My Better Batch, Lindsay Hancock

Jordan Buckner: [00:00:00] On today's episode, I'm excited to talk with Lindsay Hancock, who is the founder of My Better Batch, which is a company created to help make baking from scratch as effortless as possible. So Lindsay did 90 percent of the work by sourcing premium ingredients and creating an easy mix and bake solution so that, you know, any customer can bake.

Cookies that taste homemade just with addition of egg and butter. They just launched and gotten to your first retail partners at the beginning of December, 2024, and excited to see where the next year goes. Lindsay, welcome to the show today. 

Lindsay Hancock: Thank you for having me. 

Jordan Buckner: So I'm very excited about your products.

I'd love to you to tell me a little bit about why you created My Better Batch and what your inspiration was. 

Lindsay Hancock: Sure, absolutely. Well, baking has always been my way of showing love to my friends and family. As a busy working single mom, I have often struggled to find time to bake from scratch. And when my kids were little, I'd go all out for school parties [00:01:00] because baking was one way that helped me check my mom guilt box because I wasn't always in the places where I felt like I needed to be.

But so many times I would head to the baking aisle and look for a shortcut and nothing. Thing ever tasted homemade. So that's where I had the idea for my better batch. I wanted to create a baking hack that delivered cookies with a homemade taste but without the guilt of taking a shortcut. So with my better batch, like you said, all you need is butter and an egg.

And in just about 15 minutes you've got cookies that taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. My goal was to help parents. Busy professionals, anybody with a packed schedule feel good about making something special without the stress. So at its heart, My Better Batch is about creating joy. It's about making baking accessible to everyone.

And it's proof that taking a shortcut doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality or taste. 

Jordan Buckner: That's really exciting. And, you know, this business isn't your first time in the food industry. You were previously an executive with Kind Snacks. Tell me a little bit about [00:02:00] the types of work that you did with Kind and what you learned that you're now applying within My Better Batch.

Lindsay Hancock: Sure. Well, I did work for kind by way of acquisition. So I was part of starting a company called Creative Snacks based here in North Carolina, where I am. And we did trail mixes, nuts, granola, confections, some coconut snack products. And in 2019, we started that company in 2009. I was employee number one, the only one who was willing to join our founder when we had no sales, space, no products, no customers, no sales, no nothing.

But that turned out to be a really good decision for me. And it certainly was a pivotal time in my career. So fast forward to 2019, about 10 years later, we sold that company to Kind Snacks. And I had an opportunity for the next two years to work for Kind in a sales role. I was part of the executive leadership team there.

It was a huge opportunity for me to learn about how big CPG companies function. I had always been part of smaller entrepreneurial type [00:03:00] companies. And so I gained very valuable experience while I, during my time there. What I did learn about myself during those two years is that I really am , a person who thrives in a smaller environment, which I think was really important for me to learn about myself. And so in 2021, I did step away from kind. And I did not start my better batch right away, but I was trying to determine at that point in time, am I going to start something of my own? Am I going to go work for another company? What is it that I really want to do? And what is it that I'm passionate about?

Jordan Buckner: I love that and love that journey arc for you and the excited that you work with Creative Snacks. I've seen those products around before and excited that you were employee number one there. With My Better Batch, you know, what was that process like once you made that decision to Start that company again, like what, well, how did you determine the products to go into?

I know you kind of wanted to get it and make it easier to bake from your personal experience. But did you look and say, Hey, there's this white space within [00:04:00] the baking aisle that you want it to fill? How did you think about like how to differentiate from the, You know, other box mixes that are there and, you know, there's been some better for you options available.

Kind of what opportunity that you see that you really wanted to explore? 

Lindsay Hancock: Yeah, absolutely. Well, as I was trying to determine my next move you know, I was trying to balance , what is my passion. I love baking. Is there an opportunity in the baking aisle? And I am a firm believer that you really have to understand, you've got to be able to fill a void.

Like you said, there needs to be white space. There needs to be a reason, a differentiator in creating a new item and getting that new item to the shelf. And so I spent a ton of time in the baking aisle learning about all of the competition. What is there? What are their ingredients look like? What are their price points?

How are they competing? And so what I. determined during that point in time is that when I look at the baking aisle cookies specifically, I kind of look at the product on the shelf and I put it into three categories. One is what I call the value. And so that's the legacy brands like Betty Crocker [00:05:00] and Duncan Hines and Pillsbury, those brands that we all know and love, and we recognize those colors and we know exactly who they are because they've been there forever.

And then the second bucket is the attribute specific. Products. So most of the innovation in this category and in better for you, like you mentioned, but most of that innovation has happened , in what I call the attribute specific space. So it is keto, paleo, low sugar options. And the third bucket that I looked at was premium.

And what I found is that where there were very, very few brands that were competing in a premium space. And we've all seen categories in the grocery store that have offered a premium option. I think about cereal and magic spoon, right? And, and categories like that, where that particular category cookies was really lacking a premium option.

And so I felt like that was our niche. And that is what I set out to do. I wanted a clean ingredient profile, so I didn't want to go after the [00:06:00] attributes specific product specifically, but I did want to offer something that was clean, free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives.

I wanted to offer a non GMO project verified product because in that main baking set, there is not, those legacy brands are not certified. And they're not non GMO. And so, you know, I was really just trying to find, it was more than just providing a cookie mix that tasted great. It was, how do we fill a void that is there on the shelf today?

There to me has always been a really distinct difference in a homemade cookie mix. tasting cookie and a cookie that comes from a mix. And so, you know, my goal in this premiumness and the ingredients that I was using in the formulation was really to kind of bridge that gap so that we could provide a product that tasted so good that you could pass it off as your own homemade recipe.

recipe or grandma's recipe if you wanted to, and you wouldn't have to tell anybody that it came out of a box. So yeah, so to go back to your question, it [00:07:00] was a lot of research, a lot of understanding of competition and figuring out how we could offer a product that didn't exist today on the shelf.

Jordan Buckner: I love your packaging that you're going out to very classic kind of cookie flavors like chocolate chunk, you know, classic sugar, double chocolate chip in it. You know, always helps with approachability, especially for new products to use the familiar flavors. So I love that as you are thinking about your go to market strategy, what's your kind of mix between focusing on retail versus focusing on DTC?

Lindsay Hancock: Okay, great question. Yeah, and I think going back to packaging, packaging in this particular category, I feel like is really, really important because the competition is those legacy brands that people know and trust. We had to find a way to pop up. Off the shelf. And we did that by providing a different packaging format.

So most of the cookie mixes are offered in a standup gusseted bag. They are kind of flimsy. They don't sit up on the shelf very well. Our product is in a bag in a box format. We [00:08:00] really wanted very strong, big, beautiful images on the front to be able to bring people's attention to the product. And then we wanted packaging, like I said, that popped.

And so we use bright, vibrant colors and the other feature of our packaging is that when they are lined up across the shelf, the cookies in the upper corners of the packaging, they all fit together. And so it really creates this billboard effect that I'm hoping will really jump out to the consumer.

And so I know that was kind of a caveat, but I, I did want to talk about how important packaging is to the product and I'm sorry, you're going to have to go back to the original question. 

Jordan Buckner: No, I think that's great. I was just wondering in terms of your go to market strategy, like focusing on direct to consumer versus retail.

Lindsay Hancock: No, I'm sorry about that. So yeah, so we have kind of a two prong approach. I do envision that we will be stronger in retail than we in e com but our direct to consumer, that was how we were able to launch in April. So the product is sold through our [00:09:00] website. We're set up on Amazon.

Now we have a Tik TOK shop and an Instagram shop, which is kind of unique in our category. And those are our products. Brand new platforms that I'm just not as familiar with. So I do think that we will have a D to C. There will be an aspect of the company that will be D to C ongoing, but I do see most of our opportunity in retail channels.

Jordan Buckner: Well, I'm really impressed by your YouTube channel because you have hundreds of videos that you have posted and it looks like the past year and have gained, you know, thousands of subscribers to see these, tell me about , your video strategy and how you're Are thinking about them, how you're creating all these videos because it's really.

Lindsay Hancock: Well, thank you. So if I were being perfectly transparent, if I were to write every one of my insecurities down on a piece of paper, those YouTube videos, they would check every single box. But one of the unique things that we did, I do believe that a strong social media presence is absolutely necessary as an emerging brand.

And so one of the things [00:10:00] we did is we launched all of our social media platforms about a year before we even had a product. And during that first year, you would never know that there was a cookie mix coming. We knew that there was a cookie mix coming, but the content was more focused around, it was around cookies and baking.

And what we wanted to do was we wanted to build an audience of people who were interested in the subject matter. And so those videos are a way that we did that. So we've got a YouTube channel, a TikTok account, an Instagram account, Facebook, etc. And so for that year, well, you know, and ongoing till now, we do post about three to four videos a week.

And we really want to be able to be a place where people can come and get information and share ideas. And, you know, I created . These cookie mixes to be great on their own as is. But what's unique about , our cookie mixes is that they really can be used as a base to create all kinds of really cool, different flavor profiles.

And it's not too difficult. So with the mix and a few simple [00:11:00] additions, there's ways to take our chocolate chunk cookie, for instance, and create what I call a s'mores bliss cookie. And so each one of our boxes has a secondary recipe. On the back of the package, it also has a QR code on the back of the package, and that QR code will take you to a video which will show you how to make a video where I show you exactly how to make that recipe.

It also takes you to a video where I show you exactly how to bake the cookies. And so what I found during my research is that, is as I was going through the competitive packaging. I was following those instructions to a tea and when I followed those instructions to a T, there were times where I was not able to yield a dough that I could bake.

And so I wanted to make sure that we offered a solution. we made it so simple that by just scanning that QR code, there were tons of recipes and videos and how to's at your fingertips that would give consumers ease and peace of [00:12:00] mind as they were baking. 

Jordan Buckner: I love it. I mean I'm very impressed that you, I think that we mentioned the insecurities of video.

I'm very impressed by how they turn out and they're very well done. And you know I'm curious, like, how did you, like, what's your process for producing three to five videos a week? Is it like regularly as part of your schedule? Do you have someone who's like a , the videographer and doing the editing, are you doing that yourself?

I'd love to know like how you're making that happen. 

Lindsay Hancock: Well, so I enlisted the help of some friends. You know, this is a, I call this a very big, small industry, right? We, and so there are some folks that I've worked with in the past that I enlisted the help of some friends , who have done great work.

So I had somebody come in, we filmed all of these in my kitchen. And so. Yeah, we would have somebody helping me film. And then I had an editor that would edit everything together. We oftentimes, I'm glad that the finished products look smooth because oftentimes we were it was a sprint to the finish line and trying [00:13:00] to make sure that we could make it happen.

But most of the video content today. So the early on video content on YouTube, there's a lot of long format videos. Most of the video content over the last year has been in the short format. What we found is that people are a lot more responsive to short content. And so they average about 30 seconds.

But again, as you go through our Instagram account or even our YouTube account or Tik Tok, what you'll see is that we show different, right now we're doing all kinds of holiday videos. And so it's, you know, it's way we are showing how you take that mix and create something spectacular. But eventually, I'd love for those platforms to be a way to be able to engage with customers.

I want, while I think it's important that we provide some content and some ideas and inspiration, I think there's a way to be able to leverage consumers as they're taking the product home and creating things at home To share with others. So eventually I'd love to be able to use our website as a platform [00:14:00] to share information and give folks ideas that don't just come from me.

Jordan Buckner: Yeah, I think one thing as well as the recipe sharing community and baking community is really strong. I'm not sure if you're familiar with a spice company called Burlap and Barrel, but I've had their co founder on our podcast as well, and they have a single origin spice company from around the world, and they wanted to build a Facebook community where people are actively sharing recipe ideas and posting.

And most of the posts are not about their spices, but they really just kept cultivated this community of people who love to cook and love discovering unique spices and flavors and products and ingredients. I can totally see something like that for my better batch and having this community of bakers where they're sharing recipes, they're sharing ideas.

Some of them include your mixes, some don't, but it's just like a very kind of organic and green community. Definitely take a look at that. If you help share it to your Facebook group already. 

Lindsay Hancock: And I, you know, I think baking is such a, there's emotion in baking. [00:15:00] Baking is something that, you know, we oftentimes share in baking with other people.

And so, and I know a lot of us have, you know, memories around baking, but you, you know, you bake. with others and you share your what you've baked with others. And so it's this emotional activity. And so I think there are a lot of ways to be able to engage with consumers as they are baking. And so I'm excited to kick things off.

I also am equally excited about seeing where it goes. 

Jordan Buckner: I love that. So as we're kind of wrapping up the year, I know 2025 is probably going to be big in terms of trying to pitch and get into new retail stores and that focus, I'd love to hear, you know, what your approach is for launching into retail.

Are you thinking about starting with smaller independents? Are you going after some of the larger national accounts? Are you doing kind of a little bit of both to see where it lands? That's your approach. 

Lindsay Hancock: Yeah, no, it is a little bit of both. I would say that we probably are skewed more towards focusing on large national accounts.

I am very fortunate to have worked over the years with some [00:16:00] pretty incredible broker partners and some pretty incredible sales, CPG sales folks. And so I have a team of board members and private investors who have background in this industry. And I brought on board specifically so that we could when we had a product In April, we could go very quickly to these retailers and be able to introduce the product.

So while we did launch in April we are at the mercy of the category review calendars, and there's not many retailers these days who are willing to cut you in. And so what we're finding is that even though we launched in April, most of those reviews are taking place right now. So we haven't been able to make too much headway from a retail perspective.

I am excited that. Our product is now in sprouts at the beginning of December, it hit sprouts and I'm starting to get pictures from people and that's super exciting to see it on the shelf. We also have two other very large national retailers who are in the process of making some final [00:17:00] decisions now that I'm excited about for next year.

So I think there's huge opportunity. If there was one thing that I am most excited about for 2025, to me, it is the opportunity that exists. We've had some really incredible feedback on the process, as you know, is just very slow, right? It's a, it's by no fault of our own. It is just a very slow process.

And I often say that, you know, it could take between 12 and 18 months , to bring something to fruition from the first time that you showed it. I am not a. Super patient person. And so that waiting is tough. But I love that we're beginning to see some forward progress and we're beginning to get some, the product in front of buyers and we're getting some excellent feedback.

Jordan Buckner: The hardest thing to do, right. Is to pitch and then wait. And now they're like, Oh, are like end of year is coming. How are you going to Goals that we set. If this process takes multi, you know, six months to a year or more to get in store, I guess I have like multiple things going in and they all land at the same time.

And you're like, okay, now I have to like build all the inventory to make it work. Oh [00:18:00] my goodness. It's such a chaotic journey. 

Lindsay Hancock: Yeah, it is tricky. And it is a slow process. I often equate it to getting your first job. I think the other thing that's tricky about it, not just managing kind of the timelines in those reset calendars is, you know, most people are of those retailers want you to be able to show sales data.

And when, just like finding your first job, I don't know about you, but people wanted to be able, me to be able to share my experience and having just graduated from college, I didn't have a whole heck of a lot of experience. 

Jordan Buckner: That's like, tell me about the three years that you have working when you haven't worked before.

Lindsay Hancock: Well, that made it really tricky. I really think that this is very similar to that process in that you know, I don't have sales data to share. The folks that have decided to bring us on board, both.

, I have to sell them on myself and I have to sell them on what differentiates our product and they have seen the opportunity and they have understood the vision and they have taken a chance on our product. So we just need a couple of retailers under our belt to help get that data streams to our [00:19:00] customers.

But this I feel like is the trickiest spot to be in when , you're just kicking things off. We know we have a great product but we just don't have that data that we need to support it. 

Jordan Buckner: I'm curious what you hear about the category because I know every part of this tour is a little bit different.

This baking mix category is probably like fairly seasonal, depending on where they are. There's a lot of kind of products on the shelf, but a lot of legacy products. Are retailers looking at this and saying, Hey, let's replace maybe some of the legacy products with this better for you option on our shelves because it more aligns with our values.

Are they seeing, are you pitching kind of like new, Opportunities or new, like driving new customers to , the set kind of how those conversations going and how are they kind of viewing this category of the store? 

Lindsay Hancock: You know, I think every retailer is looking at it a little bit differently and their goals are certainly all over the place, whether you're talking to a Sprouts or whether you're talking to a Target or a Walmart, right?

I think what we've built this around is the premiumness of the product clean. It is clean. [00:20:00] It is not intentionally attribute specific, like I said, but it is clean and it is premium. I think what they're seeing is that doesn't exist in the set today and that there is opportunity. And I think, like I said, there are other sets throughout the store where you have some.

seen premium brands come into the space and create some incrementality on the shelf. And so I think that's where most of the value has been seen. 

Jordan Buckner: Love that. Well, cool. I'm excited for next year. As you're going into 2025, what are you most looking forward to? 

Lindsay Hancock: I think I'm looking forward to just, to the opportunity for expansion.

 We have a fantastic co manufacturer that we're working with. we have great business partners. Broker partners in place , that we have deployed and are starting to make things happen. And I think I'm just most excited about the opportunity that exists and beginning to scale and grow the business.

Jordan Buckner: That's really exciting. Well, Lindsay, I'm excited to follow your journey and see where it goes. And looking forward to your success this year. Thanks so much for being on. 

Lindsay Hancock: Well, thanks for including me, Jordan. I really appreciate it.