Product concepts & strategy
Shape a product idea into a clear concept: who it is for, why it deserves to exist, what it needs to deliver and whether the business can make the economics work.
Product strategy & commercialization for CPG
From good idea to real product.
I help food, pet care and consumer wellness brands turn their ideas into products that consumers want and businesses can make, scale and sell. I define the concept, assemble the right partners and lead the work from development through launch.
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How I help
Translating your brand’s vision into a product ready for the real world.
Development & commercialization
Turn the concept into a clear development brief, assemble and lead the right team, and drive the work through launch.
Manufacturing partners & sourcing
Find and vet contract manufacturers, ingredient suppliers and packaging partners against the product’s technical, volume, cost and timing requirements.
Product team leadership
Keep R&D, operations, marketing, finance and outside partners working from the same brief, decisions and launch plan. I lead the product workstream and coordinate the dependencies needed to move it forward.
Margin & portfolio improvement
Evaluate formulation, packaging, sourcing and SKU complexity to improve product economics without stripping out what consumers value.
What I bring
Product judgment, commercialization leadership and an operator’s understanding of what it takes to launch.
Product judgment
I sharpen the concept, define the product and make sure it has a reason to exist for both the consumer and the business.
Commercialization leadership
I turn ambiguity into a plan, assemble the right technical resources and keep decisions moving from brief through production.
Commercial discipline
I weigh taste and consumer appeal against cost, margin, manufacturability, timing and the realities of building a business.
When to bring me in
When the product is promising, but the path forward is messy.
01
You have a strong idea but no clear development or commercialization plan.
02
The product is stuck between formulation and scalable production.
03
You need the right development, manufacturing or sourcing partners.
04
You need a simple Stage Gate process that clarifies priorities, assigns ownership and surfaces the key decisions needed to keep products moving.
05
An existing product or portfolio needs better margins or sharper priorities.
Selected experience
I’ve built products from inside R&D teams and from the founder’s seat.
Built products and a company around them.
Co-founded a nationally distributed pet treat brand around upcycled ingredients, developing the product portfolio while navigating the realities of manufacturing, supply chain, margins, retail growth and building a company and team from the ground up.
From concept to scaled production.
Led product development in organic and gluten-free foods, translating product vision into formulas and processes designed for commercial manufacturing.
80+ SKUs commercialized.
Experience spans emerging brands and growing businesses, with work across product creation, commercialization, sourcing, manufacturing and margin improvement.
I know where launches get messy and how to keep them moving.
I understand the dependencies behind a launch because I have managed them as a product leader, manufacturing partner and founder responsible for the outcome.
Ways to work together
The right level of involvement for the work at hand.
Focused project
A defined product challenge with a clear outcome, scope and endpoint.
- Concept through commercialization plan
- Contract manufacturer search
- Cost or margin initiative
Fractional product lead
Ongoing leadership of a defined portfolio or commercialization pipeline, with clear responsibilities and boundaries.
- Portfolio and priority setting
- Commercialization leadership
- Team coordination
Strategic advisory
Senior guidance on product, partner and portfolio decisions without daily execution.
- Product and portfolio reviews
- Partner and proposal evaluation
- Decision support
About Alex
14+
years building CPG products
80+
SKUs commercialized
Product person. CPG founder. Commercialization realist.
I started in food science and R&D, then learned the rest of the business by building one. As a founder of Shameless Pets, I experienced everything that sits between a good product idea and a product people can actually buy: manufacturing constraints, imperfect information, shifting costs, retail expectations and the constant pressure to make the next right decision.
Today, I work with brands that need senior product thinking and commercialization leadership, structured around the actual work.
Have a product in mind?
Let’s get it to market.
Share what you’re building, where it’s stuck and what outcome matters. I’ll tell you honestly whether I’m the right fit.
Email Alex