David Mesa: Keepin’ It Real In CPG
Shelf placement can feel like a big win, but in CPG, that’s often where the real work begins. Once a product is in front of shoppers, what actually makes it move?
The answer, David Mesa explains, is velocity: the ability to turn shelf placement into actual sales. He explains that brands must think beyond distribution and look at the full picture: pricing, packaging, shelf placement, merchandising, trade spend, and whether the product truly fits the retailer’s customer. When brands treat the shelf like the starting line instead of the finish line, they have a much better shot at building lasting growth.
On this episode of the Firebelly Social Show, Duncan Alney talks with David Mesa, President of We Grow CPG, about what it really takes to grow in CPG today. They discuss why getting on the shelf is not enough, how merchandising drives sales velocity, and why founders need honest consumer feedback. David also shares advice on choosing the right retail strategy.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [2:14] David Mesa explains We Grow CPG’s focused brand roster and retailer trust-building strategy
- [9:13] The biggest CPG growth misconception founders need to unlearn
- [16:32] How data analytics reveal packaging, pricing, placement, and retail execution issues
- [20:43] Why brands need to show retailers love after earning shelf space
- [26:55] Missed social media opportunities for emerging CPG brands
- [28:58] Where emerging founders should spend their time after launching in retail
- [38:35] How We Grow CPG supports emerging, legacy, small, and mid-sized brands
About David Mesa:
David Mesa is the President of We Grow CPG, a boutique sales management agency offering elevated sales partnerships to the CPG industry. The agency’s core expertise lies in helping emerging brands expand their distribution by building aggressive and strategic revenue plans from the seed stage to the late stage.
With over 20 years of experience in the CPG industry, David has extensive knowledge in developing unique brands that stand out in a competitive marketplace. Additionally, he is the Founder of 4T Mesa Consulting and serves as a Strategic Advisor at both TIG Brands and Pricklee. David is also a US Marine Corps veteran.
Resources Mentioned in this episode
- Duncan Alney on LinkedIn
- Firebelly Marketing
- David Mesa on LinkedIn
- We Grow CPG
- “David Mesa: People First + Mission-Driven” on the Firebelly Social Show
- Halina Lukoskie on LinkedIn
- Drew Dickey on LinkedIn
- Jason Burke on LinkedIn
- David Delcourt on LinkedIn
- Miggy Reyes on LinkedIn
- Victoria Reyes on LinkedIn
- Startup CPG
- Narra
- Naturally Network
- SPINS
Quotable Moments:
- “We want to be that email that they don’t want to miss, you know?”
- “We treat all of our brands like it’s our brand.”
- “All the founders we work with are willing to lift their sleeves up and get into the trenches.”
- “A retailer could fall in love with your product, but they easily can fall out of love with it.”
- “Your best one is if you can have an internal merchandiser; they’re going to drive growth.”
Action Steps:
- Treat getting on the shelf as the starting point: Distribution is not the win unless your product has the velocity, support, and strategy to keep earning that shelf space.
- Study the shelf from the consumer’s perspective: Looking closely at price, placement, packaging, and nearby competitors helps brands understand what shoppers actually see and decide.
- Invest in merchandising to drive growth: Strong merchandising can uncover pricing issues, fix shelf problems, improve displays, and directly influence whether a product moves.
- Gather honest feedback before scaling: Founders need real consumer input, not just encouragement, to understand whether their product, packaging, and positioning are truly working.
- Choose retailers strategically, not emotionally: A retailer’s excitement can feel validating, but brands grow stronger when they launch where the product fits the shopper and channel.
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