From Hand Sanitizer to Tomato Sauce - How Sauz Went From 10 Doors to 3,500 in a Year

In this Founder Fundraising Journey episode, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Troy Bonde, co-founder and CEO of Sauz, to trace the winding path from a college side hustle to building one of the fastest-growing brands in the tomato sauce category.

Troy's road to Sauz started with a hand sanitizer and thermometer dispenser he and childhood friend and co-founder Winston sold to schools during COVID, using the proceeds to fund early angel investments and, eventually, Sauz itself. Frustrated by a commoditized tomato sauce aisle with no flavor innovation, Troy and Winston sold their cars to bootstrap the brand, launched at Erewhon in July 2023, and scaled from 10 doors to 3,500 in just 12 months, landing Whole Foods, Central Market, and Target distribution along the way.

Hannah and Troy dig into how Sauz built a data story compelling enough to win over major retail buyers, when and why the brand knew it needed institutional capital, the emotional and practical challenges of fundraising, and what Troy wishes he'd done differently around unit economics and hiring.

Listen in as they discuss:

Troy's unconventional path from teenage car salesman to M&A banking intern to tomato sauce founderHow a pandemic side business selling hand sanitizer dispensers funded Sauz's earliest daysWhy Troy and Winston felt tomato sauce was overdue for the same reinvention seen in beverage brands like Poppy and OlipopThe surprising science behind flavors like hot honey and summer lemon marinara, and why they make dinner specialHow Sauz turned demo data at Erewhon into distribution at Central Market, Whole Foods, and TargetThe moment Sauz knew it needed to bring on institutional capital to fund growthWhat made Coefficient Capital the right venture partner for SauzWhy Troy believes velocity alone doesn't guarantee a smooth fundraise, and what else mattersLessons learned about unit economics, hiring an ops lead sooner, and building a high-trust teamTroy's approach to deciding when to take outside advice versus trusting his own gut

Episode Links:

Troy Bonde LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-bonde/Sauz LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/getsauzSauz Website: getsauz.comSauz Instagram: @getsauz

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Show Links:

Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Hannah's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-dittman-011b844bQuestions or comments about the episode? Email podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics