DeepSummary
Anouk Gottlieb and her husband Greg started Belgian Boys, a company that brings European treats like Belgian waffles, brioche, French toast, and crepes to the American market. They initially struggled with convincing retailers to stock their products in the refrigerated section instead of the frozen section, as Belgian waffles are typically sold refrigerated in Europe. After years of bootstrapping, they were able to get data from a trial at Walmart that showed their products performed better when sold refrigerated.
Armed with this data, Belgian Boys was able to raise capital from investors like Daniel Lubetzky's Camino Partners and expand their refrigerated offerings to over 8,400 stores including Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods. Anouk discusses the challenges of pivoting from frozen to refrigerated products, the importance of understanding their core consumer, and the journey of fundraising and building the brand.
Anouk shares insights on working with her husband as a co-founder, the value of surrounding themselves with knowledgeable advisors, and the lessons learned from initially overcomplicating their branding and messaging. She emphasizes the importance of simplicity, trust in co-founder relationships, and focusing on solving problems for the consumer.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Belgian Boys initially struggled to convince retailers to stock their products in the refrigerated section, as Belgian waffles are traditionally sold refrigerated in Europe.
- After years of bootstrapping, Belgian Boys was able to get data from a trial at Walmart that showed their products performed better when sold refrigerated, allowing them to raise capital and expand their refrigerated offerings.
- Anouk emphasizes the importance of understanding their core consumer, the everyday American family, and tailoring their branding and messaging accordingly.
- Fundraising was a challenging process, but Belgian Boys persevered through rejections and eventually secured investment from firms like Camino Partners by trusting their instincts.
- Anouk learned the value of simplicity in branding and avoiding overcomplicating messaging for the sake of excitement.
- Working with her husband as a co-founder requires a foundation of trust in each other's intentions and decision-making.
- Surrounding themselves with knowledgeable advisors and peers in the industry has been crucial for Belgian Boys' growth and success.
- Anouk stresses the importance of focusing on solving problems for the consumer and creating moments of joy as a brand mission.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “And I get Mike, the most beautiful rejection image.“ by Anuk Gottlieb
- “But simple is better, simpler is better. And when you are in the brand and you are in this every day, I think we tend to overcomplicate things because it's got to be exciting for us over what we did before.“ by Anuk Gottlieb
- “I think at the end of the day, in a co founder kind of relationships, the most important thing is trust.“ by Anuk Gottlieb
Entities
Book
Company
Person
Product
Episode Information
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I Brands
Mike Gelb
1/8/24
She leads the day-to-day operations and long-term strategy for Belgian Boys and is bringing European treats like Belgian waffles, brioche french toast, crepes, and other delicious delights to the American home. They are now in over 8,400 stores including Walmart, Target, Whole Foods.
Thank you to our partner Propeller Industries
Propeller Industries is the leading strategic finance and accounting partner for venture-stage companies.
We discuss:
• Anouck’s journey from fashion to joining her husband in starting a food CPG company
• How they first got into retail
• What it was like years of bootstrapping
• How they landed KIND snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky’s venture firm Camino Partners as investors
• Why they pivoted from frozen food to refrigerator food and much more.