Welcome back to another episode of Express Checkout (surprise! new name)!!
This week we sit down with Troy Bonde, Co-Founder of Sauz, the brand that's rewriting the rules of the $10 billion tomato sauce category. Troy takes us through his wild journey—from a COVID-era hand sanitizer dropshipping hustle to building Sauz into a nationwide brand at Target and Sprouts, backed by $22 million in funding.
We dig into how Sauz found its brand moat, the story behind the name, their viral "pimping Troy out" social campaign, the new Basic Basil marinara launch, and what's next for the brand.
Let’s get into it!
The breakdown:
0:00 - Intro
0:36 - Introducing Troy
1:08 - From hand sanitizer to pasta sauce
5:35 - Learning CPG through angel investing
7:47 - Breaking category norms
11:33 - The story behind the name “Sauz”
14:37 - The California Naturals tomato lip balm collab
19:16 - Launching Basic Basil marinara
24:44 - Sauz’s viral social media strategy
29:31 - Measuring repeat purchase and loyalty
31:25 - Scaling distribution: Target, Erewhon, and beyond
39:17 - Closing thoughts
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