Camino Partners Update - July 2024

Ideas from Daniel Lubetzky’s TED Talk on Building

Camino Partners Founder, Daniel Lubetzky , gave a TED Conferences Talk on the need and opportunity for people to work together to solve our toughest problems. Here are some key takeaways from Daniel’s Talk, which include lessons in entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership.?Watch Daniel's talk here.

1.) Think with AND – Seeing every issue as binary forces us to make false compromises on our products, brand, and business. Instead of choosing between Options A and B, consider an Option C that allows you to generate maximum value with minimal tradeoffs. ?

2.) The Problem is a mindset, not a person – When navigating interpersonal challenges, examine the underlying mindset leading to disagreement, and examine how your company culture can promote more flexible and constructive thinking.?

3.) Imbue your work with meaning – Think about how your business model might contribute to tackling societal problems you want to solve. Don’t force a social mission on your work but do look for ways to authentically imbue your pursuits with purpose.?

4.) Develop a thick skin while retaining your values – Don’t be intimidated by the loud, passionate voices that carry more influence in our world today. Standing up for your values requires bravery.?

5.) We can’t make impact alone – Empower your stakeholders to act as ambassadors for your brand. Achieving scale requires using distributed models that give agency to the customers, consumers, investors, and influencers connected to your brand.?

CP Summit Recap

Twice a year, we get together to collaborate on work streams and ways of working. Here’s what we got up to this time…

• Raided the city’s grocery stores for the most interesting CPG trends. Themes that showed up in our hauls included: international flavors skewing savory, chickpea everything, and whole foods leaning into packaging innovation to deliver more convenient formats.
• Gained new insights from guest speaker, David Tisch, on his "chaos and mayhem” approach to unearthing the leading founders and tech entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
• Workshopped our team meetings based on 7 principles and “meeting modes,” guided by Executive Coach Rachel Peck .
• Found out everyone’s dream dinner guest, dead or alive. Our invites went out to Beyoncé, Bill Watterson, Henry VIII, and Elle’s grandma.

Inside Our Zoom Room

Inside Our Zoom Room, Daniel and SOMOS Foods co-founder Miguel Leal discussed sampling as part of a marketing strategy. They dove into the importance of getting people to try the product while acknowledging the need to be more disruptive today, using tools like social media to get consumers to bite.?Watch Inside Our Zoom Room here.

Partner News

SOMOS Foods

• Entrepreneur: SOMOS Co-Founder and CEO Miguel Leal spoke with writers to share three lessons he’s learned while building the made-in-Mexico food brand.
• Food & Wine: SOMOS Mexican Black Beans were one of the ‘Monthly Obsessions’ in May, having saved Senior Drinks Editor in “moments of true mealtime despair.”

CAVA

• Fortune: Cava was highlighted for raising their annual sales goal after beating first quarter expectations and adding grass-fed, pasture-raised steak to menus.

Prose

• The Glossy Beauty Podcast: Prose CMO Megan Streeter discussed Prose's proprietary AI algorithm, which helps tailor how the brand customizes products for each consumer.

• InStyle: The magazine's lifestyle writer documented her experience using Prose’s haircare products for a month, reflecting that the “custom products definitely felt like an upgrade to the normal hair care routine.”?

Belgian Boys

• Parade: Belgian Boys' Bite-Sized Pancakes were featured as a hot Costco find. Editors noted that “a box of 90 tiny cakes is $9.99, which is less than it costs for a short stack at IHOP.”

• People Magazine: Belgian Boys and KIND Snacks were both Food Award winners in the “Best New Breakfast and Bakery Items” category for Belgian Boys' Griddle Pancakes and KIND's Banana Peanut Butter Clusters.

Ellenos

• PureWow: Ellenos made the “best high-protein yogurts” list with their Greek yogurts that are “sure to keep you full before lunch or dinner.”

Gimme Seaweed

• SheKnows: Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis shared which quality ingredients she shops for on Amazon, including Gimme as an after-school snack.

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