Weekly Pickups: Barrel-aged tamari, A2 lattes, and more...
Ft. Eli Weiss, VP of Retention at Yotpo
Welcome back to Weekly Pickups!
On September 9 at 1pm ET, Express Checkout is taking over the Highlight Reel for a special conversation with Alexander Harik, founder of ZestyZ, about the future of CPG, why fiber might be the next macro moment, and what it really takes to build a food brand today.
Plus, we'll be taking your questions live. If you've been curious about CPG trends, building a food brand, or just want to hear two founders get real about the industry, this is your chance.
Fair warning: You'll definitely leave hungry for pita chips. 😋
🎉 We got some events to shout out 🎉
If you’re attending Shoptalk Fall in a few weeks you have to check out these events!
Shoptalk Ultimate Casino Night | 📅 Wed, September 17 | ⌚ 6-10PM CST
A Shoptalk Chicago Magic Experience! | 📅 Thurs, September 18 | ⌚ 5-8:30PM CST
WE LAUNCHED A PODCAST!!
Man Cereal, caffeinated chips, and the rise of wellness retail
Here we are—our first-ever podcast!!! After yapping via written word for almost 3 years, it’s time to go verbal (visual?) with our new pod, The Curious Consumer.
Let’s get into what we’ve been loving this week →
Jenna’s Pickups:
Jozo - Barrel-Aged Tamari
I was first introduced to Jozo at the Fancy Food Show this summer, where I met the incredible founders (and fiancés!) Oliver and Julia while they demoed at the Salad Sprinkles booth, freaked out over how Jozo transformed a lame cucumber slice, and proceeded to schlep home a full bottle of the stuff.
I am something of a soy sauce fiend, putting it in everything from a traditional stir fry to my salad dressings (equal parts tahini, soy sauce, lemon juice—don’t knock ‘til you try). So when I learned that there was a better soy sauce alternative out there—especially one that came in an easy-to-use squeeze bottle—I was sold. And after learning Jozo’s fascinating story, I was hooked.
Quick Facts: If you’re unfamiliar, tamari is a commonly-used gluten-free replacement for soy sauce. Turns out, soy sauce typically contains wheat—meaning GF folks (like co-founder Julia, who has celiac) can’t have it. Tamari is a simpler product: just fermented soybean. But Jozo takes it one step further with its barrel-aged process.
Reasons to Love:
Umami bomb. Soy sauce always adds a hit of umami to a meal, but Jozo goes one step further. It’s brewed at 2x soybean concentration and aged for 18 months in cedar barrels, which brings out the deep umami flavors. I love the challenge of detecting the nuance here, like a soy sauce sommelier—it makes me savor every bite a little more. 👩🎨
Bringing a lost art to life. Jozo exists because co-founder Oliver is the best kind of home chef: a nerdy one. Because he makes most of his meals in a gluten-free home, he got obsessive about every single ingredient he includes in his recipes. He knew he could get more from tamari, so one night, he went down a rabbit hole exploring the origins of tamari in Japan—and discovered tamari brewers in Japan using heirloom, barrel-aged recipes from 1871. Now that tamari is mass-produced, many of these OG breweries in the Chita Peninsula of Japan were struggling to stay alive. Jozo sources directly from these breweries, bringing an age-old tradition to the modern-day Western masses.
Form factor. I now cannot imagine tamari in anything other than a squeeze bottle. It’s so easy to use, encouraging me to squeeze it on everything (because it belongs on nearly everything). Plus, it just looks really good on a counter. Sue me for caring.
Where to buy: A handful of independent retailers + online! They also just launched in Citarella in NYC :)
Califia Farms Iced Coffee - Seasonal Blend
It’s getting minorly chilly in the mornings… and you know what that means: we’re approaching pumpkin spice season. Say what you will about pumpkin spice and its associated “basicness,” but the reality is, sweater weather pairs perfectly with warm, cinnamony spices.
As a cinnamon addict all year round, I love this time of year for the many seasonal flavors it brings. But if you’re not a PSL purist (like me), Califia Farms has us covered with seasonal flavors that span behind the orange stuff—and this iced coffee is a new fave.
Quick Facts: A limited-edition, unsweetened, ready-to-drink black coffee featuring warm Autumn spices.
Reasons to love:
No sweetener, just flavor. I regularly crave a flavored coffee, but I don’t want all the sugar that usually comes with it. This product is just pure black coffee with seasonal spices—no added sweetener or milk.
Sustainable brand. You may be familiar with Califia Farms for its plant-based milk products, which are some of my favorites. As a fully plant-based brand, Califia Farms is thoughtful about all sourcing and environmental impact, making them an easy company to support (AKA, would take this over a S*arbucks ready-to-drink iced coffee any day).
Where to buy: Major retailers nationwide
Nate's Pickups:
Laurel's Classic Lattes
They literally just launched in Whole Foods nationwide this week and I thought it was the perfect opportunity for a little 5AM run from the Upper East Side 6 miles south to the Tribeca Whole Foods to be there right when they opened to grab myself some Laurel's. The things you do for your friends' brands!
Quick Facts: Creamy, indulgent canned lattes made with 100% A2 dairy sourced directly from Alexandre Family Farms. Available in Classic Latte, Dirty Chai, and Matcha Latte.
Reasons to love:
A2 is the future, and we're here for it. A2 dairy is a game-changer. It's easier to digest for folks who usually struggle with regular milk, delivering all the creamy goodness with none of the stomach drama. Laurel's partnering with Alexandre Family Farms for their A2 milk shows they're serious about quality and keeping my tummy happy.
The Goldilocks of caffeine. This hits that perfect sweet spot for people who want less caffeine but aren't ready to commit to the sadness that is decaf (I personally don't believe in decaf). Perfect for that 2 PM slump when a full coffee would have you staring at the ceiling at midnight.
Refreshingly uncomplicated. In a world where every beverage needs 47 adaptogens and a backstory about ancient monks, Laurel's keeps it simple: good coffee, quality dairy, actual flavor. No made-up benefits, just a damn good latte in a can.
Where to buy: Online or at a store near you
Built Sour Puff Bars
I'm a huge fan of funky stuff, at least to try once, so when I saw these new sour Built Puff bars come across my TikTok feed I IMMEDIATELY bought them without hesitation. Zero impulse control when it comes to weird protein snacks
I've been a Built Puff bars evangelist for a while now, but these sour flavors are something else… peach is my personal fave.
Quick Facts: Marshmallow-textured protein bars with 15-17g of protein from whey isolate and collagen peptides, only 140-160 calories. The new sour lineup features Sour Peach, Sour Blue Raspberry, and Sour Green Apple.
Reasons to love:
The texture is perfection. I'm a big texture guy and this marshmallow-y, gummy-like consistency is exactly what I want. I eat so many damn gummy candies that finding something with that same satisfying chew PLUS 16g of protein feels like a hack.
The flavor variety is insane. My favorite thing about Built Puff bars is how many flavors they have. While everyone else is doing their tenth iteration of chocolate peanut butter, Built's out here making Sour Green Apple protein bars.
They taste great. These bars are yummy AF. These sour ones taste like candy and all their other flavors are also top notch, especially churro. A lot of protein bars taste like sweetened cardboard with a vitamin aftertaste. These legitimately taste like the snacks you actually want to eat.
Where to buy: Online or In a Store near you
✨ Special Guest ✨ Eli Weiss
We're excited to have as our Weekly Pickups guest! Eli is a friend of the newsletter and a retention legend. He’s currently the VP of Retention Advocacy at Yotpo—an ecomm retention marketing platform—but comes with a rich history in customer experience at iconic brands like OLIPOP and Jones Road Beauty. He also shares his best CX and retention tips in !
Let's dive into his weekly pickups →
I spent a decade in DTC/CPG. Started in luggage, then at NUGGS (!) in 2020, joined OLIPOP later that year as #16, and then Jones Road Beauty in 2022 as #16 as well.
I should be a snack man and all over the better-for-you (BFY) aisle… but I’m not really 😬. Most of my groceries are via Instacart from Wegmans or Walmart, but Whole Foods is my Sunday treat. Less to shop, more to browse.
My hot take is that 99% of BFY taste as such. They’re bootleg versions of the real thing that too many of us like to convince ourselves are just as good, mostly because we don’t eat the real thing. But not me, I love my Nerds, Kinder Bueno, Fresca, Häagen-Dazs. I’ll tell ya if the feel goods don’t taste goods.
I’m always looking for a post-meal sweet treat, and after perusing the aisles of Whole Foods Metuchen, I set my eyes on Doughlicious and gave them a go.
Although they’re dairy-free and whatever else, they tasted great and felt way more delicious than 100 cals.
Special honorable mention for Joolies. I’ll be honest, I went 30+ years of my life without trying dates and only recently got into it. But these wipe the floors of the Trader Joe’s or similar variety. Fresh, soft, sweet, and delicious in a goddamn bowl of Ellenos Greek Yogurt.
Thanks for reading! Anything you think we should try for an upcoming edition of Express Checkout? Email us at nate@expresscheckout.co and jenna@expresscheckout.co