#252 - The Rise of Laurel's Coffee: Whole Foods, Wegmans & 1,800 Target Stores in Two Years

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Isabel Washington, founder of Laurel's Coffee — an A2 dairy canned latte brand bringing coffee shop flavors like Dirty Chai and Matcha to retail shelves. Isabel left McKinsey in February 2024, launched in August 2024, and has already landed Whole Foods, Erewhon, Wegmans, and a chain-wide 1,800-store Target launch coming this August. That's not a typo.

Isabel shares the full origin story: how her public health background shaped her "better for you" philosophy, why she spent her first six weeks at 40 hours a week on calls with anyone who would talk to her, and how she cold-emailed the Whole Foods refrigerated beverage buyer three months after launching — and got a response almost immediately. She also breaks down what A2 dairy actually is, why so many self-described lactose intolerant people may actually be A1 sensitive, and why Dirty Chai became their best seller at Whole Foods by 1.5–2x.

Daniel and Isabel also dig into the consulting-to-founder pipeline, the art of running parallel work streams instead of sequential ones, what it felt like to say yes to a national Whole Foods launch with $10,000 in the bank, and why she nearly took a terrible term sheet before waiting it out for the right investors.

Listen in as they cover:

• Why chickpea-to-oat comparisons feel familiar — and how A2 dairy works the same way for dairy drinkers
• The McKinsey skill set that let Isabel go from idea to retail shelf in six months
• How a five-sentence cold email landed a national Whole Foods authorization
• Why Dirty Chai outsells everything else — and what that taught her about flavor strategy
• The difference between what a Whole Foods buyer cares about versus a Target buyer
• What a national Whole Foods load-in PO actually looks like (hint: not what you'd expect)
• How DSDs helped her avoid the deduction and build-back chaos that kills early-stage brands
• Why she said yes to Whole Foods with $10K in the bank — and what she'd tell founders about that
• The Target launch, upcoming Costco roadshows, and what's next for Laurel's

Whether you're a founder trying to break into top-tier retail, a consultant thinking about making the leap, or just someone who didn't know they might not actually be lactose intolerant, this episode is for you.

Episode Links:

Laurel's Coffee Website: https://drinklaurels.com
Isabel Washington on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabeldwashington/
Laurel's Coffee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinklaurels/

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Show Links:

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• Episode music by Super Fantastics