Tom's of Maine. Ben & Jerry's. Annie's. Burt's Bees. Bob's Red Mill. Mike's Hot Honey.

In the packaged goods industry, many founders name their companies after themselves — but why? And is there unique value to it?

Serial entrepreneur Mark Samuel has an answer, and it's why he's launching a new snack brand called Mark's Snacks. To him, it's all about radical accountability. "When your name is on the bag, there's no hiding," he says. "I can't cut corners because it reflects directly on me and my family."

Samuels has become a recognizable voice in the CPG (consumer packaged goods) industry. He founded IWON Organics in 2016, which was an early player in the protein snacks category. (It was eventually licensed.) He works on growth initiatives with Siddhi Capital, a VC firm that invests in food and beverage companies, and hosts the podcast Let's Eat.

With Mark's Snacks, Samuel is targeting another emerging health-focused trend — being free of seed oils. Mark's is launching with a line of kettle chips cooked in avocado oil, with a heavy emphasis on clean ingredients and a health focus. It's beginning as a primarily direct-to-consumer brand, via Amazon and TikTok shop play. "I'm deliberately rolling out the brand slowly to get real consumer feedback and insights," he says, "but I'm also working on much bigger opportunities in the background."

In this conversation, Samuel explains the benefits of being front-and-center in a brand — and what other CPG founders should know.

Snacks........

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