scare pushed her to reinvent the classic chocolate chip cookie with clean ingredients, then turn that recipe into Sweet Loren’s, a national brand. She breaks down the gritty early years, from farmers markets and a toaster oven in Whole Foods demos to scaling factories, packaging, and distribution. We dig into the allergen free pivot, whytaste still wins, pricing and margins, and the leadership moves that unlocked profitable growth. If you are building in CPG, this is a masterclass on product market fit, retail, and team.More Hot Takes Big StakesInstagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/More on Loren Castle Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenbcastleLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loren-brill-castle/Website: https://sweetlorens.com/More on Natalie Holloway:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/Substack,“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.comBook a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHollowayMore on Lana Elie-Meyers:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/

00:00 Intro, why this story matters
00:40 The diagnosis, mindset shift to health and food
03:18 Learning nutrition, cooking, fixing the cookie
05:07 Iterating hundreds of batches, real feedback
07:50 Quitting the job, contests and early validation
09:26 Farmers market tests, writing the business plan
10:19 Bakery vs CPG, choosing scale and freedom
11:34 Whole Foods buyer meeting, picking cookie dough
14:01 The seven month sprint to launch
15:17 Toaster oven demos, winning customers in store
19:09 Trade shows and factory upgrades to scale
20:37 Publix and Kroger wins, going nationwide
21:23 Customer messages point to allergens
22:24 Allergen free launch, instant top seller
23:43 Packaging, taste first, callouts second
25:03 Selling into different retailers, moms as gatekeepers
27:43 Less sugar line, listening to data and demand
31:27 Pricing, margins, and competing on quality
32:57 From solo grind to profitable, lean team
35:27 Remote systems, hiring only rock stars
36:28 Covid bump, brand awareness and new packaging
38:24 Hiring a president, unlocking founder leverage
40:17 Staying in vision and growth, avoiding burnout
45:00 Final playbook, how to build a lasting food brand