Ep 501: How Mid-Day Squares Scaled to $36M with Careful Costco, Costly Cocao, and a Bitcoin Supply Chain Makeover with Nick Saltarelli

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In this episode, we sit down with Nick Saltarelli, co-founder of Mid-Day Squares — one of the most disruptive brands in functional CPG. Nick dives deep into how they broke a Costco sales record, built a new refrigerated snack category in mass retail, and fought margin collapse during a global cocoa crisis.

🔑 In this episode, you'll learn:

How Mid-Day Squares turned 13-day roadshows into viral brand moments

The radical way they use Bitcoin and WhatsApp to source cocoa and slash costs by 35%

Why ChatGPT is now a core operational layer in their business

The book that changed Nick’s thinking about retention and customer acquisition forever

What it really takes to scale a manufacturing operation to serve Costco and the U.S. market

This is a tactical, no-BS episode for operators who want to break molds, not just grow linearly.

Timestamps

00:00 - How Bitcoin Supercharged Mid-Day Squares’ Supply Chain

02:00 - Breaking Costco Records With Community-Powered Roadshows

06:00 - Creating a New Product Category in Costco's Refrigerated Section

08:00 - Cocoa Crisis and Vertical Supply Chain Innovation

12:00 - Using WhatsApp and Bitcoin to Revolutionize Global Sourcing

16:00 - Why Mid-Day Squares Doesn’t Hold Bitcoin — But Trades With It

20:00 - Scaling Production to Meet Massive Costco Demand

24:00 - Understanding the Global Cocoa Price Surge

28:00 - How AI and ChatGPT Are Embedded Into Daily Operations

32:00 - Breaking DTC Marketing Myths With “How Brands Grow”

Hashtags

#middaySquares #DTCmarketing #CostcoLaunch #BitcoinSupplyChain #CPGfounders #CocoaCrisis #VerticalIntegration #ChatGPTforBusiness #ByronSharp #HowBrandsGrow #DirectToConsumer #AIinCPG #ecommercebrands #scalingstartups #entrepreneurmindset

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